NOC 94213: Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators
What industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators do
Industrial painters and coaters operate and tend machines or use brushes and spray equipment to apply paint, enamel, lacquer or other non-metallic protective and decorative coatings to surfaces of various products. Metal finishing process operators operate machines or equipment to deposit metallized substances on workpieces and surfaces to provide decorative, protective and restorative coatings. These workers are employed by manufacturing companies and custom refinishing, coating and plating shops.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Industrial painters and coaters
- Select appropriate paint or mix paints using automated paint mixing equipment according to a predetermined formula
- Operate or tend equipment to clean, wash, strip, sand, remove corrosion, fill dents or otherwise prepare items for application of paint, lacquer or other protective or decorative coatings
- Operate or tend automated spray paint, dip or flow coating equipment or other mechanized painting or product coating application equipment
- Operate hand-held spray guns to spray paint or coat stationary items or items on moving conveyor system with protective or decorative coatings
- Paint small items and apply touch-ups using paint brushes
- Clean and maintain painting and coating, ventilation, compressed air and personal protective equipment
- May prepare and apply stencils, computer-generated decals or other decorative items on finished products.
- Industrial metal finishing process operators
- Prepare and mix metallizing solutions according to formulas or specifications
- Operate or tend equipment to clean, degrease, pickle and etch metal and non-metal surfaces to prepare workpieces with desired surface characteristics
- Tend automatic metal coating machines which convey objects through a series of cleaning, rinsing and plating solutions
- Operate and control electroplating equipment to coat metal and other workpieces
- Operate hot-dip metal plating equipment to galvanize metal and other workpieces
- Operate spray equipment to build up worn or damaged parts or to bond protective or decorative coatings on various objects
- Check proper thickness of plating using micrometers, calipers or other devices
- May operate equipment to polish metallic surfaces of products
- May tend ovens which cure metal coating.
Job titles under NOC 94213
203 job titles are classified here, including assembly line painter, automatic paint-sprayer operator, automobile painter - motor vehicle manufacturing.
- airbrush painter
- aircraft painter
- anodizer
- assembly line painter
- assembly painter
- automatic paint-sprayer operator
- automobile assembly line painter
- automobile assembly painter
- automobile dipper-painter
- automobile painter - motor vehicle manufacturing
- aviation painter
- bathtub refinisher
- bathtub varnisher
- bench lacquer sprayer
- bench spray painter
- block sander and glazier
- boiler painter
- bronze plater
- brush stainer - production
- cadmium galvanizer
- car painter - manufacturing
- ceramic and enamel refinisher
- ceramic enameler
- ceramic painter
Employment requirements
- Secondary school education is usually required.
- Some experience in operating production machinery or equipment may be required.
- Several months of on-the-job training are usually provided.
- Some industrial painters, such as aviation painters, may require specialized training and certification or college courses.
Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $18.00/hr | $24.61/hr | $36.00/hr |
Toronto ON | $17.60/hr | $24.00/hr | $27.15/hr |
Montréal QC | $20.19/hr | $24.19/hr | $31.41/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $20.00/hr | $28.84/hr | $47.57/hr |
Calgary AB | $22.00/hr | $26.00/hr | $35.00/hr |
Edmonton AB | $22.00/hr | $26.00/hr | $35.00/hr |
Ottawa ON | $19.34/hr | $22.95/hr | $30.46/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $17.80/hr | $24.00/hr | $31.60/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $17.00/hr | $24.50/hr | $32.00/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $19.23/hr | $23.50/hr | $33.65/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $18.00/hr | $24.00/hr | $40.00/hr |
London ON | $20.17/hr | $26.78/hr | $36.19/hr |
Halifax NS | $18.00/hr | $34.71/hr | $39.42/hr |
Saskatoon Saskatoon–Biggar region, SK | $21.93/hr | $28.05/hr | $39.16/hr |
Regina Regina–Moose Mountain region, SK | $22.92/hr | $28.12/hr | $38.05/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $20.00/hr | $36.01/hr | $47.00/hr |
Nova Scotia | $17.55/hr | $33.92/hr | $40.16/hr |
New Brunswick | $16.50/hr | $23.00/hr | $34.00/hr |
Quebec | $17.00/hr | $24.50/hr | $32.00/hr |
Ontario | $18.00/hr | $23.57/hr | $33.00/hr |
Manitoba | $16.50/hr | $24.00/hr | $31.60/hr |
Saskatchewan | $20.73/hr | $27.20/hr | $37.06/hr |
Alberta | $22.00/hr | $26.00/hr | $35.00/hr |
British Columbia | $20.50/hr | $30.00/hr | $47.00/hr |
Using NOC 94213 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 203 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Auto body collision, refinishing and glass technicians and damage repair estimators (NOC 72411)
- Furniture and fixture assemblers, finishers, refinishers and inspectors (NOC 94210)
- Machining tool operators (NOC 94106)
- Painters and decorators (except interior decorators) (NOC 73112)
- Supervisors, motor vehicle assembling (NOC 92020)
- Supervisors, other mechanical and metal products manufacturing (NOC 92023)
- Supervisors, plastic and rubber products manufacturing (NOC 92013)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators?
Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators are NOC 2021 unit group 94213. Example job titles in this group include assembly line painter, automatic paint-sprayer operator, automobile painter - motor vehicle manufacturing, aviation painter.
What TEER is NOC 94213?
NOC 94213 is TEER 4 (High school and on-the-job training). Usually requires completion of secondary school, or several weeks of on-the-job training. TEER 4 and 5 work does not count as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker or Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $24.61/hr, about $48,000 a year full-time, with a range of $18.00/hr to $36.00/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.