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Fabric, Fur and Leather Cutters (9452)

Job titles

  • bias-cutting machine tender - fabric, fur and leather products manufacturing
  • canvas cutter - fabric products manufacturing
  • cloth cutter - fabric products manufacturing
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Nature of work

Fabric cutters cut fabric to make parts for garments, linens and other articles. Fur cutters cut fur pelts to make parts for garments and other fur articles. Leather cutters cut leather to make parts for shoes, garments and other leather articles. Fabric cutters are employed by clothing and textile manufacturers and other manufacturers of fabric products. Fur cutters are employed by furriers and fur products manufacturers. Leather cutters are employed by shoe and other leather products manufacturers.

Fields of interest

  • Making or building things, constructing, doing repairs, and performing installations
  • Working with your hands

Main duties

  • Fabric cutters perform some or all of the following duties:
  • - Place patterns on top of layers of fabric and cut fabric following patterns, using electric or manual knives, cutters or computer numerically controlled (CNC) cutting devices
  • - Adjust cutting technique to type of fabric and style of garment
  • - May cut fabric samples.
  • Fur cutters perform some or all of the following duties:
  • - Cut fur skins in diagonal strips to specified length and shape of pelt using furrier's knives and cutters
  • - Number pelts to indicate their location on pattern
  • - May sort or match skins, and may prepare fur samples.
  • Leather cutters perform some or all of the following duties:
  • - Select leather and cutting dies for leather goods and shoe parts according to specifications
  • - Position leather on cutting bed of machine, maximizing usage according to skin grain, skin flaws and skin stretch
  • - Operate clicker or punch press to stretch leather
  • - Operate machine to cut leather or cut single leather skins by hand to make leather products
  • - May cut leather samples.

Main characteristics of the occupation

These headings are provided for the following occupation(s) :

Employment requirements

  • * Some secondary school education is usually required.
  • * Experience as a fabric, fur or leather cutter is required for fabric, fur or leather sample cutters.
  • * Some on-the-job training is provided for occupations in this unit group.
  • * Several years of on-the-job training are provided for fur cutters.

Skill type

  • Occupations unique to processing, manufacturing and utilities

Skill level

  • Intermediate

More information

  • * There is little mobility among the different kinds of cutters in this unit group.
  • * Progression to supervisory positions is possible with experience.

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