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INAluminium Industry Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Aluminium Industry Award actually pays — the right worker grade, shift and weekend penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Aluminium Industry Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per classification grade — the calculator uses the adult rates from clause 16.1, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading (clause 11.2(b)), with a minimum 3-hour engagement per shift.
- Shift loadings are flat dollar amounts, not percentages: +$4.42/hr for afternoon or rotating night shift, +$8.84/hr for permanent night shift (Monday–Friday) — easy to under-pay if you default to a percentage penalty.
- Weekend ordinary hours are genuine penalty rates: 150% on Saturday, 200% on Sunday — and none of these stack with shift loadings or each other; the award caps combined penalties at 200% (or 250% on a public holiday).
- Overtime applies beyond 38 ordinary weekly hours at 150% for the first 3 hours then 200% — and overtime substitutes for casual loading, shift loadings and weekend penalties rather than adding to them (clause 20.3(b)).
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including shift loadings and weekend penalties — but not to overtime.
Who the award covers
- Smelting, refining and aluminium manufacturing operations
- Production, process and plant-operating employees across the aluminium supply chain
- Maintenance-adjacent process workers performing basic repairs and servicing
- Leading hands and process supervisors up to senior specialist level
- Labour hire staff placed into aluminium industry operations
General manufacturing, mining and metal trades (fitting, boilermaking, electrical) covered by their own trade or manufacturing awards sit outside this one — check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Aluminium Industry Award has one classification ladder with eight grades — from Grade 1 (entry-level, standard induction and simple tagging tasks under direct supervision) through to Grade 8 (extensive dual-trade capabilities and broad supervisory responsibility). Most production and process teams sit at Grades 1–4; the grades above are for genuine trade-level specialists and leading hands.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | $26.44 | $1004.90 | Entry-level process worker · Trainee | Entry: standard induction and safety training, basic lifting/handling, monitoring field equipment, sample collection and simple cleaning/maintenance under direct supervision. |
| Grade 2 | $27.56 | $1047.30 | Basic process/plant operator · Mobile equipment operator | Basic and semi-skilled work under close supervision to standard procedures — operating and non-trade servicing of mobile equipment, start-up/shutdown of plant, responding to malfunctions. |
| Grade 3 | $28.58 | $1086.20 | Intermediate process worker | Semi-skilled work across a broader range of plant and process functions, using quality-control tools and computer-based systems, basic repairs and maintenance, sample analysis. |
| Grade 4 | $29.45 | $1119.10 | Advanced process worker · Specialist-in-training | Progressively broader competencies beyond Grade 3, developing specialist skills toward trade level. |
| Grade 5 | $31.42 | $1193.90 | Specialist tradesperson · Dual-skilled operator | Specialist trade-level skills exercised with significant autonomy, potentially with dual competencies. |
| Grade 6 | $33.47 | $1271.80 | Advanced specialist · Emerging leading hand | Advanced specialist work, dual-trade capabilities commencing, first supervisory responsibilities. |
| Grade 7 | $35.11 | $1334.10 | Senior dual-trade specialist · Shift leading hand | High-level dual-trade or specialist capabilities with significant supervisory or leading-hand responsibility. |
| Grade 8 | $36.53 | $1388.10 | Senior leading hand · Broad-scope specialist | The top grade: extensive dual-trade capabilities and broad supervisory responsibility, or senior specialist/leading-hand duties. |
- Grade 1 is the entry point: completing induction/safety training, basic lifting and handling, monitoring equipment, and simple cleaning or servicing tasks — all under direct supervision.
- The step to Grade 3 is about scope: a broader range of plant and process functions, use of quality-control tools, and basic repairs rather than just operating equipment.
- Trade-level skill changes the floor from Grade 5 up — specialist or dual-trade competencies exercised with real autonomy, not just experience on the job.
- Leading hand and supervisory responsibility (Grades 6–8) is layered on top of technical skill, and often comes with its own leading-hand allowance (see below) rather than a grade change alone.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Aluminium Industry Award adds allowances for particular duties and situations — being the designated first aid officer, working overtime without notice, using your own car. They’re small lines individually, but they’re legal entitlements and they add up. The common ones (1 July 2026 amounts):
The calculator below doesn’t include allowances — add the ones that apply to your team on top of the result. The full list lives in the award’s allowances clause.
Break entitlements under the Aluminium Industry Award
Breaks are part of the award too — and missed or worked-through breaks usually carry a penalty rate, so they belong in the roster, not just the tea room. Here’s what the Aluminium Industry Award requires:
Overtime rest breaks are paid at the overtime rate. The full rules live in the award’s breaks clause.
Calculate a week under the Aluminium Industry Award
Enter the week as it’s actually rostered. Weekend, evening and public-holiday hours are paid at the award’s penalty rates; anything beyond 38 hours is priced as overtime; super is applied to ordinary-time earnings only.
Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000060) — first full pay period on or after that date.
This week’s numbers
Nothing is stored or sent — the maths runs on this page.
Are these the exact legal rates?
The classification minimums are the adult rates from the award (clause 16.1), current at 1 July 2026. Junior and apprentice rates are separate percentages, and the calculator uses the standard adult grade table. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
Do shift loadings stack with the casual loading?
Yes — the flat shift loading ($4.42/hr or $8.84/hr) and the 25% casual loading both apply on top of the base grade rate. What does not stack is weekend and public holiday penalties with shift loadings — the award caps the combined rate at 200% (250% on a public holiday).
Does overtime add to the weekend penalty or casual loading?
No — this is the award's distinctive trap. Overtime pay substitutes for casual loading, shift loadings and weekend penalty rates rather than stacking with them (clause 20.3(b)). Once someone is working overtime hours, they're paid the overtime rate only.
Does super apply to shift loadings and weekend penalties?
Yes — shift loadings and weekend/public-holiday penalties on ordinary hours are ordinary-time earnings, so the 12% super guarantee applies. True overtime is excluded. The calculator applies exactly that split.
This is a general calculator, not legal advice. It applies the award’s published adult minimums to the hours you enter — it can’t see your enterprise agreement, allowances or individual arrangements, and junior, apprentice and shiftwork rates differ. Always confirm pay against the award, your agreement or your adviser. If you believe something here is materially wrong or out of date, please contact us — we’ll review it promptly.
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Tommy applies the right award rates to every shift as you roster — penalties, loading and super included. Start with your email and your numbers come along.
