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Manufacturing Award Pay Calculator

Work out what a week under the Manufacturing Award actually pays — the right C-level classification, shift and weekend rates, the all-purpose casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.

How the Manufacturing Award is applied

Minimum rates are set per C-level classification — the calculator uses the adult rates from clause 20.1(a), current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
The 25% casual loading is all-purpose: it stays inside the casual rate for every penalty and overtime calculation, so a casual on Saturday earns 187.5% — not 175%.
Saturday is the trap for day workers: unless you’ve specifically agreed to roster Saturday ordinary hours, Saturday work is overtime from the first hour (150% first 3 hours, then 200%, minimum 4 hours).
Overtime applies beyond 38 ordinary weekly hours: 150% for the first 3 hours, then 200% (casuals: 187.5% / 250% with the loading kept in).
Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including shift and weekend penalties on ordinary hours — but not to overtime.
Supervisor, trainer and coordinator rates aren’t in the rate table at all — they’re a formula (122% of the highest-paid employee supervised), so they move whenever your team’s rates do.

Who the award covers

Metal trades and engineering workshops — fitting, turning, machining, toolmaking
Fabrication, welding and sheet-metal work
Production and process work in manufacturing plants
Vehicle manufacturing (V-series classifications) and their drivers (D-series)
Technical, laboratory and quality-control employees in manufacturing
Labour hire staff placed into manufacturing businesses

Vehicle repair shops and dealerships sit under the Vehicle Repair, Services and Retail Award, food and beverage plants under the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award, office staff under the Clerks Award, and professional engineers under the Professional Employees Award — check before you classify.

Which level is your team member?

The Manufacturing Award classifies on competency, not job title — the C-scale runs from C14 (induction) down the numbers as skill rises, with C10, the trade-qualified level, as the award’s standard rate. Progression is tied to formal training under the national competency standards, so qualifications matter as much as duties. The table here covers C14–C5, the levels most manufacturing SMBs actually use.

Level	Per hour	Per week (38h)	Typical roles	The test
C14	$25.74	$978.10	New starter · General labourer · Cleaner (first 3 months)	The induction level: up to 38 hours of structured induction, routine manual duties under direct supervision. Must be reclassified to C13 within 3 months.
C13	$26.44	$1004.90	Production employee · Process worker · Basic machine operator	Past induction: works to standard operating procedures under direct supervision, handles basic quality checks and can spot simple faults.
C12	$27.08	$1029.10	Engineering production employee · Certificate II operator	Holds an Engineering Production Certificate I or Certificate II in Engineering (or equivalent) — responsible for their own work quality under routine supervision.
C11	$27.97	$1062.90	Advanced production operator · Laboratory tester	Certificate II in Engineering—Production Technology (or equivalent): works from complex instructions, coordinates in a team, assures their own quality.
C10	$29.45	$1119.10	Trade-qualified fitter · Machinist · Fabricator/welder · Electrical/electronic tradesperson	Holds a trade certificate (Certificate III in Engineering or equivalent) and exercises trade skills under limited supervision. The award’s “standard rate” — every other level is a percentage of C10.
C9	$30.38	$1154.30	Tradesperson—Level II · Engineering/laboratory technician—Level I	A tradesperson 20% of the way to a Diploma of Engineering (or a Certificate III technician) — provides trade guidance to the team beyond the C10 level.
C8	$31.30	$1189.40	Special-class tradesperson—Level I · Technician—Level II	C10 plus 40% towards a Diploma of Engineering: assists with training, exercises judgement beyond C9.
C7	$32.13	$1221.10	Special-class tradesperson—Level II · Detail draughting technician	Certificate IV in Engineering (or C10 plus 60% of a Diploma): provides training, does detail draughting or planning work.
C6	$33.77	$1283.10	Advanced tradesperson—Level I · Technician—Level IV	C10 plus 80% towards an advanced-trade Diploma: organises work and quality above C7, prepares technical reports, exercises broad discretion.
C5	$34.46	$1309.50	Advanced tradesperson—Level II · Technician—Level V	Holds a Diploma of Engineering—Advanced Trade (or equivalent): technical guidance, problem-solving and non-routine work beyond C6.

C14 is strictly temporary — up to 38 hours of induction, and the award requires reclassification to C13 within 3 months. Most production hires settle at C13 or C12.
C10 is the trade benchmark: anyone with a trade certificate who uses those skills belongs at C10 or above. Every other rate in the award is a percentage of C10.
The ladder continues above this table — C4 to C2(b) run up to $39.83/hour for engineering associates and principal technical officers, and supervisor/trainer/coordinator rates are formula-based (122% of the highest employee supervised), not a table row.
Vehicle manufacturing has parallel V-series classifications (V1–V14) at the same pay points, plus D-series driver rates ($28.33–$29.42/hour) — same money, different Schedule B definitions.

Allowances that can apply on top

Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Manufacturing 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):

Leading hand allowance — in charge of other employees$48.98–$93.12/week depending on the number supervised

Tool allowance — tradespersons providing their own tools$17.90/week

First aid allowance — the designated first aid officer$22.26/week

Meal allowance — overtime without notice$19.14 per occasion

Saturday overtime minimumMinimum 4 hours’ pay

Sunday and public holiday overtime minimumMinimum 3 hours’ pay

Annual leave loading17.5% on paid annual leave

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 Manufacturing 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 Manufacturing Award requires:

Meal break — no more than 5 hours without oneUnpaid, at least 20 minutes (the 5 hours can stretch by an hour by agreement or where impractical)

Required to work through the meal break150% of the ordinary hourly rate for all work during the break and until a meal break is taken

Shiftworkers and vehicle-manufacturing employees have their own break arrangements — check the award’s breaks clause for those streams.

Calculate a week under the Manufacturing 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.

Classification levelEmployment typeState or territoryWeekday hours (day work)Afternoon or night shift hoursRotating afternoon or night shift (115%). A permanent night shift pays 130% (casual 162.5%) — pick the higher rate if that’s your roster.Saturday hoursFor day workers Saturday is overtime from the first hour — 150% for the first 3 hours, then 200%, minimum 4 hours — unless you’ve agreed rostered Saturday ordinary hours (also 150%). Shiftworkers get a 150% penalty.Sunday hoursSunday is 200% whether worked as agreed ordinary hours or overtime (minimum 3 hours as overtime).Public holiday hours250% with a minimum payment of 3 hours.

Rates current as of 1 July 2026 (adult minimums, MA000010) — 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 C-series rates from clause 20.1(a), current at 1 July 2026. Apprentices, juniors, the V-series (vehicle manufacturing) and D-series (drivers) have their own tables, and many disability allowances sit on top for specific conditions. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.

What does “all-purpose” casual loading actually mean?

The 25% loading is baked into the casual hourly rate before anything else is calculated — penalties and overtime multiply the loaded rate. A casual working Saturday earns 150% × 125% = 187.5% of the minimum, and double-time overtime pays 250%. Stripping the loading for penalty hours is one of the most common underpayments under this award.

Is Saturday a penalty or overtime?

For day workers, overtime — from the very first hour, at 150% for 3 hours then 200% with a 4-hour minimum — unless you’ve formally agreed to include Saturday in ordinary rostered hours (then it’s a 150% penalty). Rostered shiftworkers get a 150% Saturday penalty on ordinary shift hours.

Does super apply to shift penalties?

Yes — shift loadings and weekend 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.