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INTimber Industry Award Pay Calculator
Work out what a week under the Timber Industry Award actually pays — the right classification level, Saturday and Sunday penalties, casual loading and super, calculated the way the award says.
How the Timber Industry Award is applied
- Minimum rates are set per classification level — the calculator uses the General Timber stream adult rates from clause 20.1, current from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.
- Casuals get a 25% loading (clause 12.2), and the weekend and public-holiday multipliers below already include it.
- Saturday work for day workers is the award’s distinctive rule: 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200% after that (clause 27) — the calculator applies the 150% first-tier rate to the whole Saturday bucket, so treat a long Saturday shift as a floor, not the final figure.
- Overtime applies beyond 38 ordinary weekly hours: 150% for the first 2 hours, then 200% (clause 26) — for day workers. Continuous shiftworkers are paid a flat 200% for all overtime instead, and casual overtime is paid at the overtime rate based on the ordinary rate including the casual loading (clause 12.3), not loading-on-top-of-loading.
- Superannuation (12%) applies to ordinary-time earnings, including penalty rates — but not to overtime.
- The trap employers miss most: the forest work allowance ($0.94/hour, general timber stream) is all-purpose, meaning it’s added into the base rate before penalties, overtime and leave loading are calculated for anyone who actually works in the forest — not just paid as a flat extra.
Who the award covers
- Timber getting, sawmilling and timber merchandising
- Wood and timber furniture manufacture, finishing, upholstery and cabinet-making
- Pulp and paper manufacture — paper machine operation, process control, maintenance
- Log haulage, plywood and veneer production, particleboard and joinery-supply mills
- Labour hire staff placed into timber, furniture or pulp and paper businesses
Joinery and building trades on construction sites, graphic arts and printing (paper conversion/printing), and general manufacturing outside timber, furniture and pulp and paper have their own awards — check before you classify.
Which level is your team member?
The Timber Industry Award runs three separate classification ladders — General Timber, Wood and Timber Furniture, and Pulp and Paper — each with its own rates and progression. This calculator uses the General Timber stream (Levels 1–7), the ladder most sawmilling and timber-merchandising employers will use. Furniture manufacturers and pulp and paper mills follow the same penalty and overtime rules but should check their own stream’s rate table before relying on the figures here.
| Level | Per hour | Per week (38h) | Typical roles | The test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $25.74 | $978.10 | Trainee · Yard hand · General hand (induction stage) | Completing induction and skills training to Level 1 competency — following instructions, basic manual handling, basic hand tools. |
| Level 2 | $26.44 | $1004.90 | Machine feeder · Timber stacker · Process worker | Basic machine or process work beyond induction, under routine supervision. |
| Level 3 | $27.08 | $1029.10 | Docking saw operator · Green mill operator · Forklift driver | Operating designated machinery or equipment to a trained standard, working with only general supervision. |
| Level 4 | $27.97 | $1062.90 | Sawmill operator · Kiln operator · Grader/sorter (trade-level skill) | A skilled tradesperson-equivalent role — grading, sawing or drying timber to specification with limited supervision. |
| Level 5 | $29.45 | $1119.10 | Leading hand (small crew) · Head sawyer | Leading a small crew or holding recognised trade qualifications applied to the job. |
| Level 6 | $30.38 | $1154.30 | Shift supervisor · Maintenance fitter (mill) | Supervising a shift or section, or a qualified tradesperson maintaining mill plant and equipment. |
| Level 7 | $32.13 | $1221.10 | Mill supervisor · Senior maintenance leading hand | The top level: full responsibility for a mill area, shift or specialist maintenance function. |
- Level 1 is the induction stage — completing basic work health and safety, first aid awareness and enterprise procedures training before progressing.
- Levels 2–3 cover routine machine and process work — feeding, stacking, docking saws, forklift operation — once trained on the specific gear.
- Level 4 is where trade-level skill starts to matter — sawing, grading and kiln-drying timber to a specification, not just running a machine.
- Levels 5–7 add leadership: leading a small crew, supervising a shift, or holding trade qualifications used to maintain mill plant and equipment.
Allowances that can apply on top
Base rates and penalties aren’t the whole pay picture. The Timber 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 Timber 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 Timber Industry Award requires:
From the award’s breaks clause (clause 19). Verify the current award text before relying on it.
Calculate a week under the Timber 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, MA000071) — 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 General Timber stream adult rates from the award (clause 20.1), current at 1 July 2026. The Wood and Timber Furniture and Pulp and Paper streams have their own rate tables not shown here, and junior rates are a separate percentage. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm against the award or your payroll adviser.
My business makes furniture, not sawn timber — does this still apply?
The award covers you, but under the Wood and Timber Furniture classification ladder rather than General Timber — the rates differ from the ones used in this calculator, though the penalty, overtime and allowance rules are the same across all three streams.
What’s the deal with Saturday work?
Day workers get 150% for the first 2 hours of Saturday work, then 200% after that — one of the more distinctive rules in this award. This calculator applies a flat 150% to the Saturday bucket as a conservative floor; a long Saturday shift will cost more once the 200% tier kicks in.
Does the forest work allowance affect overtime and super?
Yes for super — it’s all-purpose, so it’s folded into ordinary-time earnings before the 12% super guarantee is calculated. It also lifts the base used for penalty rates. It does not attract further loading on overtime hours themselves.
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.
