Clothing finisher
Also known as: clothing packer, clothes finisher
About this occupation
Clothing finishers set haberdasheries (e.g. bottoms, zips, and ribbons) and cut threads. They weigh, pack, label materials and products.
Essential skills and knowledge
- manufacture wearing apparel products
- clothing industry
- clothing sizes
- analyse supply chain strategies
- pack goods
- decorate textile articles
- perform warehousing operations
Typical tasks and preparation
From the related US occupation profile Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials (O*NET 51-6021.00). Linked by an official crosswalk: related, not identical; details vary by country.
- Hang, fold, package, and tag finished articles for delivery to customers.
- Operate steam, hydraulic, or other pressing machines to remove wrinkles from garments and flatwork items, or to shape, form, or patch articles.
- Straighten, smooth, or shape materials to prepare them for pressing.
- Remove finished pieces from pressing machines and hang or stack them for cooling, or forward them for additional processing.
- Finish pleated garments, determining sizes of pleats from evidence of old pleats or from work orders, using machine presses or hand irons.
- Lower irons, rams, or pressing heads of machines into position over material to be pressed.
- Typical education (US)
- Less than a High School Diploma
- Preparation
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Interests
- Realistic, Conventional, Artistic
Top skills: Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Time Management, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving
US median pay: US$35,060 a year (2025), 26,120 employed. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Preparation needed
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Most common education (US)
- Less than a High School Diploma
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Related occupations
Occupations O*NET links to this one by similar work, skills and knowledge.
- Sewing Machine Operators
- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers
- Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders
- Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Machine Feeders and Offbearers
- Cutters and Trimmers, Hand
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
- Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders
- Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.