Jobs / Architecture and engineering / 17-2131.00
Materials Engineers
Evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications. Develop new uses for known materials. Includes those engineers working with composite materials or specializing in one type of material, such as graphite, metal and metal alloys, ceramics and glass, plastics and polymers, and naturally occurring materials. Includes metallurgists and metallurgical engineers, ceramic engineers, and welding engineers.
- US jobs
- 22,770
- Median wage
- $112,860 a year
- Job family
- Architecture and engineering
Can agents do the work of materials engineers?
We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Architecture and engineering:
- Task levelUnexploredNo task-level benchmark in our collection tests architecture or engineering design work, such as CAD modeling or engineering calculations.
- Project levelNot yetWhole projects are mostly out of reach. The Remote Labor Index includes 3D, CAD, and architecture projects; across all its projects, the best agent completed 15.8% to a standard a client would accept. GDPval includes mechanical engineers, and its deliverables score higher, but those tasks are one-shot and fully specified.
Benchmarks for the job family
These cover work in architecture and engineering, not always this occupation's tasks.
- 1846 EloClaude Opus 5.5 (Adaptive Reasoning, Max Effort, Default Fallback) · 23 Sep 2026Unrated
Typical tasks
From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.
- Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality.
- Review new product plans, and make recommendations for material selection, based on design objectives such as strength, weight, heat resistance, electrical conductivity, and cost.
- Evaluate technical specifications and economic factors relating to process or product design objectives.
- Solve problems in a number of engineering fields, such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, nuclear, and aerospace.
- Plan and implement laboratory operations to develop material and fabrication procedures that meet cost, product specification, and performance standards.
- Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.
- Determine appropriate methods for fabricating and joining materials.
- Guide technical staff in developing materials for specific uses in projected products or devices.
- Design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures.
- Plan and evaluate new projects, consulting with other engineers and corporate executives, as necessary.
- Supervise the work of technologists, technicians, and other engineers and scientists.
- Supervise production and testing processes in industrial settings, such as metal refining facilities, smelting or foundry operations, or nonmetallic materials production operations.
Other job titles for this occupation (29)
Automotive Sheet Metal Engineer · Ceramic Engineer · Extrusion Engineer · Materials Development Engineer · Materials Research Engineer · Metallurgical Engineer · Metallurgist · Process Engineer · Textile Engineer · Ceramic Design Engineer · Ceramic Research Engineer · Ceramics Test Engineer · Characterization Engineer · Corrosion Engineer · Extractive Metallurgist · Failure Analysis Engineer · Forensic Materials Engineer · Foundry Metallurgist · Foundry Process Engineer · Glass Science Engineer · Material Science Engineer · Metallographer · Metallurgical Specialist · Physical Metallurgist · Plastics Engineer · Polymer Engineer · Process Metallurgist · Smelting Engineer · Welding Engineer