Paperboard products assembler
Also called paper plate maker, craft board maker, cardboard box maker
Paperboard products assemblers construct the components or parts made from paperboard according to strictly laid down procedures. They assemble products such as tubes, spools, cardboard boxes, paper plates and craft boards.
What you'd do
Paper products machine operators · ILO- Operating and monitoring machines which glue paper to cardboard, cut it to the required length or cut and crease cardboard or paperboard to form box blanks
- Operating and monitoring pressing machines which form drinking cups or other containers from paper, paperboard or cardboard
- Operating and monitoring machines which cut, fold and glue paper to make envelopes and paper bags, or which form bags from other similar material
- Indoors
- On your feet most of the day
- Constant contact with people
- Good freedom to decide
- Often more than 40 hours a week
- Deadlines most weeks
- Some repetitive tasks
Will there be jobs?
Limited prospectsFewer jobs than in most work will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
About averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,000 a month (Bulgaria) to €5,500 (Denmark), before tax.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.
Among plant and machine operators, and assemblers in the EU, women earn 21% less per hour than men. Plant and machine operators, and assemblers · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Upper secondary or vocationalUpper secondary or vocational training in materials (glass, paper, plastic and wood) is the usual route.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
Very littleAI could help with only small parts of the tasks.
Average task score 0.18 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 3 tasks
Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for paper products machine operators. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).