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Cut materials

Work activity · O*NET

Cut materials is an intermediate work activity in the O*NET database — a concrete task that recurs across many occupations , grouped under Handling and Moving Objects. 93 occupations report doing it as part of their work.

What it involves

The most common detailed activities O*NET records under this category, ranked by how many occupation tasks map to each.

  • Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing
  • Trim excess material from workpieces
  • Cut materials according to specifications or needs
  • Cut carpet, vinyl or other flexible materials
  • Cut metal components for installation
  • Cut tile, stone, or other masonry materials
  • Cut fabrics
  • Cut wood components for installation

How AI is applied to this activity

Microsoft's "Working with AI" study mapped real Bing Copilot conversations to O*NET work activities. The figures below are their measurements for this activity — they describe how AI is used today in one assistant's data, not a forecast that the activity will be automated.

AI completes it successfully 92.2% When Copilot attempts this activity, how often it finishes the task
Scope AI handles 13.7% How much of the activity AI carries within a conversation
Positive user feedback 73.0% Share of interactions users rated positively
How often AI is applied here 38th pct Percentile across all measured activities by how often AI performs them

Source: Microsoft "Working with AI" (working-with-ai). A high completion rate means AI can assist the activity in isolation — it does not mean an occupation that performs it is being automated, since every job blends many activities.

Detailed work activities

The more granular units of work O*NET groups under this activity, ordered by how many occupations perform them.

Occupations that perform this activity

Ranked by how many of the occupation's tasks map to this activity.

Occupation Tasks
Glaziers 8
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers 7
Automotive Body and Related Repairers 4
Carpet Installers 4
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic 4
Tile and Stone Setters 4
Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers 3
Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters 3
Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles 3
Helpers--Carpenters 3
Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters 3
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers 3
Paperhangers 3
Print Binding and Finishing Workers 3
Sewers, Hand 3
Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers 3
Stonemasons 3
Tire Builders 3
Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers 2
Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers 2
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand 2
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers 2
Etchers and Engravers 2
Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators 2
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters 2
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators 2
Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers 2
Rock Splitters, Quarry 2
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood 2
Sewing Machine Operators 2
Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing 2
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers 2
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers 2
Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians 1
Brickmasons and Blockmasons 1
Carpenters 1
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers 1
Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door 1
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 1
Dental Laboratory Technicians 1

Showing 40 of 93 occupations.

Exposure quadrant: AI task-overlap percentile vs Median pay AI task-overlap (horizontal) versus median pay (vertical), each as a percentile across all scored occupations, for 40 occupations in occupations that perform Cut materials.. Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation. Lower overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · lower pay Lower overlap · lower pay Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators Helpers--Carpenters Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators Carpet Installers Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers Sewing Machine Operators Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers AI task-overlap percentile → ↑ Median pay
Occupations that perform Cut materials., by AI task-overlap and median pay

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Cut materials." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/activities/cut-materials

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Cut materials. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/activities/cut-materials

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-cut-materials,
  title  = {Cut materials},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/activities/cut-materials}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.