Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products

What the job really is

Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition.

At a glance

• Sector: Farming, Fishing & Forestry
• O*NET-SOC code: 45-2041
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 5
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Place products in containers according to grade and mark grades on containers.
• Weigh products or estimate their weight, visually or by feel.
• Discard inferior or defective products or foreign matter, and place acceptable products in containers for further processing.
• Grade and sort products according to factors such as color, species, length, width, appearance, feel, smell, and quality to ensure correct processing and usage.
• Record grade or identification numbers on tags or on shipping, receiving, or sales sheets.

Tools and technology

Microsoft Access, Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, 12-inch aluminum Kemper calipers, 6-inch plastic calipers, Apple corers, Belt conveyors, Binocular light compound microscopes

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Packers and Packagers, Hand
• Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
• Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
• Food Batchmakers
• Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
• Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
• Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
• Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.