Machinist salary in France
Average monthly net salary in full-time equivalent in the French private sector, according to INSEE (occupation group “Opérateurs qualifiés d'usinage des métaux travaillant à l'unité ou en petite série, moulistes qualifiés”).
- Average net per month
- €2,432
- full-time equivalent, 2024
- Estimated monthly gross
- €3,072
- estimate with 2026 non-executive contributions
- Gap to the average
- -11%
- compared with all private-sector employees (€2,733 net)
- Compared with the SMIC
- 1.7 × the net SMIC
- 2026 net monthly minimum wage: €1,478
Source: INSEE, all-employees database 2024 (average net private-sector pay, full-time equivalent) · Data downloaded on 18 October 2026
Source: French minimum wage (SMIC) as of 1 June 2026 · Data downloaded on 18 October 2026
By sex
| Women | €2,087 |
|---|---|
| Men | €2,474 |
By age
| Under 30 | €2,036 |
|---|---|
| 30 to 39 | €2,398 |
| 40 to 49 | €2,534 |
| 50 to 59 | €2,573 |
| 60 and over | €2,802 |
Working as a machinist in France
Search for usineur, tourneur CN, fraiseur CN, régleur CN, opérateur-régleur sur machine-outil, décolleteur or rectifieur. The usual French qualifications are the Bac pro Technicien en réalisation de produits mécaniques, the CAP in décolletage, the BTS Conception des processus de réalisation de produits and Titres professionnels such as Fraiseur en réalisation de pièces mécaniques or Tourneur en réalisation de pièces mécaniques. Industry-specific CQPM certificates are also recognised. The job is not regulated, so foreign experience counts if you can show it. Employers often run a practical test. The Arve valley in Haute-Savoie is the historic centre of French screw machining (décolletage), while aerospace subcontracting is strong around Toulouse and Bordeaux.
How to read these figures
The salary shown is an average, not a median: a few high salaries pull the average up. It is net pay before income tax, converted to full time.
The gross figure is an estimate: it applies 2026 employee contributions for a private-sector worker to the net salary. It leaves out bonuses, overtime and health insurance.
Salaries are from 2024 while the minimum wage is the 2026 one, so the comparison gives an order of magnitude.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the average salary of a machinist?
According to INSEE, a machinist employed in the private sector earns on average €2,432 net per month in full-time equivalent (2024), about €3,072 gross based on our estimate with 2026 contributions.
Do women and men earn the same as a machinist?
According to INSEE (2024), the average full-time equivalent net salary is €2,087 for women and €2,474 for men in this occupation. The gap can come from the positions held, seniority or actual working time.
Does a machinist earn more than the minimum wage?
The average net salary for the occupation (€2,432, INSEE 2024) is 1.7 times the 2026 net monthly minimum wage (€1,478). Early in a career, pay is often closer to the minimum wage than to this average.