← Engineering and trades

ANZSCO 3312Skill level 3Engineering and trades

Carpenter

Construct, install and repair structural and finishing timber components in residential and commercial buildings.

Salary

Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.

FigureAUDSource
Full-time weekly earnings$1700Job Outlook (2025-06-01)

How far does this stretch in each city?

What a carpenter actually does

Carpenters cover everything from framing a house to installing a finished kitchen and fit-out. The day typically starts on site around 7am with a toolbox meeting and a review of the daily plan. Framing days involve setting out walls, plating up, installing wall frames, lifting roof trusses and bracing. Fit-out and finishing days involve installing doors, skirtings, architraves, internal stairs and decking. Commercial carpenters spend more time with formwork, ceilings and partition framing. Apprentices spend most of their time prepping materials and learning to measure and cut accurately. Many carpenters transition to running their own business or moving into a builder's licence in their late 20s or early 30s. Hours typically run 7am to 3.30pm. Building strain on knees, back and shoulders is real.

Typical tasks

  • Set out and frame walls, floors and roofs.
  • Install doors, windows and stairs.
  • Maintain compliance with the National Construction Code.

Skills you'll use

  • Reading and interpreting building plans and details
  • Setting out wall frames, roofs and floors
  • Using nail guns, circular saws, power planers and routers safely
  • Working from heights with safe-work-at-heights compliance
  • Applying the National Construction Code to residential framing
  • Estimating timber and material quantities from drawings
  • Working as part of a building team with bricklayers, plumbers and sparkies

How to become one

  1. 1Finish Year 10 or 12. A pre-apprenticeship Certificate II in Construction Pathways is useful if you have not yet found a host employer
  2. 2Find a host builder or contractor and sign an apprenticeship agreement through an apprenticeship network provider
  3. 3Complete a 4-year Certificate III in Carpentry (CPC30220) at TAFE alongside paid on-job training
  4. 4Build your tool kit and confidence with framing, formwork and finishing. Most carpenters specialise after about 3 years
  5. 5Apply for a White Card (Construction Induction) and any extra tickets such as scaffold, working at heights and elevated work platform licences
  6. 6Optional next steps include a Certificate IV in Building and Construction and a state Builder's Licence to run your own jobs

Where you can work

  • Residential builders and project home companies
  • Commercial and high-rise builders
  • Formwork sub-contractors
  • Council and government facility maintenance teams
  • Shopfitting and fit-out contractors
  • Self-employed sole traders and small businesses
  • Heritage and renovation specialists

Career progression

Typical stages and salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.

  1. Apprentice
    0-4 years
    Typical roles: First-year apprentice, Fourth-year apprentice
    Salary band: $28,000 - $55,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  2. Tradesperson
    4-8 years
    Typical roles: Domestic carpenter, Commercial carpenter, Formwork carpenter
    Salary band: $75,000 - $100,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  3. Leading hand or supervisor
    8-15 years
    Typical roles: Leading hand, Site supervisor, Foreman
    Salary band: $95,000 - $140,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  4. Builder or business owner
    10+ years
    Typical roles: Licensed builder, Building business owner, Construction manager

Is this for you?

You might love this if

  • You like building tangible things and seeing the work each day
  • You enjoy working outside and working with your hands
  • You are patient enough to learn accurate measurement and setting out
  • You want a clear path to running your own business
  • You can manage your body, money and tools as a self-employed tradie

This might not suit you if

  • You prefer working alone in a quiet, climate-controlled space
  • You have an injury that limits heavy lifting or working at heights
  • You want a profession with a steady weekly wage and paid leave from year one

Three ways in

Uni, TAFE and trade routes for carpenter. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

No direct undergraduate pathway. Consider postgraduate study after a related bachelor degree.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

Apprenticeship trade

Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.