# Will AI replace carpenters? Updated October 2026 Carpenters score 18 of 100 for AI exposure. 79% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 5% today and speed up another 16%. - **5%** AI can do it - **16%** AI helps - **79%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 84% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 29 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 1 of them today, speeds up 5 and leaves 23 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Maintain records, document actions, and present written progress reports. Drafting logs and progress reports from notes is highly automatable. | 72% AI can do it | | Prepare cost estimates for clients or employers. AI can draft takeoffs and estimates; human verifies and is accountable. | 62% AI helps | | Select and order lumber or other required materials. AI can compare suppliers and draft orders; human approves purchases. | 58% AI helps | | Maintain job records and schedule work crew. Scheduling and job records assisted by software; crew management stays human. | 52% AI helps | | Study specifications in blueprints, sketches, or building plans to prepare project layout and determine dimensions and materials required. AI can read plans and compute quantities; carpenter verifies on site. | 50% AI helps | ## How carpenters compare All occupations (923) Construction and extraction (61) **Carpenters score 18**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 15 for construction and extraction. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $60,580 a year, May 2025 People employed 670,090 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +3.9% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Run takeoffs and estimates in Craftsman CD Estimator - Track job costs and overruns in job costing software - Verify framing trueness with plumb bob and level on site - Approve lumber orders and check deliveries against plans - Schedule crews and subcontractors in Microsoft Excel ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Drywall installers9 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/drywall-installers/) - [Structural steel workers15 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/structural-steel-workers/) - [Bricklayers15 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/bricklayers/) - [Metal fabricators11 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/metal-fabricators/) - [Carpenter helpers8 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/carpenter-helpers/) ## Questions about carpenters and AI Will carpenters be replaced by AI? Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly drafting progress reports and cost estimates. Cutting, fitting, and fastening framing, stairs, and floors stay with carpenters because the work needs hands and judgment on site. Will AI take over carpentry? AI can already do 5% of the task time in carpentry and speeds up another 16%. People still do 79% of it. The US has 670,090 carpenter jobs, with a projected change of +3.9% from 2024 to 2034. Which carpentry tasks is AI taking over? Maintaining records and writing progress reports from site notes scores highest at 72 on exposure, so AI can draft most of that paperwork. Cost estimates at 62 and lumber orders at 58 come next, since AI can draft takeoffs from plans and compare supplier prices while a carpenter checks the numbers. Which carpentry tasks stay human? Boring boltholes with a power drill, digging post holes, and setting poles each score 2 on exposure, the lowest in the job. Checking trueness with a plumb bob and level scores 4. These stay with people because the work is physical and measured manually on the building site. How can carpenters stay valuable as AI spreads? Check every AI takeoff against plans and site measurements before you bid in Craftsman CD Estimator. Keep job costs current in job costing software so overruns surface early. Approve each lumber order in Microsoft Excel and confirm delivery on site. Take on subcontractor coordination, where negotiation and oversight stay human. ## Related jobs - [Sheet metal workers20 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/sheet-metal-workers/) - [Cabinetmakers21 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cabinetmakers/) - [Construction workers13 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/construction-laborers/) - [Roofers12 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/roofers/) ## Next steps for carpenters - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.