Machine operators and related workers in pulp and paper production and wood processing and manufacturing
Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and gradersNOC 94123, TEER 4
NOC 94123 (Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders) is TEER 4.TEER 4
Occupations that usually require a high school diploma, or several weeks of on-the-job training
- Express Entry
- IRCC counts only TEER 0 to 3 work for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class, so work in NOC 94123 does not count toward either.
- 2026 categories
- IRCC's 2026 category lists do not include NOC 94123.
- Median wage
- $27.50 an hour across Canada, from Job Bank's 2025 wage release (2023-2024 data).
- Provincial programs
- Each province sets which occupations its streams take. From our registry: OINP Ontario Workforce Priority stream, status Open, verified November 12, 2026.
How to read this code
- Broad category
- The first digit is the broad occupational category, the widest grouping in the NOC.
- TEER
- The second digit, 4, is the TEER category: TEER 4.
- Group
- The first four digits, 9412, are the minor group: Machine operators and related workers in pulp and paper production and wood processing and manufacturing.
- Occupation
- All five digits, 94123, are the unit group, the occupation itself: Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders.
Also called: lumber grader, grader - wood processing, grader tallyman/woman - wood processing, particleboard grader - wood processing, plywood grader
This page shows the official duties for NOC 94123, where its TEER sits in immigration rules, and the wages Job Bank reports. It describes the rules. It does not decide anyone's case.
What the job involves
Statistics Canada text, quoted word for word. IRCC compares your duties with this description, not your job title.
Lead statement
Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders inspect and grade lumber, shingles, veneer, waferboard and similar wood products to identify defects, ensure conformance to company specifications and classify products according to industry standards. They are employed by sawmills, planing mills, wood treatment plants, waferboard plants and other wood processing companies.
Example job titles
- grader - wood processing
- grader tallyman/woman - wood processing
- lumber grader
- particleboard grader - wood processing
- plywood grader
- plywood inspector
- veneer grader
- wood measurer
Main duties: check yours
IRCC's rule for the Federal Skilled Worker Program: you must have performed "the actions in the lead statement" and "most of the main duties listed". Tick the duties you do. The count helps you compare. It is not a decision.
Verify on canada.ca(opens in a new tab)This group covers more than one job. Compare yourself with the duties under the job closest to yours.
Lead statement: not ticked. Main duties ticked: 0 of 10.
The rule asks for the lead statement and most of the main duties. IRCC gives no number for "most", and an officer decides.
Few ticks? Read "Classified elsewhere" below: it names the codes for jobs that sit close to this one.
Your ticks are kept in this browser only, so they are here when you come back. Nothing is sent. "Clear ticks" erases them.
If your duties look different
Statistics Canada names the jobs that belong in a different NOC. If one of these sounds more like your work, open that code and compare.
Classified elsewhere
- 22100Forest products technologist (See 22100 Chemical technologists and technicians)
- 22112Log scaler (See 22112 Forestry technologists and technicians)
- 22302Production technologist - sawmill (See 22302 Industrial engineering and manufacturing technologists and technicians)
- 92014Supervisors, forest products processing (See 92014 Supervisors, forest products processing)
Usual employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- On-the-job training and up to two weeks of classroom training are provided for lumber graders.
- Previous experience as a sawmill machine operator, other wood processing operator or as a labourer in wood processing is usually required for graders and inspectors in this unit group.
- Lumber graders require a lumber grader's licence issued by a provincial lumber association.
Where TEER 4 sits in immigration rules
Each row gives the rule, then what it means for this occupation. The programs set many other conditions too, so read the official page before you act.
Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class
The rule: both programs count work experience only in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3.
What this means: NOC 94123 is TEER 4, so work in it does not count toward either program. This includes work done in Canada. Other programs set their own occupation rules, and the rows below show some of them.
Federal Skilled Trades Program
The rule: this program goes by NOC group, not by TEER alone. IRPR s. 87.2 lists Major Groups 72 (less Sub-major Group 726), 73, 82, 83, 92 and 93 (less Sub-major Group 932), Minor Group 6320 and Unit Group 62200, other than a restricted occupation.
What this means: NOC 94123 is not in one of the listed groups, so work in it is not skilled trade experience under this program.
Express Entry category-based selection, 2026
The rule: IRCC publishes a closed list of NOC codes for each category. NOC 94123 is not on any 2026 occupation list.
What this means: None of the 2026 lists include a TEER 4 or 5 occupation. French-language proficiency is a separate category based on test results (NCLC 7 in all 4 abilities), and it still requires eligibility for an Express Entry program.
IRCC page modified October 16, 2026, checked November 12, 2026.
Atlantic Immigration Program
The rule: the program takes job offers in TEER 0 to 4 from designated employers in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The job must be full-time and non-seasonal.
What this means: A TEER 4 offer must be for permanent work with no set end date.
Provincial Nominee Programs
The rule: each province and territory sets its own requirements and streams, including which occupations and TEER levels a stream takes.
What this means: Check the stream's own page for this NOC code. One example from our program status registry:
Program status: OINP Ontario Workforce Priority stream: Open
The stream has launched and the expression of interest portal opened on August 4, 2026. It covers skilled workers with a qualifying job offer in any NOC occupation, plus self-employed physicians.
Verified November 12, 2026 · Official source
Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
The rule: an employer, not a worker, applies for an LMIA, and ESDC assesses each job offer. The wage offered, compared with the provincial or territorial threshold, puts the job in the high-wage or low-wage stream.
What this means: Service Canada refuses to process low-wage applications for jobs in census metropolitan areas where unemployment is 6% or higher. Some sectors are exempt, such as primary agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, and nursing and residential care. ESDC updates the list of areas each quarter. When this page was checked (September 26, 2026), the ESDC page showed the list for July 10 to October 8, 2026; open the ESDC page for the list in force today. A separate pause covers low-wage jobs in Montréal and Laval.
Wages in Canada
The wages Job Bank publishes for NOC 94123, for Canada as a whole and for each province and territory.
- Low
- $20.00
- per hour
- Median
- $27.50
- per hour
- High
- $38.00
- per hour
What this means: half of the people in this occupation earn less than the median and half earn more. Pay changes with the province, the employer and your experience.
Median by province or territory
| Province or territory | Median (per hour) |
|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Not published |
| Prince Edward Island | Not published |
| Nova Scotia | Not published |
| New Brunswick | $24.08 |
| Quebec | $25.00 |
| Ontario | $24.78 |
| Manitoba | Not published |
| Saskatchewan | Not published |
| Alberta | $34.92 |
| British Columbia | $29.00 |
| Yukon | Not published |
| Northwest Territories | Not published |
| Nunavut | Not published |
Reference period 2023-2024. Data source: Labour Force Survey. ESDC Job Bank wages, release revised 2025-11-19. (opens in a new tab)
Search jobs for NOC 94123 on Job Bank(opens in a new tab)ClearToEnter is not affiliated with Job Bank or ESDC.
Related occupations
Codes in the same NOC group as 94123, the closest first.
- 94122Paper-converting machine operatorPaper converting machine operatorsTEER 4
- 94124Woodworking machine operatorsTEER 4
- 94121Papermaking and finishing machine operatorPulp mill, papermaking and finishing machine operatorsTEER 4
- 94120Sawmill machine operatorsTEER 4
- 94129Other wood processing machine operatorsTEER 4
- 94130Hide and pelt processing workerTextile fibre and yarn, hide and pelt processing machine operators and workersTEER 4
Questions about this code
What is the TEER of NOC 94123?
NOC 94123 (Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders) is TEER 4: occupations that usually require a high school diploma, or several weeks of on-the-job training. In NOC 2021, the second digit of a code is its TEER: in 94123, it is 4. Every job title in this unit group, such as lumber grader, shares that TEER.
Is NOC 94123 eligible for Express Entry?
IRCC counts work experience only in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class. NOC 94123 is TEER 4, so work in it does not count toward either program, including work done in Canada. IRCC's 2026 category lists do not include NOC 94123. The Atlantic Immigration Program takes job offers in TEER 0 to 4 from designated employers.
What is the median wage for NOC 94123?
Job Bank reports a median wage of $27.50 an hour for NOC 94123 across Canada. The low figure is $20.00 and the high is $38.00. Medians by province and territory run from $24.08 in New Brunswick to $34.92 in Alberta. The figures come from Job Bank's 2025 wage release (Labour Force Survey, 2023-2024).
What job titles are under NOC 94123?
Statistics Canada lists 8 example job titles for NOC 94123, including lumber grader, grader - wood processing, grader tallyman/woman - wood processing, particleboard grader - wood processing and plywood grader. The title alone does not set the code: IRCC compares your duties with the lead statement and main duties on this page.
Can an employer hire for NOC 94123 through an LMIA?
An employer, not a worker, applies for an LMIA, and ESDC assesses each job offer, including the wage. For low-wage jobs, Service Canada refuses to process applications in census metropolitan areas where unemployment is 6% or higher, with some exemptions.
Next steps
Read the rules behind this page, then compare pathways.
Guides
The law
Compare pathways for this occupation
The Pathway Explorer lists each major program and its published criteria. Take NOC 94123 and its TEER with you.
NOC 2021 Version 1.0: Statistics Canada and ESDC.