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Average Material Tester Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A material tester in United Kingdom earns about 35,300 GBP a year. That's 49% below the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 19,400 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 52,000 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does a material tester make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
35,300 GBP
2,941 GBP per month
Lowest reported
19,400 GBP
1,616 GBP per month
Highest reported
52,000 GBP
4,333 GBP per month

A typical material tester working in United Kingdom brings home around 2,941 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 19,400 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 52,000 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior material tester working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the material tester salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How material tester pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all material testers in United Kingdom earn less than 32,300 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 23,700 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 38,900 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of material testers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 19,400 GBP. The highest stretch to 52,000 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

19,400
Low
32,300
Median
52,000
High
23,700
25th
38,900
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Material tester pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a material tester in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical material tester salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    20,000 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +33% from previous
    26,500 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +31% from previous
    34,700 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +23% from previous
    42,800 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +11% from previous
    47,500 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +2% from previous
    48,500 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 33%. That is the point at which a material tester typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Material tester pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving material tester pay in United Kingdom. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average material tester salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    23,300 GBP
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +52% from previous
    35,300 GBP
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +30% from previous
    45,800 GBP

Material tester gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male material testers in United Kingdom earn an average of 35,300 GBP a year, while female material testers earn around 34,000 GBP. That works out to a 4% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Material Tester gender pay gap

4%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.

Men 35,300 GBP
Women 34,000 GBP

Pay raises for a material tester in United Kingdom

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 9% every 17 months, which works out to roughly 6% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Material tester bonus rates in United Kingdom

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

29%

29% of material testers in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a material tester a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary. The remaining 71% of material testers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Material tester: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

Material tester salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Material tester pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • Glasgow
  • Bristol
  • London
  • Leeds
  • Birmingham
  • Kingston upon Hull
  • Newcastle
  • Somerset
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion65,500 GBP59,900 GBP35,100-98,000 GBP
ScotlandRegion46,000 GBP49,400 GBP23,800-72,000 GBP
GlasgowCity42,600 GBP37,900 GBP20,100-61,700 GBP
BristolCity42,000 GBP39,800 GBP23,000-61,700 GBP
LondonCity41,000 GBP43,100 GBP20,900-65,800 GBP
LeedsCity40,900 GBP35,200 GBP20,200-58,700 GBP
BirminghamCity40,500 GBP40,600 GBP18,000-61,700 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity39,500 GBP38,000 GBP16,300-60,900 GBP
NewcastleCity39,500 GBP38,000 GBP19,400-58,600 GBP
SomersetCity39,400 GBP39,400 GBP19,200-58,500 GBP
SheffieldCity39,100 GBP37,300 GBP18,200-58,200 GBP
LeicesterCity38,700 GBP36,500 GBP19,000-59,700 GBP
LiverpoolCity38,700 GBP38,700 GBP20,200-57,400 GBP
ManchesterCity38,000 GBP39,600 GBP21,100-61,600 GBP
EdinburghCity37,300 GBP39,100 GBP19,400-56,900 GBP
WolverhamptonCity37,100 GBP38,700 GBP18,400-58,200 GBP
PortsmouthCity36,800 GBP40,000 GBP15,300-59,000 GBP
NottinghamCity36,800 GBP36,800 GBP19,300-59,000 GBP
CoventryCity36,700 GBP35,300 GBP20,000-57,000 GBP
ExeterCity36,600 GBP35,300 GBP16,300-55,100 GBP
CardiffCity36,400 GBP36,400 GBP20,300-58,200 GBP
DerbyCity36,000 GBP36,000 GBP18,000-54,100 GBP
PooleCity35,500 GBP35,500 GBP19,300-56,100 GBP
HartlepoolCity35,500 GBP30,300 GBP19,100-52,600 GBP
DundeeCity35,500 GBP30,300 GBP19,100-52,600 GBP
NorwichCity35,300 GBP32,300 GBP19,400-52,000 GBP
OxfordCity35,300 GBP30,300 GBP16,300-51,400 GBP
PeterboroughCity35,300 GBP35,300 GBP18,300-54,600 GBP
SwanseaCity35,300 GBP35,600 GBP15,500-52,300 GBP
LincolnCity35,100 GBP31,400 GBP18,000-50,700 GBP
BradfordCity34,800 GBP36,000 GBP20,300-55,500 GBP
SouthamptonCity34,700 GBP35,000 GBP15,300-54,200 GBP
AberdeenCity34,700 GBP36,700 GBP16,100-54,100 GBP
BelfastCity34,300 GBP33,000 GBP17,100-52,300 GBP
InvernessCity34,100 GBP33,300 GBP16,300-52,300 GBP
ChesterCity34,100 GBP35,100 GBP16,300-52,300 GBP
ArmaghCity34,000 GBP36,500 GBP16,300-51,900 GBP
NewportCity34,000 GBP35,000 GBP14,200-52,800 GBP
BrightonCity33,800 GBP35,400 GBP17,500-56,100 GBP
PlymouthCity33,600 GBP32,200 GBP20,200-51,500 GBP
DerryCity33,600 GBP35,000 GBP15,700-52,800 GBP
NewryCity33,500 GBP33,000 GBP16,100-51,900 GBP
YorkCity33,300 GBP35,100 GBP18,000-55,600 GBP
StirlingCity33,300 GBP33,300 GBP16,100-49,700 GBP
LisburnCity33,300 GBP32,900 GBP19,100-49,100 GBP
CambridgeCity33,000 GBP36,500 GBP16,100-55,400 GBP
GloucesterCity33,000 GBP37,300 GBP16,800-56,100 GBP
WinchesterCity32,900 GBP32,900 GBP16,800-51,600 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion32,200 GBP29,400 GBP19,100-49,800 GBP
SalisburyCity31,400 GBP34,000 GBP13,100-49,100 GBP
CanterburyCity31,400 GBP30,700 GBP18,400-50,000 GBP
StrontianCity30,800 GBP29,900 GBP13,300-43,100 GBP
StromnessCity30,800 GBP32,600 GBP14,900-48,600 GBP
WalesRegion30,700 GBP34,000 GBP17,100-49,300 GBP
TruroCity30,700 GBP26,400 GBP16,300-45,200 GBP
WellsCity30,600 GBP27,400 GBP15,700-49,000 GBP
WakefieldCity30,300 GBP30,600 GBP14,500-48,600 GBP
DurhamCity30,300 GBP34,000 GBP15,300-49,300 GBP
BangorCity30,300 GBP27,200 GBP18,300-45,900 GBP
AbingdonCity30,200 GBP28,900 GBP18,400-45,300 GBP
RiponCity29,600 GBP31,400 GBP16,300-48,600 GBP
KirkwallCity29,400 GBP29,600 GBP15,300-48,200 GBP
St DavidsCity27,400 GBP27,200 GBP12,900-44,500 GBP

Material Tester in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a material tester make per month in United Kingdom?

    A material tester in United Kingdom earns about 2,941 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 35,300 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a material tester in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level material testers in United Kingdom start near 19,400 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 52,000 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 23,700 and 38,900 GBP.

  • Is the median material tester salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 32,300 GBP, lower than the average of 35,300 GBP. Half of material testers in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for material testers in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a material tester in United Kingdom earn around 4% more than women on average (35,300 vs 34,000 GBP a year).

  • Do material testers in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 29% of material testers in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary.

  • Do material testers earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays a material tester about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do material testers in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A material tester in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 9% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 6% a year.