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Average Quality Control Engineer Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A quality control engineer in United Kingdom earns about 43,800 GBP a year. That's 37% 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 22,300 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 69,800 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 quality control engineer make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
43,800 GBP
3,650 GBP per month
Lowest reported
22,300 GBP
1,858 GBP per month
Highest reported
69,800 GBP
5,816 GBP per month

A typical quality control engineer working in United Kingdom brings home around 3,650 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 22,300 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 69,800 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 quality control engineer 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 quality control engineer salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How quality control engineer 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 quality control engineers in United Kingdom earn less than 46,200 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 30,700 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 56,600 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of quality control engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 22,300 GBP. The highest stretch to 69,800 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.

22,300
Low
46,200
Median
69,800
High
30,700
25th
56,600
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Quality control engineer pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a quality control engineer 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 quality control engineer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    27,600 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +19% from previous
    32,900 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +37% from previous
    45,200 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +29% from previous
    58,200 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +3% from previous
    60,100 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +5% from previous
    63,200 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 37%. That is the point at which a quality control engineer 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.

Quality control engineer pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving quality control engineer 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 quality control engineer salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    31,700 GBP
  • Master's Degree
    +66% from previous
    52,600 GBP

Quality control engineer 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 quality control engineers in United Kingdom earn an average of 46,200 GBP a year, while female quality control engineers earn around 44,800 GBP. That works out to a 3% 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.

Quality Control Engineer gender pay gap

3%

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

Men 46,200 GBP
Women 44,800 GBP

Pay raises for a quality control engineer 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 11% every 16 months, which works out to roughly 8% 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

Quality control engineer 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.

57%

57% of quality control engineers in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a quality control engineer a moderate-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 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 43% of quality control engineers 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

Quality control engineer: 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

Quality control engineer salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Quality control engineer 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
  • Leeds
  • Edinburgh
  • Coventry
  • Glasgow
  • Sheffield
  • London
  • Leicester
  • Manchester
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion85,400 GBP87,700 GBP40,300-132,000 GBP
ScotlandRegion63,900 GBP58,800 GBP35,500-94,800 GBP
LeedsCity53,600 GBP52,800 GBP23,600-83,700 GBP
EdinburghCity52,600 GBP47,200 GBP28,800-77,300 GBP
CoventryCity52,300 GBP53,500 GBP25,300-78,700 GBP
GlasgowCity51,900 GBP54,900 GBP27,600-85,500 GBP
SheffieldCity51,800 GBP51,300 GBP23,600-78,500 GBP
LondonCity51,500 GBP52,300 GBP23,800-79,600 GBP
LeicesterCity51,100 GBP48,500 GBP25,800-79,600 GBP
ManchesterCity50,800 GBP50,800 GBP24,800-76,800 GBP
NottinghamCity50,800 GBP46,100 GBP27,800-76,000 GBP
BelfastCity50,500 GBP49,200 GBP25,300-75,800 GBP
SomersetCity50,100 GBP50,000 GBP27,300-79,000 GBP
LiverpoolCity50,000 GBP48,600 GBP22,800-76,000 GBP
BristolCity49,800 GBP49,300 GBP24,800-77,300 GBP
SouthamptonCity49,400 GBP46,400 GBP26,500-73,500 GBP
SwanseaCity49,400 GBP45,300 GBP24,200-71,400 GBP
BirminghamCity49,300 GBP53,300 GBP23,800-77,300 GBP
PeterboroughCity49,000 GBP45,400 GBP26,400-72,000 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity48,500 GBP44,500 GBP27,400-75,000 GBP
CardiffCity48,000 GBP49,400 GBP23,600-74,600 GBP
BrightonCity47,500 GBP41,500 GBP23,600-71,700 GBP
NewcastleCity46,700 GBP45,000 GBP27,600-70,600 GBP
ArmaghCity46,700 GBP43,500 GBP23,600-67,800 GBP
PortsmouthCity46,200 GBP48,000 GBP20,200-73,700 GBP
DerbyCity46,200 GBP43,800 GBP23,800-68,200 GBP
LincolnCity46,000 GBP49,300 GBP20,100-74,500 GBP
WolverhamptonCity46,000 GBP49,800 GBP20,000-73,100 GBP
AberdeenCity45,900 GBP42,300 GBP23,700-68,500 GBP
OxfordCity45,900 GBP50,000 GBP22,100-71,400 GBP
DundeeCity45,600 GBP48,600 GBP22,100-72,800 GBP
BradfordCity45,300 GBP45,300 GBP23,100-74,000 GBP
ChesterCity44,800 GBP41,000 GBP24,400-66,700 GBP
DerryCity44,700 GBP40,300 GBP25,300-67,800 GBP
CambridgeCity44,300 GBP39,700 GBP22,800-67,800 GBP
NorwichCity43,800 GBP46,200 GBP22,300-69,800 GBP
YorkCity43,800 GBP43,800 GBP21,300-71,000 GBP
ExeterCity43,500 GBP43,500 GBP21,100-66,900 GBP
TruroCity43,200 GBP44,900 GBP20,000-65,900 GBP
NewportCity43,100 GBP50,000 GBP22,600-70,700 GBP
PlymouthCity43,100 GBP49,000 GBP23,000-72,400 GBP
HartlepoolCity42,800 GBP45,100 GBP20,200-66,900 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion42,500 GBP44,500 GBP18,600-64,200 GBP
CanterburyCity42,400 GBP43,400 GBP18,200-63,500 GBP
GloucesterCity42,300 GBP39,800 GBP22,800-64,900 GBP
PooleCity42,300 GBP40,600 GBP20,700-65,800 GBP
WinchesterCity41,700 GBP39,800 GBP21,200-61,700 GBP
StirlingCity41,400 GBP39,800 GBP20,000-63,200 GBP
WakefieldCity41,300 GBP37,800 GBP20,200-62,100 GBP
DurhamCity41,100 GBP45,100 GBP17,100-64,500 GBP
AbingdonCity41,000 GBP45,300 GBP19,400-65,100 GBP
SalisburyCity40,700 GBP36,900 GBP23,800-63,700 GBP
WalesRegion40,600 GBP38,000 GBP23,700-63,900 GBP
NewryCity40,300 GBP38,000 GBP20,000-64,300 GBP
RiponCity40,000 GBP40,000 GBP20,400-62,100 GBP
St DavidsCity40,000 GBP40,000 GBP20,500-59,900 GBP
BangorCity39,800 GBP42,400 GBP19,000-63,200 GBP
InvernessCity39,600 GBP38,100 GBP20,900-61,400 GBP
LisburnCity39,300 GBP42,400 GBP20,900-63,700 GBP
KirkwallCity39,100 GBP42,000 GBP19,200-60,100 GBP
StromnessCity39,100 GBP43,200 GBP19,300-63,200 GBP
StrontianCity39,100 GBP39,100 GBP17,800-60,200 GBP
WellsCity36,200 GBP41,700 GBP19,300-61,400 GBP

Quality Control Engineer in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a quality control engineer make per month in United Kingdom?

    A quality control engineer in United Kingdom earns about 3,650 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 43,800 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a quality control engineer in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level quality control engineers in United Kingdom start near 22,300 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 69,800 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 30,700 and 56,600 GBP.

  • Is the median quality control engineer salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 46,200 GBP, higher than the average of 43,800 GBP. Half of quality control engineers in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for quality control engineers in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a quality control engineer in United Kingdom earn around 3% more than women on average (46,200 vs 44,800 GBP a year).

  • Do quality control engineers in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 57% of quality control engineers in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

  • Do quality control engineers earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

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

  • How often do quality control engineers in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A quality control engineer in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 11% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.