Foundry Mold and Coremakers
Make or form wax or sand cores or molds used in the production of metal castings in foundries.
- Median pay
- $48,110
- Doing it now
- 12,700
- By 2035
- Down 23%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
a year
across the country
800 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Clean and smooth molds, cores, and core boxes, and repair surface imperfections.
- Move and position workpieces, such as mold sections, patterns, and bottom boards, using cranes, or signal others to move workpieces.
- Sprinkle or spray parting agents onto patterns and mold sections to facilitate removal of patterns from molds.
- Position patterns inside mold sections, and clamp sections together.
- Position cores into lower sections of molds, and reassemble molds for pouring.
- Sift and pack sand into mold sections, core boxes, and pattern contours, using hand or pneumatic ramming tools.
- Cut spouts, runner holes, and sprue holes into molds.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Precision Metal WorkingSee 4 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Hands-on and practical
Organised and precise
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
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- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$46,330
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $48,110 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.