Life As a Foundry Mold and Coremaker
Job Description: Make or form wax or sand cores or molds used in the production of metal castings in foundries.
A Day in the Life of a Foundry Mold & Coremaker
- Pour molten metal into molds, manually or using crane ladles.
- Operate ovens or furnaces to bake cores or to melt, skim, and flux metal.
- Cut spouts, runner holes, and sprue holes into molds.
- Rotate sweep boards around spindles to make symmetrical molds for convex impressions.
- Lift upper mold sections from lower sections and remove molded patterns.
- Form and assemble slab cores around patterns and position wire in mold sections to reinforce molds, using hand tools and glue.
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What a Foundry Mold & Coremaker Should Know
These are the skills Foundry Mold and Coremakers say are the most useful in their careers:
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Other Foundry Mold & Coremaker Job Titles
- Wax Pattern Coater
- Core Drier
- Journeyman Molder
- Mold Maker
- Sand Cutter Operator
Is There Job Demand for Foundry Mold and Coremakers?
There were about 12,500 jobs for Foundry Mold and Coremaker in 2016 (in the United States). There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Foundry Mold and Coremaker. There will be an estimated 900 positions for Foundry Mold & Coremaker per year.

The states with the most job growth for Foundry Mold & Coremaker are Florida, Washington, and Arkansas. Watch out if you plan on working in West Virginia, Oklahoma, or Kansas. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Do Foundry Mold and Coremakers Make A Lot Of Money?
The average yearly salary of a Foundry Mold & Coremaker ranges between $24,660 and $51,780.

Foundry Mold and Coremakers who work in Oregon, Virginia, or Massachusetts, make the highest salaries.
How much do Foundry Mold and Coremakers make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $36,940 |
Arizona | $33,950 |
Arkansas | $32,890 |
California | $36,330 |
Colorado | $35,530 |
Connecticut | $36,270 |
Florida | $35,340 |
Georgia | $27,630 |
Illinois | $44,280 |
Indiana | $37,280 |
Iowa | $40,570 |
Kansas | $37,700 |
Kentucky | $33,120 |
Louisiana | $24,830 |
Massachusetts | $45,400 |
Michigan | $37,890 |
Minnesota | $42,450 |
Mississippi | $34,200 |
Missouri | $39,400 |
Montana | $38,780 |
Nebraska | $35,170 |
New Hampshire | $32,850 |
New Jersey | $39,520 |
New York | $40,910 |
North Carolina | $26,700 |
Ohio | $35,120 |
Oklahoma | $30,080 |
Oregon | $45,380 |
Pennsylvania | $34,320 |
Rhode Island | $37,460 |
South Carolina | $35,810 |
Tennessee | $33,860 |
Texas | $29,210 |
Utah | $36,340 |
Virginia | $42,740 |
Washington | $40,950 |
Wisconsin | $37,520 |
Wyoming | $41,790 |
What Tools do Foundry Mold and Coremakers Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Foundry Mold and Coremakers:
- Data entry software
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
- PTC Creo Parametric
- Inventory tracking software
- Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
- Machine control software
- CNC Software Mastercam
Becoming a Foundry Mold & Coremaker
What kind of Foundry Mold and Coremaker requirements are there?

How Long Does it Take to Become a Foundry Mold & Coremaker?

Where Foundry Mold and Coremakers Work

Foundry Mold and Coremakers work in the following industries:

You May Also Be Interested In…
Are you already one of the many Foundry Mold and Coremaker in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
References:
Image Credit: US Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class John Linzmeier via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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