What Does it Take to Be a Foundry Mold and Coremaker?
Career Description Make or form wax or sand cores or molds used in the production of metal castings in foundries.
What Do Foundry Mold and Coremakers Do On a Daily Basis?
- Tend machines that bond cope and drag together to form completed shell molds.
- Sprinkle or spray parting agents onto patterns and mold sections to facilitate removal of patterns from molds.
- Sift and pack sand into mold sections, core boxes, and pattern contours, using hand or pneumatic ramming tools.
- Position patterns inside mold sections and clamp sections together.
- Operate ovens or furnaces to bake cores or to melt, skim, and flux metal.
- 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 Every Foundry Mold & Coremaker Should Know
When polled, Foundry Mold and Coremakers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
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.
Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Dry Molder
- Sand Cutter
- No Bake Molder
- Core Stripper
- Mold Tooling Technician
Foundry Mold & Coremaker Employment Estimates
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 12,500 jobs in the United States for Foundry Mold and Coremaker. 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.
What is the Average Salary of a Foundry Mold & Coremaker
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
Education needed to be a Foundry Mold and Coremaker:

What work experience do I need to become a Foundry Mold & Coremaker?

Where Foundry Mold and Coremakers Are Employed

Foundry Mold and Coremakers work in the following industries:

Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those who work as a Foundry Mold and Coremaker sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
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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