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Foundry Mold and Coremakers in Illinois

Thinking about a career as a Foundry Mold and Coremakers in Illinois? Here’s what the data says. Make or form wax or sand cores or molds used in the production of metal castings in foundries. Excludes “Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic” (51-4072) and “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic” (51-9195).

What do Foundry Mold and Coremakers Make in Illinois?

For a foundry mold and coremakers working in Illinois, wages run about $48,320 per year (or roughly $23.23/hour).Earnings range from $37,830 at the 10th percentile to $57,240 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$37,830	$18.19
25th percentile	$43,820	$21.07
Median (50th)	$48,320	$23.23
75th percentile	$50,120	$24.10
90th percentile	$57,240	$27.52

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in Illinois nationwide is 0.77, suggesting fewer foundry mold and coremakers per worker than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, foundry mold and coremakers earn a median of $69,095 per year ($33.22/hour), below the Illinois median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 749,168 foundry mold and coremakers nationwide. In Illinois alone, around 390 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 250 foundry mold and coremakers.

Top Illinois Metros for Foundry Mold and Coremakers

The metro areas below employ the most foundry mold and coremakers in Illinois.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	220	$48,320
Peoria, IL	40	$48,380

Top States for Foundry Mold and Coremakers Employment

These states have the highest employment of foundry mold and coremakers work.

State	Number Employed
Michigan	1,700
Pennsylvania	1,200
Ohio	1,100
Wisconsin	910
Indiana	660
Alabama	650
California	610
Iowa	610
Missouri	610
Tennessee	520
Illinois	390
Minnesota	390
Texas	350
Georgia	330
Oregon	250
Washington	250
New York	210
Connecticut	180
Mississippi	140
South Carolina	140

Highest-Paying States for Foundry Mold and Coremakers

Where foundry mold and coremakers earn the most: foundry mold and coremakers.

State	Annual Median Salary
Oregon	$65,020
Missouri	$59,300
New York	$51,770
Georgia	$51,410
Connecticut	$50,990
Minnesota	$49,840
Massachusetts	$49,490
North Carolina	$49,040
Washington	$48,660
Illinois	$48,320

Skills

Key foundry mold and coremakers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Key knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Key abilities for foundry mold and coremakers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, foundry mold and coremakers typically:

• Clean and smooth molds, cores, and core boxes, and repair surface imperfections.
• 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.
• Position cores into lower sections of molds, and reassemble molds for pouring.
• Sprinkle or spray parting agents onto patterns and mold sections to facilitate removal of patterns from molds.
• Form and assemble slab cores around patterns, and position wire in mold sections to reinforce molds, using hand tools and glue.
• Move and position workpieces, such as mold sections, patterns, and bottom boards, using cranes, or signal others to move workpieces.
• Lift upper mold sections from lower sections, and remove molded patterns.
• Cut spouts, runner holes, and sprue holes into molds.
• Tend machines that bond cope and drag together to form completed shell molds.
• Rotate sweep boards around spindles to make symmetrical molds for convex impressions.
• Pour molten metal into molds, manually or with crane ladles.

Work Activities

• Handling and Moving Objects
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Getting Information
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Tools & Technology

Technologies frequently used: Hot technologies: Autodesk AutoCAD

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Several college majors map to this occupation:

• Precision Metal Working

Related Careers

Careers similar to foundry mold and coremakers include:

• Terrazzo Workers and Finishers
• Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons
• Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
• Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators
• Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Also Known As

Airset Caster, Airset Molder, Bond Runner, Core Baker, Core Drier, Core Machine Operator, Core Maker, Core Microarchitect, Core Oven Tender, Core Paster, Core Piler, Core Rescuer, Core Setter, Core Stacker, Core Sticker.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-4071.00