Careers / Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons

Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$61,290

United States, 2025

Employment

1,080

United States, 2025

Typical education

High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)

Job Zone 2

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Build or repair equipment such as furnaces, kilns, cupolas, boilers, converters, ladles, soaking pits, and ovens, using refractory materials.

O*NET code
49-9045.00
Job zone
2
Experience required
Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year

Typical tasks

  • Reline or repair ladles and pouring spouts with refractory clay, using trowels.
  • Chip slag from linings of ladles or remove linings when beyond repair, using hammers and chisels.
  • Mix specified amounts of sand, clay, mortar powder, and water to form refractory clay or mortar, using shovels or mixing machines.
  • Measure furnace walls to determine dimensions and cut required number of sheets from plastic block, using saws.
  • Dry and bake new linings by placing inverted linings over burners, building fires in ladles, or by using blowtorches.
  • Remove worn or damaged plastic block refractory linings of furnaces, using hand tools.
  • Climb scaffolding, carrying hoses, and spray surfaces of cupolas with refractory mixtures, using spray equipment.
  • Spread mortar on stopper heads and rods, using trowels, and slide brick sleeves over rods to form refractory jackets.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$40,590
10th
$50,050
25th
$61,290
Median
$75,000
75th
$86,510
90th

10th percentile

$40,590

25th percentile

$50,050

75th percentile

$75,000

90th percentile

$86,510

Most important skills

  • Operations Monitoring3.3
  • Repairing3.1
  • Operation and Control3.0
  • Active Listening3.0
  • Equipment Maintenance3.0
  • Time Management2.9
  • Critical Thinking2.9
  • Coordination2.9
  • Troubleshooting2.9
  • Reading Comprehension2.9
  • Social Perceptiveness2.8
  • Speaking2.8

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 5 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

5

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Operations Monitoring3.33.3Not selected3.3
Operation and Control3.03.0Not selected3.0
Active Listening3.02.9Not selected2.9
Repairing3.12.8Not selected2.8
Equipment Maintenance3.02.8Not selected2.8

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
Los Angeles, CA$77,2202025
CA$77,2202025
IN$74,600902025
Houston, TX$67,380502025
TX$67,3301302025
OH$58,4702502025
Birmingham, AL$49,260502025
AL$47,6501102025
SC$37,870502025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.