Foundry Mold and Coremakers Career, Salary and Skills
Foundry Mold and Coremakers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $48,110 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 12,790. Wage data is published for 67 locations.
Occupation description
Make or form wax or sand cores or molds used in the production of metal castings in foundries.
O*NET code
51-4071.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$48,110
Hourly median
$23.13
Employment
12,790
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
$37,160
10th
$41,870
25th
$48,110
Median
$57,350
75th
$62,640
90th
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Operations Monitoring | 3.00 | 2.38 |
| Monitoring | 3.00 | 2.62 |
| Critical Thinking | 2.88 | 2.50 |
| Active Listening | 2.88 | 2.25 |
| Time Management | 2.88 | 2.50 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.62 | 2.12 |
| Speaking | 2.62 | 1.88 |
| Operation and Control | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.62 | 2.25 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 2.38 | 2.12 |
Typical tasks
- Cut spouts, runner holes, and sprue holes into molds.
- Tend machines that bond cope and drag together to form completed shell molds.
- 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.
Technology
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- CNC Software Mastercam
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
- Inventory tracking software
- Machine control software
- PTC Creo Parametric
Foundry Mold and Coremakers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers Salary in MIMedian $46,150 · Employment 2,050
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers Salary in WIMedian $44,130 · Employment 1,270
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers Salary in PAMedian $44,750 · Employment 1,230
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers Salary in OHMedian $49,040 · Employment 980
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers Salary in ALMedian $51,040 · Employment 850
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers Salary in INMedian $49,860 · Employment 720
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers Salary in MOMedian $61,480 · Employment 590
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers Salary in IAMedian $49,060 · Employment 480
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers Salary in MNMedian $56,840 · Employment 470
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers Salary in CAMedian $46,930 · Employment 420
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers Salary in Milwaukee, WIMedian $46,200 · Employment 400
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers Salary in ILMedian $57,110 · Employment 390
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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.