Occupations · Production
Pourers and Casters, Metal
Operate hand-controlled mechanisms to pour and regulate the flow of molten metal into molds to produce castings or ingots.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 51-4052.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 73% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $59,850 | 490 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN | $48,320 | 140 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $43,020 | 140 |
| Cleveland, OH | $43,510 | 120 |
| Reading, PA | $42,230 | 110 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $49,770 | 110 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $64,090 | 90 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | $48,930 | 70 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $37,540 | 50 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $43,910 | 50 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $53,720 | 40 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | $35,300 | 40 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Pour and regulate the flow of molten metal into molds and forms to produce ingots or other castings, using ladles or hand-controlled mechanisms.
- Read temperature gauges and observe color changes, adjusting furnace flames, torches, or electrical heating units as necessary to melt metal to specifications.
- Remove solidified steel or slag from pouring nozzles, using long bars or oxygen burners.
- Assemble and embed cores in casting frames, using hand tools and equipment.
- Examine molds to ensure they are clean, smooth, and properly coated.
- Collect samples, or signal workers to sample metal for analysis.
- Turn valves to circulate water through cores, or spray water on filled molds to cool and solidify metal.
- Load specified amounts of metal and flux into furnaces or clay crucibles.
- Pull levers to lift ladle stoppers and to allow molten steel to flow into ingot molds to specified heights.
- Position equipment such as ladles, grinding wheels, pouring nozzles, or crucibles, or signal other workers to position equipment.
- Skim slag or remove excess metal from ingots or equipment, using hand tools, strainers, rakes, or burners, collecting scrap for recycling.
- Remove metal ingots or cores from molds, using hand tools, cranes, and chain hoists.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2024-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2024-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| foundry operative | 7211.1 | exact |
| casting machine operator | 8121.1 | close |
| coquille casting worker | 7211.1.1 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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