Pourers and Casters, Metal
ManufacturingO*NET 51-4052.00United States
Operate hand-controlled mechanisms to pour and regulate the flow of molten metal into molds to produce castings or ingots.
- Median annual earnings
- $51,813
- Projected change
- −2.7%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 4.66K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
100% of the workforce
Growing to 4.54K by 2035
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The work
What pourers and casters, metal do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Examine molds to ensure they are clean, smooth, and properly coated.
- Collect samples, or signal workers to sample metal for analysis.
- Load specified amounts of metal and flux into furnaces or clay crucibles.
- 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.
- Transport metal ingots to storage areas, using forklifts.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $38,480
- 25th percentile
- $45,198
- 50th percentile
- $51,813
- 75th percentile
- $61,714
- 90th percentile
- $72,030
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $51,813 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
−2.7%projected to decline
20254,659 jobs
2035 projected4,535 jobs
124 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 100%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- 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.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Operators13 postings
- 02Die Cast Operators9 postings
- 03Film Coordinators6 postings
- 04Casters4 postings
- 05Aluminum Welders1 postings
- 06Interior Painters1 postings
- 07Operating Technicians1 postings
Top employers
- 01Commercial Metals6 postings
- 02Advanced Centrifugals3 postings
- 03Zeus3 postings
- 04Zeus Industrial Products3 postings
- 05Mcconway & Torley2 postings
- 06Rice Lake Weighing Systems2 postings
- 07Aerotek1 postings
- 08Artiflex Manufacturing1 postings
- 09Associated Staffing1 postings
- 10Cti Personnel Group1 postings
- 11Fcc1 postings
- 12Harris Rebar1 postings
- 13Liveo Research1 postings
- 14Nucor1 postings
- 15Nucor Steel Auburn1 postings
- 16Nucor Steel-Arkansas1 postings
- 17Sherwin-Williams1 postings
- 18TlPlough&Associates1 postings
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