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Skilled Trades

Foundry Mold and Coremakers

Make or form wax or sand cores or molds used in the production of metal castings in foundries.

Median salary (BLS)

$48,110

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$37k – $63k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Foundry Mold and Coremakers" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Foundry Mold and Coremakers

    Entry / Junior

    $37,160

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Foundry Mold and Coremakers

    Established

    $48,110

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Foundry Mold and Coremakers

    Senior

    $55,375

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Skilled Trades

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.