What do they do?

Operate hand-controlled mechanisms to pour and regulate the flow of molten metal into molds to produce castings or ingots.

Also known as:

Aluminum Pourer, Caster, Casting Machine Operator, Casting Operator, DC Caster (Direct Chill Caster), DCO (Die Cast Operator), Die Cast Machine Operator, Die Casting Machine Operator, Ingot Caster, Iron Pourer, Ladleman, Melter, Metal Handler, Pourer

Typical Wages

Wages$0$14K$28K$42K$56K$70KPercentiles10th25thMedian75th90th$36k$40k$48k$57k$68k

Projected Growth Rate

Declining

Employment of Pourers and Casters, Metal is projected to Decline 9 percent from 2022 to 2032

Projected Employment For All United States

No Data Available
Employment202220326,2005,600
  • -9.7%

    Change

    Select a state to see its job growth rate ranking
    500

    Job Openings

    Select a state to see its net job growth ranking

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • High school diploma equivalent  (58%)
  • Some college, no degree  (20%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (11%)
  • Associate's degree  (7%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (2%)
  • Master's degree  (1%)
  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (<1%)

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Place materials into molds.
  • Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of production materials or products.
  • Monitor instruments to ensure proper production conditions.
  • Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
  • Clean production equipment.
  • Assemble mechanical components or machine parts.
  • Inspect production equipment.
  • Collect samples of materials or products for testing.
  • Signal others to coordinate work activities.
  • Adjust equipment controls to regulate coolant flow.
  • Apply parting agents or other solutions to molds.
  • Load materials into production equipment.
  • Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
  • Trim excess material from workpieces.
  • Skim impurities from molten metal.
  • Remove workpieces from molds.
  • Maintain production or processing equipment.
  • Repair templates, patterns, or molds.
  • Engrave designs, text, or other markings onto materials, workpieces, or products.
  • Move products, materials, or equipment between work areas.
  • Operate forklifts or other loaders.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 29.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

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