Pourers and Casters, Metal: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Production · SOC 51-4052 · O*NET 51-4052.00
Operate hand-controlled mechanisms to pour and regulate the flow of molten metal into molds to produce castings or ingots.
Pourers and Casters, Metal fall under the Production category in the U.S. occupational classification. Pourers and Casters, Metal earn a median salary of $48,940 per year, ranking in the top 66% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -4.7% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires an apprenticeship, technical certification, or postsecondary training, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do pourers and casters, metal earn?
The median annual wage for pourers and casters, metal is $48,940. That puts pourers and casters, metal at #531 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $37,250 |
| 25th percentile | $41,410 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $48,940 |
| 75th percentile | $59,850 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $68,030 |
| Median hourly wage | $23.53/hr |
Is pourers and casters, metal a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for pourers and casters, metal is -4.7%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 5K positions in 2024 to 5K in 2034, a net change of 0K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do pourers and casters, metal do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working pourers and casters, metal, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Read temperature gauges and observe color changes, adjusting furnace flames, torches, or electrical heating units as necessary to melt metal to specifications.
- 2.Position equipment such as ladles, grinding wheels, pouring nozzles, or crucibles, or signal other workers to position equipment.
- 3.Remove solidified steel or slag from pouring nozzles, using long bars or oxygen burners.
- 4.Examine molds to ensure they are clean, smooth, and properly coated.
- 5.Pour and regulate the flow of molten metal into molds and forms to produce ingots or other castings, using ladles or hand-controlled mechanisms.
- 6.Collect samples, or signal workers to sample metal for analysis.
- 7.Load specified amounts of metal and flux into furnaces or clay crucibles.
- 8.Skim slag or remove excess metal from ingots or equipment, using hand tools, strainers, rakes, or burners, collecting scrap for recycling.
Top skills for pourers and casters, metal
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become pourers and casters, metal?
Pourers and Casters, Metal typically enter the field through a formal apprenticeship, technical certification, or vocational training program — a strong fit for teens who prefer hands-on learning over traditional college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about pourers and casters, metal
What is the median salary for pourers and casters, metal?
The median annual salary for pourers and casters, metal is $48,940 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is pourers and casters, metal a growing career?
BLS projects -4.7% growth for pourers and casters, metal from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become pourers and casters, metal?
The typical entry path requires an apprenticeship, technical certification, or postsecondary training, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to pourers and casters, metal?
Related occupations within the Production category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.