Metal Casting Trades Worker

A Metal Casting Trades Worker operates foundry equipment and performs manual casting operations to produce metal components from molten material. They work in foundries and manufacturing facilities, preparing moulds, pouring molten metal, and finishing cast products according to engineering specifications and quality standards.

Prepare casting moulds using sand, refractory materials, and binders, compacting and finishing mould surfaces to specified tolerances. Operate furnaces and crucibles to heat metal to working temperature, monitoring temperature gauges and pyrometers to achieve correct pouring conditions. Pour molten metal into moulds using ladles, tilting mechanisms, and gravity pour systems, maintaining control and safety during the pour. Apply flux and release agents to moulds and cores to facilitate metal flow and ease removal of finished castings. Inspect castings for surface defects, inclusions, and dimensional accuracy using visual inspection, callipers, and gauges, documenting non-conformances. Perform knockout operations to remove castings from moulds, using vibrating tables, pneumatic chisels, and manual extraction techniques. Clean and finish castings by grinding, shot blasting, or chemical treatment to remove excess material, gates, and risers. Operate core-making machines and hand-mould equipment to produce cores and cavity moulds for complex castings.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training (ABS skill level 3). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The work is physically demanding and hot. You'll spend hours near furnaces exceeding 1000 degrees, handling heavy equipment, and doing repetitive manual tasks that wear on joints and backs. Pay tops out relatively quickly compared to other trades. Foundries are also declining in Australia, so job security isn't guaranteed long-term.

Most work is site-based in manufacturing facilities. Remote work is not an option for this role.

• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Inventory Trackingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Process Improvement Identificationcore
• Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Goods Receipt Processing
• Record Management
• Supplier Communication
• Workload Self-Management
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026