Sand Casting Industry Statistics 2026
Current US sand casting industry statistics. Foundry market size, employment, top end markets, green sand vs no-bake, automation, and 2026 outlook.
Sand casting is the oldest and still most-used metal casting process in the United States. It produces nearly every iron pipe, manhole cover, engine block, heavy equipment housing, and bronze valve body made in the country. The industry has consolidated significantly but remains essential infrastructure for the broader manufacturing economy.
Industry overview
The US foundry industry covers all metal casting processes: sand, die, investment, permanent mold, centrifugal, and continuous casting. The American Foundry Society puts total industry revenue at approximately $33 billion annually across roughly 1,800 metal-casting facilities. Sand casting accounts for the largest share of US casting tonnage, particularly for iron and steel components.
US foundries have consolidated meaningfully over the past three decades, with the number of operations dropping from over 6,000 in 1985 to under 2,000 today. Remaining operations tend to be larger and more specialized than their predecessors. Industry employment has stabilized near 165,000 across all casting processes after decades of decline.
Metal mix
US casting tonnage divides primarily across iron (ductile, gray, malleable), steel (carbon, alloy, stainless), aluminum, copper-base alloys, magnesium, and zinc. Sand casting handles most of the iron and steel tonnage and a meaningful share of aluminum tonnage, with die casting taking the dominant share of aluminum and zinc volume.
End markets
Sand casting end markets span automotive, heavy equipment, construction, municipal infrastructure, energy, and industrial machinery.
| End market | Share |
|---|---|
| Automotive (engine, transmission, parts) | 24% |
| Heavy equipment and construction | 18% |
| Municipal infrastructure (pipe, hydrants) | 14% |
| Industrial machinery and pumps | 11% |
| Energy (turbines, valves, generators) | 9% |
| Agricultural equipment | 7% |
| Plumbing and HVAC | 7% |
| Marine and rail | 5% |
| Other | 5% |
Process variants
Sand casting includes several distinct molding methods, each suited to different production volumes and part complexities.
| Process | Typical applications |
|---|---|
| Green sand (clay-bonded) | High-volume iron and aluminum production |
| No-bake (chemically bonded) | Lower-volume, larger, more complex castings |
| Shell molding | Smaller precision castings, automotive and machinery |
| Lost foam | Complex internal passages, often automotive |
| 3D-printed sand molds | Prototypes and short-run specialty castings |
Top US states for foundries
US foundries concentrate in the Midwest, with secondary clusters in the South and East.
| State | Notes |
|---|---|
| Wisconsin | Largest concentration of US foundries; iron, brass |
| Ohio | Iron, steel, automotive |
| Pennsylvania | Iron, steel, industrial |
| Michigan | Automotive, iron |
| Illinois | Iron, machinery, agricultural |
| Indiana | Iron, automotive, machinery |
| Texas | Iron pipe, energy, machinery |
| Alabama | Pipe and fittings, automotive transplants |
| Tennessee | Automotive, machinery |
| New York | Specialty alloys, smaller foundries |
US metal-casting capacity is the third-largest globally, behind China and India, supporting more than $33 billion in annual shipments and 165,000 direct jobs.
What this means for sand-casting foundries in 2026
Three forces shape the picture. First, infrastructure spending under IIJA and continued automotive demand provide a stable demand baseline. Second, environmental regulations (silica exposure limits, foundry emissions standards) have raised the operating cost bar, favoring larger and better-capitalized operations. Third, AI-driven supplier discovery is becoming common at procurement teams sourcing castings, particularly for buyers re-shoring work from China after the 2018-2022 tariff and supply chain disruption.
Foundries that publish their alloy capability, mold size range, certifications (AS9100, IATF 16949, ISO 9001), pour weight capacity, and example part categories win sourcing-team consideration faster.
Sources
- 01
- 02Foundries (NAICS 3315) US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024
- 03Annual Survey of Manufactures: Foundries US Census Bureau, 2023