---
title: "Sand Casting Industry Statistics 2026: US Foundry Market and Outlook"
description: "Current US sand casting industry statistics. How big is the foundry industry, employment, top end markets, and 2026 outlook."
slug: sand-casting-statistics
type: statistics
publishedAt: 2026-05-29
updatedAt: 2026-06-02
readingTime: "~8 min read"
keywords: "sand casting statistics, US foundry industry, green sand casting, iron foundries"
breadcrumb:
  - { name: "Home", href: "/" }
  - { name: "Sand Casting Industry Statistics", href: "/sand-casting-statistics" }
linkPhrases:
  - "sand casting"
  - "foundry industry"
  - "sand casting statistics"
related:
  - manufacturing-statistics
  - die-casting-statistics
sources:
  - title: "American Foundry Society Industry Statistics"
    publisher: "AFS"
    year: "2024"
    url: "https://www.afsinc.org/research/"
  - title: "Foundries (NAICS 3315)"
    publisher: "US Bureau of Labor Statistics"
    year: "2024"
    url: "https://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag331.htm"
---

<UpdatedDate date="2026-06-02" readingTime="~8 min read" />

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.

<KeyTakeaways>

- The US foundry industry generates approximately $33 billion in annual revenue across all casting processes.
- Roughly 1,800 metal-casting facilities operate in the United States, with sand casting representing the largest share of US casting tonnage.
- Iron sand casting (ductile, gray, malleable) dominates US tonnage at 60% of cast metal shipments.
- Automotive, heavy equipment, construction, pipe and fitting, and municipal infrastructure are the largest end markets for sand castings.
- US foundry employment has stabilized near 165,000 after decades of consolidation.

</KeyTakeaways>

## How big is the US foundry industry?

<StatSnippet value="$33B" source="American Foundry Society, 2024" sourceUrl="https://www.afsinc.org/research/">
Total US foundry industry annual revenue across all casting processes.
</StatSnippet>

<StatSnippet value="~1,800" source="AFS, 2024" sourceUrl="https://www.afsinc.org/research/">
US metal-casting facilities.
</StatSnippet>

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.

<StatGrid>
  <StatCard value="$33B" label="Total US foundry industry revenue" source="AFS, 2024" />
  <StatCard value="~1,800" label="US metal-casting facilities" source="AFS, 2024" />
  <StatCard value="165K" label="Direct US foundry employment" source="BLS, 2024" />
  <StatCard value="60%" label="Iron share of US cast metal tonnage" source="AFS, 2024" />
  <StatCard value="14M tons" label="Annual US casting shipments" source="AFS, 2024" />
  <StatCard value="$65K" label="Median foundry worker wage" source="BLS, 2024" />
</StatGrid>

## What metals dominate US casting?

<BarChart title="Estimated share of US casting tonnage by metal, 2024" unit="%" series="Ductile iron:30|Gray iron:24|Aluminum:18|Steel:14|Copper-base:5|Zinc:5|Magnesium:2|Other:2" />

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.

<Callout type="insight" title="Why iron sand casting matters disproportionately">

Most US iron pipe (water and sewer), manhole covers, fire hydrants, automotive engine blocks, transmission cases, heavy equipment housings, and structural castings flow through iron sand casting foundries. Infrastructure investments planned through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act flow back to a relatively small set of US iron foundries.

</Callout>

## What end markets drive sand casting demand?

<DataTable caption="Estimated share of US sand casting demand by end market, 2024">

| 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% |

</DataTable>

<InlineCTA title="See where AI search ranks your foundry" body="Buyers searching for iron, steel, and aluminum sand casting suppliers use AI assistants to compile shortlists. Run a free check on your domain." source="sand-casting-statistics-mid" />

## What sand casting process variants exist?

<DataTable caption="Common US sand casting process variants, 2024">

| 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                |

</DataTable>

## Which states have the most foundries?

<DataTable caption="Top US states by foundry establishments, 2024">

| 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                            |

</DataTable>

<PullQuote source="American Foundry Society, 2024 State of the Metalcasting Industry">
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.
</PullQuote>

## What does this mean 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. Third, AI-driven supplier discovery is becoming common at procurement teams sourcing castings.

Foundries that publish their alloy capability, mold size range, certifications, pour weight capacity, and example part categories win sourcing-team consideration faster.

<Callout type="tip" title="Where to go from here">

For broader context, read the [manufacturing statistics report](/manufacturing-statistics). For related casting processes, see [die casting statistics](/die-casting-statistics). To see how AI search describes your foundry, run a [free AI-visibility check](/checker).

</Callout>

<CiteBox title="Sand Casting Industry Statistics 2026" url="https://manufacturingseo.ai/sand-casting-statistics" citation={`Manufacturing SEO AI. "Sand Casting Industry Statistics 2026: US Foundry Market and Outlook." Manufacturing SEO AI, June 2026. https://manufacturingseo.ai/sand-casting-statistics`} />