Core maker vs mold finisher

The differences between core makers and mold finishers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a core maker has an average salary of $49,119, which is higher than the $32,802 average annual salary of a mold finisher.

The top three skills for a core maker include hand tools, sand molds and aluminum castings. The most important skills for a mold finisher are hand tools, MIG, and CNC.

Core maker vs mold finisher overview

	Core Maker	Mold Finisher
Yearly salary	$49,119	$32,802
Hourly rate	$23.61	$15.77
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	7,168	2,791
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 50%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Core maker vs mold finisher salary

Core makers and mold finishers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Core Maker	Mold Finisher
Average salary	$49,119	$32,802
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $83,000	Between $23,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between core maker and mold finisher education

There are a few differences between a core maker and a mold finisher in terms of educational background:

	Core Maker	Mold Finisher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 50%
Most common major	General Studies	Business
Most common college	-	-

Core maker vs mold finisher demographics

Here are the differences between core makers' and mold finishers' demographics:

	Core Maker	Mold Finisher
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2%	Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between core maker and mold finisher duties and responsibilities

Core maker example responsibilities.

Program machine to its specific instructions written on process sheets for the jobs being run.
Certify power truck operator responsible for moving racks of finish cores throughout the foundry.
Rotate sweep boards around spindles in order to make symmetrical molds for convex impressions.
Set up machine to run required job, read instruction, store finish cores in box
Set cores into a Disa mechanical machine for preparation of auto parts to be mold and then assemble.
Fabricate and assemble aerospace test vehicles, support flight tests, conventional machining, use hand and power tools.

Mold finisher example responsibilities.

Operate CNC mills and lathes.
Perform light construction demo upon approval.Set up air movers and/or dehumidifiers and monitor daily.
Fabricate many different models of telescopic booms for utility forklifts.

Core maker vs mold finisher skills

Common core maker skills

Hand Tools, 38%
Sand Molds, 11%
Aluminum Castings, 9%
Core Boxes, 6%
Sift, 6%
Fork Trucks, 5%

Common mold finisher skills

Hand Tools, 83%
MIG, 10%
CNC, 7%

Updated January 8, 2025

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