SIC 3324 Steel Investment Foundries

Contenidos

• NAICS CODE(S).
• INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT.
• ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE.
• BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT.
• CURRENT CONDITIONS.
• INDUSTRY LEADERS.
• WORKFORCE.
• FURTHER READING.

SIC 3324

This classification covers establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing steel investment foundries.

NAICS CODE(S)

331512

Steel Investment Foundries

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

Shipments from steel investment foundries were valued at $2.79 billion in 2000, compared to $2.34 billion in 1997. The industry is subdivided into four product classes. In the late 1990s, the largest of these sectors—high temperature metal investment castings—accounted for 42 percent of total industry shipments, with over $987 million in shipments. Carbon and alloy steel investment castings were the second-largest category, with shipments valued at over $801 million, or 34 percent of total shipments. Stainless steel investment castings claimed 18 percent of total shipments, garnering $423 million. Non-specific steel investment foundries represented the remaining 6 percent of total industry shipments.

The materials consumed by this industry were primarily those used to make steel. The delivered cost of pig iron was $1.2 million in the late 1990s, while the delivered cost of iron and purchased steel scrap accounted for a collective delivered cost of $49 million. Other metals included: cobalt-based alloys ($36.8 million); nickel-based alloys ($100.1 million); and all other ferrous shapes and forms ($29.4 million). Sand had a delivered cost of $12.3 million, and clay refractories had delivered costs of $3.2 million. Industrial dies, molds, jigs, and fixtures that were used to produce the wax patterns reported delivered costs of $18 million. Grinding wheels and other abrasives had delivered costs of $19.7 million. Industrial patterns carried a cost of $3.45 million and all other materials, components, parts, containers, and supplies reported delivered costs of $175.2 million.

ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE

In 1997, 159 establishments were involved in this industry. Of this total, 116 companies, or about 72 percent, were larger companies with more than 20 employees. California, with 19, was home to the greatest number of steel investment foundries, followed by Michigan with 18 and Ohio with 16. California also led the nation in shipments of steel investment castings in 1997, with shipments valued at over $260 million, or about 11.0 percent of the U.S. total. Ohio's shipments accounted for 10.1 percent of the total, while Michigan produced steel investment castings worth over $224 million, which represented 9.6 percent of the nation's total.

Steel investment foundries are not necessarily in a class of their own. Many foundries practice investment casting regardless of the metal type, and many steel foundries may practice several casting processes beside investment. For example, the art industry used investment casting to create bronze sculptures, while the jewelry industry used investment casting to produce intricate designs. Relatively few steel foundries, with respect to the entire steel foundry industry, used the investment casting process exclusively.

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