Sand casting
Also called: foundry job work, grey iron casting, SG iron casting, sand castings, green sand casting
Sand casting pours molten metal into a mould made of compacted sand around a pattern of the part. It is the cheapest way to make medium and large metal parts with complex shapes, from a few kilograms to tonnes, in grey iron, SG iron, steel, aluminium and brass.
Quick facts
- Moulds
- Green sand, resin (no-bake) sand or shell
- Materials
- Grey iron, SG iron, carbon and alloy steel, stainless, aluminium, brass, bronze
- Part weight
- From under a kilogram to many tonnes
- Tolerance
- Looser than machining; critical faces are machined
- Surface
- Rougher than die or investment casting
- Tooling
- A pattern (wood, metal or resin) and core boxes
How it works
- A pattern of the part, slightly oversize for shrinkage, is pressed into sand
- Cores of bonded sand make holes and hollow sections
- Molten metal is poured into the mould
- After cooling, the sand is broken away and the casting is cleaned (fettled), shot blasted and inspected
What to send a foundry
- Drawing or 3D model, marking machined faces
- Material grade (e.g. FG 260, SG 500/7, WCB)
- Weight and quantity per year
- Pattern: supplied by you, or made by the foundry
- Testing: chemistry, hardness, test bars, radiography if critical
Need sand casting done?
Post your requirement free. Workshops that take your kind of work see it and get in touch. You only talk to the ones that fit.
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Related job work
Machines
Questions
- Sand casting or investment casting?
- Sand casting is cheaper for larger, simpler parts; investment casting gives finer detail, smoother surfaces and closer tolerances for smaller parts.
- Who pays for the pattern?
- Usually the buyer, as a one-time cost; the foundry stores it for repeat orders. Agree ownership in writing.
The figures on this page are typical values for guidance, written by Diemeco from standard engineering practice. They are not a specification: confirm grades and properties with the relevant standard or the supplier's mill test certificate, and tolerances with your workshop. Last checked 8 October 2026.