More than 90% of all manufactured goods and capital equipment use metal castings as engineered components or rely on castings for their manufacture. [AFS 2001] The metalcasting industry produces both simple and complex components of infinite variety, whether they are produced once as a prototype or thousands of times for use in a manufactured product. In addition to producing components of larger products, foundries may also do machining, assembling, and coating of the castings. Major end-use applications for castings include automobiles and trucks, farm and construction equipment, railroads, pipes and fittings, valves, and engines. [AFS 2001]

Metalcasting industry sales in the United States have been in the range of $25 to $28 billion annually for the past several years, with a small trade surplus. There are close to 3,000 foundries operating in all 50 states, employing one-quarter of a million people. [AFS 2001] The industry estimates that it invests more than $1.25 billion annually in pollution prevention technologies and in meeting environmental standards. [MECS 1994] Under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), the iron and steel foundries are grouped under code 33151, while nonferrous foundries and die casters are grouped under code 33152.