Steel Casting Operations Market Report 2026

Publish Date: September 2026
Updated Tariff & Recession Risk Analysis and Forecasts

The Steel Casting Operations Market Report covers the $3.5 billion industry which produces components utilizing various steel alloys for demanding applications requiring higher performance than iron alternatives. Competitive structure encompasses both integrated steel producers with casting divisions and specialized foundries with particular steel casting expertise. Market demands increasingly emphasize mechanical properties, surface quality, internal integrity, and increasingly complex geometries addressing performance objectives. Manufacturers face challenges balancing melting and refining technologies, molding precision, heat treatment capabilities, and tariff considerations affecting both alloy inputs and international market access. Industry leaders differentiate through advanced melting and molding technologies enhancing quality and efficiency, specialized metallurgical expertise optimizing properties, comprehensive testing ensuring internal integrity, and increasingly sustainable practices reducing environmental impact in a sector where both technical capabilities and quality consistency determine competitive positioning across diverse steel casting applications.

Steel Casting Operations Report

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Steel Casting Operations Industry Definition


Steel Casting Operations produce steel components with superior strength and toughness for demanding applications in heavy equipment, mining, energy, and transportation sectors. Companies melt steel alloys in electric arc or induction furnaces, create molds, pour metal, and perform heat treatment and finishing operations to produce components with specific mechanical properties. These businesses create components that combine complex shapes with excellent strength, impact resistance, and performance in severe operating environments. The industry focuses on creating durable components able to withstand extreme forces, impact loading, and harsh conditions, continuously improving metallurgical control, heat treatment processes, and cleanliness standards to enhance performance in critical applications.

NAICS Code: 331513

Number of Companies: 176

Number of Plants / Facilities: 192

Industry Employees: 12,012

Market Size: $3.5 billion

TARIFF IMPACT (Summer 2025 – Download Report for Updated Analysis)

This report has in-depth analysis on the recent US tariff changes on material costs, quantifying import dependencies, tariff exposure rates, and key source countries for the steel casting operations sector.

Estimated Tariff Cost: $80 million

Relative Tariff Impact: MODERATE

Steel Casting Operations Report Format


The 2026 U.S. Steel Casting Operations Market Report is 63 pages of deep insights into the trends, dynamics, and forecasts shaping the industry. This market report is utilized by professionals to gain a in-depth understanding of the sector for business strategy, planning, forecasting, benchmarking, industry analysis, valuations, identifying organizational inefficiencies, financial analysis, and more.

This report covers more than 100 statistical data sets with historical trend data from 2017 to 2025, and 2026 and 2030 forecasts. The report includes market size & growth, in-depth OPEX analysis on 26 categories, dozens of financial metrics, forecasts, inventory statistics, 31 balance sheet benchmarks, numerous industry segmentations, top 50 companies analysis, material costs benchmarks, profitability metrics, state statistics, plant capacity analysis, workforce composition, inflation trend benchmarks, wage analysis, in-depth productivity analysis, and much more.

Below are a few page images from the report and check out the table of contents for a complete overview.

steel casting operations market size chart

OPEX breakdown

Steel Casting Operations Profit Metrics

steel casting operations BCG Matrix

 Factory Capacity Utilization Trend

Steel Casting Operations Workforce Benchmarks



Report Table of Contents


Evaluate the table of contents to understand the extensive statistical data sets in this report and why thousands of executives, consultants, bankers, accountants, and other professionals trust Kentley Insights for their market research needs.

The sources for the report data include federal and private surveys completed by the majority of companies in the sector covering extensive financial and operational topics for the steel casting operations sector. Our analysts develop the forecasts utilizing econometric models based on historical statistical analysis, industry trends and dynamics, macroeconomic analysis & forecasts.


1-2 – Report Overview & Table of Contents

3 – Market Overview
– Methodology, Industry Definition & Market Commentary

4 – Market Snapshot – Revenue & Growth

5 – Market Snapshot – Costs & Profitability

SECTION ONE
REVENUE & GROWTH BENCHMARKS

7 – Market Growth Details
– Revenues, Companies, & Facilities
– 2017-2025 Historical Figures
– Forecasts for 2026 and the Next 5 Years

8 – Growth Benchmarks
– Revenues per Company & Facility
– Facilities per Company
– 2017-2025 Historical Figures
– Forecasts for 2026 and the Next 5 Years

9 – Breakdown of Product Lines
– Percentage of Revenue from Product Lines

10 – BCG Matrix – Net Income vs. Revenue Growth
– Manufacturing Subsectors vs. Industry

11 – Total Revenue by Month & Year
– Revenue per Month for 2021-2025

12 – Inventory Value by Month & Year
– Inventory Value per Month for 2021-2025

13 – Months of Inventory
– Months of Inventory per Month for 2021-2025

14 – Market Size by Segments
– Concentration Segments – Top 4, 5-8, 9-20, & 21-50 companies
– Business Size Segments – 1-4, 5-9, 10-20, 21-50, 51-100, 101-250, & 250+ employees
– Business Structure Segments – C-Corporations, S-Corporations, Partnerships, & Sole Proprietorships

15 – Market Size by State

16 – Revenue as a % of State GDP

17 – Revenue as a % of State Manufacturing

18 – Market Segmentation by Business Size
– Sales as a % of Income and State Rankings

19 – Market Segmentation by Business Size
– Business Size Segments – 1-4, 5-9, 10-20, 21-50, 51-100, 101-250, & 250+ employees
– Companies, Facilities, Sales, Employees & Payroll

20 – Segmentation by Concentration (Top 50 Companies)
– Concentration Segments – Top 4, 5-8, 9-20, & 21-50 companies
– Companies, Facilities, Sales, Employees & Payroll

21 – Market Share of Top 50 Companies
– Market Share & Total Revenue for 2020 versus 2025

22 – Subsector Market Share of Top 50 Companies

23 – Segmentation by Business Structure
– Business Structure Segments – C-Corporations, S-Corporations, Partnerships, & Sole Proprietorships
– Companies, Facilities, Sales, Employees & Payroll

24 – Sales per Company by State

25 – Sales per Company by Segments

26 – Sales per Facility by State

27 – Sales per Facility by Segment

28 – Manufacturing Subsector Growth
– Sales and 5-Year CAGR

29 – Manufacturing Subsector Statistics
– Sales per Company & Facility, and 5-Year CAGR

30 – Consolidation Analysis
– 5-year CAGR of Companies & Locations

31 – Employment Consolidation Analysis
– 5-year CAGR of Employee Statistics

32 – Manufacturing Subsector Consolidation Analysis
– Number of Companies & Facilities
– 5-Year CAGR

33 – Manufacturing Subsector Consolidation Analysis
– Facilities per Company
– Employees per Company
– 5-Year CAGR

SECTION TWO
COST, CAPITAL & PROFIT BENCHMARKS

35 – Profitability & Financial Ratio Analysis
– Percent of Companies that are Profitable
– Average Net Income as a Percent of Revenue
– Financial Ratios – 10 ratios, Total Asset Turnover, Fixed Asset Turnover, Fixed Assets to Total Assets Ratio, Total Assets to Total Liabilities Ratio, Return on Sales, Return on Total Assets, Return on Net Worth, Total Liabilities to Net Worth Ratio, Fixed Assets to Net Worth Ratio, Solvency Ratio

Page 36 – Balance Sheet Metrics
– Assets and Liabilities indexed to industry revenue at 100
– Current & Non-Current Assets: Cash, Notes & Accounts Receivable, Allowance for Bad Debts, Inventories, Treasuries & Securities, Other Current Assets, Loans to Shareholders / Mortgage, Other Investments, Depreciable Assets, Accumulated Depreciation, Land, Intangible Assets (Amortizable), Accumulated Amortization, Other Assets
– Short-term, Long-term Liabilities, & Net Worth: Accounts Payable, Mortgages, Notes, Bonds due in less than 1 Yr., Other Current Liabilities, Loans from Shareholders, Mortgages, Notes, Bonds > 1 Yr., Other Liabilities, Capital Stock, Additional Paid-in Capital, Retained Earnings, Cost of Treasury Stock

37 – Operating Expenses
– Industry Operating Expenses
– Revenue vs. Operating Expense Growth
– Operating Expense as a Percent of Revenue
– Trend Analysis & Forecasts

38 – Operating Expenses by Company & Facility
– Operating Expenses per Company & Facility
– Revenue vs. Expenses Growth per Facility
– Trend Analysis & Forecasts

Page 39 – Operating Expense Detail
– Employee Expenses: Annual Payroll, Health insurance, Defined benefit pension plans, Defined contribution plans, Other fringe benefits, Temporary staff
– Cost of Materials: Cost of materials, parts, containers, packaging, etc., Cost of resale, Cost of electricity and fuels, Cost of contract work
– Buildings and Equipment: Capex for machinery and equipment, Rental or lease for machinery and equipment, Capex for buildings and structures, Rental or lease for buildings and structures, Repair and maintenance of buildings and machinery
– Other Operating Expenses: Professional and technical services, IT software and hardware, Data processing and communications, Advertising, Refuse removal, Taxes and license fees, All other operating expenses
-Inventory Breakdown: Inventory (as a % of total receipts), Finished goods inventory, Work-in-progress inventory, Materials and supplies inventory

40 – Production Material Costs & Tariff Analysis
– Top Production Material Costs Breakdown
– Industry & Material Tariff Analysis – % of costs, import %, tariff costs, source countries

41 – Producer Pricing Index
– Annual PPI – Indexed to 2006
– 2017-2025 Historical Figures
– Forecasts for 2026 and the Next 5 Years
– Monthly PPI Figures for the Past 4 Years

42 – Plant Utilization & Hours
– Plant Utilization Rate
– Plant Operational Hours per Week
– 2022-2025 Historical Figures by Quarter

43 – Reasons for Non-Full Production
– 7 Categories Quarterly Survey Results for Past 2 Years

44 – Productivity & Employment
– Revenue per Employee
– Total Industry Employees
– Employees per Company
– Trend Analysis & Forecasts

45 – Employee Productivity by Segments

46 – Employee Productivity by State

47 – Manufacturing Subsector Sales & Payroll per Employee
– Absolute & 5-year CAGR

48 – Payroll Analysis
– Payroll per Employee, Company & Facility
– Trend Analysis & Forecasts

49 – Payroll per Company by Segments

50 – Payroll per Facility by Segments

51 – Payroll per Employee by Segments

52 – Payroll per Employee by State

53 – Workforce Composition
– % of Employees for 27 Job Categories
– Management & Finance
– Sales & Marketing
– Technology, Engineering, Science
– Service, Support & Training
– Operations

54 – Job Categorization Pay Ranges
– Pay Bands – Bottom 10% & 25%, Mean, Top 25% & 10%

55 – Top 20 Jobs Breakdown
– Percent of Total Employees

56 – Top 20 Jobs Pay

57 – Employees per Company by Segments

58 – Employees per Facility by Segments

59 – Facilities per Company by Segments

60 – Total Employment by State

61 – Population to Every Employee by State

62 – Employees per Facility by State

63 – Overview of Kentley Insights


Download a Sample Report


Below is a free sample report download. The 2026 Steel Casting Operations Market Report has the same layout and data sets as the sample report.

Wood Kitchen Cabinet Countertop Manufacturing Report

Product Lines, Materials, and Jobs Covered in Report


PRODUCT LINES
Alloy steel castings, excluding investment
Carbon steel castings, excluding investment
Steel foundries (except investment), nsk, total

MATERIAL COST CATEGORIES
Cost of all other materials and components, parts, containers, and supplies consumed
Iron and steel scrap (excluding home scrap)
Materials, ingredients, containers, and supplies, nsk
Misc. iron, steel, and ferroalloy ingot, shapes, and forms (excluding castings, forgings, bars, structural, wire, sheet, strip)
Nonmetallic minerals, including stone, sand, refractory minerals, and chemical materials, excluding fertilizer materials
Nonferrous metal shapes, forms, sheet, strip, powder, and wire (excluding castings / forgings), excluding aluminum and copper
All basic organic and inorganic chemicals, excluding petrochemicals
Nonclay refractories
Clay refractories
Grinding wheels and other abrasive products (excluding industrial diamonds)

INDUSTRY JOBS ANALYZED
Molders and Molding Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Machine Tool Cutting Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Metal Furnace Operators, Tenders, Pourers, and Casters
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers
Miscellaneous Production Workers
Industrial Machinery Installation, Repair, and Maintenance Workers
Machinists
Computer Control Programmers and Operators
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
Industrial Engineers, Including Health and Safety
Laborers and Material Movers, Hand
Tool and Die Makers
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Workers
Crushing, Grinding, Polishing, Mixing, and Blending Workers
Miscellaneous Metal Workers and Plastic Workers
Engineering Technicians, Except Drafters
Shipping, Receiving, and Traffic Clerks
General and Operations Managers

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Purchase the 2026 U.S. Steel Casting Operations Market Report to unlock the 63 pages of data-rich insights backed by our 100% MoneyBack Guarantee.

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