Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons
Also called Cupola Repairer, Ladle Liner, Refractory Bricklayer, or Refractory Technician
Updated · Source: O*NET 31.0
What Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons do
You line the giant buckets and furnaces that hold molten metal with heat-proof clay and brick, so they do not burn through.
Industrial plants melt metal at temperatures that would destroy plain steel. The fix is refractory material: special clay, brick, and mortar (the paste that holds brick together) that can take extreme heat. You install it, patch it, and tear it out when it is worn past saving. The equipment includes furnaces, boilers, ovens, kilns (large ovens used to bake or harden materials), and ladles (the huge buckets that carry molten metal to be poured).
A typical job means chipping out the hardened crust and old lining with hammers and chisels, mixing sand, clay, mortar powder, and water to the exact recipe, then spreading the fresh lining smooth with a trowel, a flat hand tool for spreading clay or mortar. You usually work as part of a crew, close to hazardous equipment, in buildings without air conditioning. Median pay is $61,290 a year, or $29.47 an hour.
A day in the life
You arrive, put on your safety gear, and check which piece of equipment, such as a furnace or ladle, has been taken out of service for repair. A ladle has cooled enough to work on, so you chip away slag, the hard crust left behind by molten metal. Hammer, chisel, dust, noise. If the lining is beyond patching, the whole thing comes out. Then you mix sand, clay, mortar powder, and water in the amounts the job calls for, by shovel or in a mixing machine, and spread the new lining smooth with a trowel. Production is waiting on you, so there is real time pressure. You talk with your crew and your supervisor throughout, then spend long stretches standing and working with your hands.
This could fit you if you…
- ✓Like fixing and rebuilding things with your hands and simple tools
- ✓Stay calm and careful around heat, dust, and heavy equipment
- ✓Follow exact mixes and measurements without cutting corners
- ✓Work well on a small crew where people depend on your pace
- ✓Prefer a plant floor over a desk
You might not like it if you…
- –Need a clean, quiet, climate-controlled workplace
- –Dislike physical work that keeps you standing and swinging tools all day
- –Want a field that is growing, since the number of these jobs is projected to shrink by about 13.7% from 2025 to 2035, while jobs overall are expected to grow about 3.5%
- –Need lots of open positions nearby, since only about 100 openings are expected each year
How people get in
- 1Finish high school or earn an equivalent diploma, which is the typical entry education.
- 2Build comfort with tools, measuring, and basic math through shop classes, home projects, or any hands-on job.
- 3Look for openings at foundries (plants where metal is melted and poured into moulds), steel mills, glass plants, cement plants, and industrial repair contractors, including helper or laborer roles that get you on site.
- 4Expect moderate-term on-the-job training, where you usually learn the mixes, the linings, and the safety rules alongside experienced workers over a period of months.
- 5Take any safety training your employer offers and get used to wearing the required protective gear every shift.
- 6If you want more background first, a program in industrial mechanics and maintenance technology covers related repair skills.
Who tends to enjoy it
Hands-on
People who like building, fixing, working with tools, machines, plants, or animals.
Organizing
People who like keeping things accurate, orderly, and running on schedule.
Curious
People who like figuring things out, research, science, and solving problems.
Official task list
Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons build or repair equipment such as furnaces, kilns, cupolas, boilers, converters, ladles, soaking pits, and ovens, using refractory materials. (O*NET)
- Reline or repair ladles and pouring spouts with refractory clay, using trowels.
- Chip slag from linings of ladles or remove linings when beyond repair, using hammers and chisels.
- Mix specified amounts of sand, clay, mortar powder, and water to form refractory clay or mortar, using shovels or mixing machines.
A typical day involves
Skills that matter most
- Operations Monitoring
- Repairing
- Active Listening
- Operation and Control
- Equipment Maintenance
- Reading Comprehension
What you'll need to know
- Mechanical
- Production and Processing
- Public Safety and Security
- English Language
- Mathematics
How much Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons make
The median pay for Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons in the U.S. is $61,290 a year ($29.47 an hour). Most earn between $40,590 and $86,510. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025)
Pay depends a lot on where you live: the median is highest in California ($77,220) and lowest in South Carolina ($37,870).
Pay by state and territory
| State | Median pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $47,650 | 110 |
| California | $77,220 | — |
| Indiana | $74,600 | 90 |
| Ohio | $58,470 | 250 |
| South Carolina | $37,870 | 50 |
| Texas | $67,330 | 130 |
Where to study for this
College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.
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Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 49-9045.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), SOC 49-9045. Outlook and entry education: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.