Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons

People in this career focus on maintaining and rebuilding industrial heating equipment, including ladles, cupolas, ovens, and soaking pits. Their daily tasks center on physical activities, handling heavy objects, and operating mechanized devices or vehicles. To do this safely, workers inspect structures and materials, identify operational issues, and make decisions to solve mechanical problems.

Success in this field requires strong skills in equipment maintenance, repairing, troubleshooting, and operations monitoring. Repairers must coordinate their actions with others, listen actively, and manage their time effectively. The work demands a realistic interest area, meaning a preference for hands-on, practical work. Important knowledge areas include mechanics, production processes, building and construction, public safety, and basic mathematics and chemistry. Because the work environments involve extreme heat and heavy machinery, workers must demonstrate dependability, cautiousness, high stress tolerance, and close attention to detail.

Entering this career typically requires a high school diploma. The occupation is classified as needing some preparation, which means most workers enter the field with a high school education and then acquire their skills through on-the-job training or previous work experience.

For those looking to prepare through formal education, college majors in heavy and industrial equipment maintenance technologies and technicians provide highly relevant training. This educational background helps students build the mechanical, design, and engineering technology knowledge useful for the job. There are no specific licenses, certifications, or professional associations listed as mandatory for this occupation.

The median annual wage for these repairers is $61,290. The lowest 10% of earners in this field make less than $40,590, while the highest 10% earn more than $86,510.

With only 1,080 people employed in this occupation, it is a very small field. Opportunities are projected to decline, with an employment change of -13.7% from 2025 to 2035. Despite this contraction, about 100 job openings are still expected to emerge each year.