# Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons

> Build or repair equipment such as furnaces, kilns, cupolas, boilers, converters, ladles, soaking pits, and ovens, using refractory materials.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/refractory-materials-repairers-except-brickmasons
- SOC code: 49-9045.00
- Career family: Installation and repair
- Median annual pay: $61,290 (10th percentile $40,590, 90th percentile $86,510)
- Projected growth: Decline, -13.7%
- Openings a year: 100
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 100 |
| Investigative (I) | 20 |
| Artistic (A) | 5 |
| Social (S) | 0 |
| Enterprising (E) | 0 |
| Conventional (C) | 43 |

## What you'd do

- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 82/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 76/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 70/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 68/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 67/100)
- Getting Information (importance 67/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 65/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 64/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 61/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 58/100)

## Skills

Operations Monitoring, Repairing, Active Listening, Equipment Maintenance, Operation and Control, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Time Management, Troubleshooting

## Knowledge

Mechanical, Production and Processing, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Mathematics, Chemistry, Design, Education and Training, Building and Construction, Engineering and Technology

## Also called

Bondactor Machine Operator, Cell Reliner, Clay Structure Builder, Clay Structure Servicer, Concrete Caulking Technician, Cupola Repairer, Furnace Repairer, Hot Repairman, Kiln Door Builder, Kiln Door Repairer

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4703) (CIP 4703, 305 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Dakota County Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/dakota-county-technical-college-759) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | not reported | $89,205 | not reported |
| [Bluegrass Community and Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/bluegrass-community-and-technical-college-273) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $80,389 | $88,996 | $10,500 |
| [Owensboro Community and Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/owensboro-community-and-technical-college-2048) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $50,307 | $85,274 | $5,000 |
| [Itawamba Community College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/itawamba-community-college-1312) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $68,459 | $78,139 | not reported |
| [Pennsylvania College of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pennsylvania-college-of-technology-2096) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $64,410 | $77,955 | $12,000 |
| [Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/southcentral-kentucky-community-and-technical-college-2466) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $71,220 | $77,631 | $8,065 |
| [Elizabethtown Community and Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/elizabethtown-community-and-technical-college-902) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $69,358 | $75,769 | $7,338 |
| [University of Arkansas at Monticello](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-arkansas-at-monticello-2870) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | not reported | $75,310 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Brickmasons and Blockmasons](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/brickmasons-and-blockmasons): $62,120 median pay
- [Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/molders-shapers-and-casters-except-metal-and-plastic): $46,170 median pay
- [Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/helpers-brickmasons-blockmasons-stonemasons-and-tile-and-marble-setters): $47,550 median pay
- [Foundry Mold and Coremakers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/foundry-mold-and-coremakers): $48,110 median pay
- [Terrazzo Workers and Finishers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/terrazzo-workers-and-finishers): $76,170 median pay
- [Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/heat-treating-equipment-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic): $48,750 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.