Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · Holland code RC
Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons
Build or repair equipment such as furnaces, kilns, cupolas, boilers, converters, ladles, soaking pits, and ovens, using refractory materials.
Also called: Cupola Repairer, Ladle Liner, Refractory Bricklayer, Refractory Technician, Cell Reliner, Furnace Repairer, Hot Repairman, Ladle Repairman.
O*NET 49-9045.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $61,290
- Middle half earn $50,050 to $75,000. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 75% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Measure furnace walls to determine dimensions and cut required number of sheets from plastic block, using saws.
- Reline or repair ladles and pouring spouts with refractory clay, using trowels.
- Dry and bake new linings by placing inverted linings over burners, building fires in ladles, or by using blowtorches.
- Remove worn or damaged plastic block refractory linings of furnaces, using hand tools.
- Chip slag from linings of ladles or remove linings when beyond repair, using hammers and chisels.
- Climb scaffolding, carrying hoses, and spray surfaces of cupolas with refractory mixtures, using spray equipment.
- Mix specified amounts of sand, clay, mortar powder, and water to form refractory clay or mortar, using shovels or mixing machines.
- Spread mortar on stopper heads and rods, using trowels, and slide brick sleeves over rods to form refractory jackets.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening3.0 / 5
- Reading Comprehension2.9 / 5
- Critical Thinking2.9 / 5
- Speaking2.8 / 5
- Monitoring2.8 / 5
- Writing2.5 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical3.5 / 5
- Production and Processing3.0 / 5
- Public Safety and Security2.7 / 5
- English Language2.7 / 5
- Mathematics2.6 / 5
- Chemistry2.5 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic100
- Investigative20
- Artistic5
- Social0
- Enterprising0
- Conventional43
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- art restorer · DE Kunstrestaurator/Kunstrestauratorin · FR restaurateur d’objets d’art/restauratrice d’objets d’art
- sculptor · DE Bildhauer/Bildhauerin · FR sculpteur/sculptrice
- bricklaying supervisor · DE Maurerpolier/Maurerpolierin · FR chef d’équipe maçon/chef d’équipe maçonne
- bricklayer · DE Maurer/Maurerin · FR maçon/maçonne
- stonemason · DE Steinmetz/Steinmetzin · FR maçon pierre/maçonne pierre
- hand brick moulder · DE Handziegelmacher/Handziegelmacherin · FR briquetier mouleur à la main/briquetière mouleuse à la main
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Construction and building trades supervisors (5330)53,100 employed
- Stonemasons and related trades (5312)9,900 employed
- Bricklayers (5313)49,300 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.24. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (49-9045).
Related careers
Is it a fit for you?
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