E – 1164 Foundry Sand Facts for Civil Engineers

Metal foundries use large amounts of sand as part of the metal casting process. Foundries successfully recycle and reuse the sand many times in a foundry. When the sand can no longer be reused in the foundry, it is removed from the foundry and is termed “foundry sand.” Foundry sand production is nearly 6 to 10 million tons annually. Like many waste products, foundry sand has beneficial applications to other industries. The purpose of this course is to provide technical information about the potential civil engineering applications of foundry sand. This will provide a means of advancing the uses of foundry sand that are technically sound, commercially competitive and environmentally safe.

This course is based on the Federal Highway Administration document, “Foundry Sand Facts for Civil Engineers”, Report No. FHWA-IF-04-004, May 2004.