Sand casting can be used to create parts from steel, stainless steel, gray iron, malleable iron, and ductile iron. Also known as sand molded casting, this process uses sand—usually mixed with clay or another bonding agent—as the mold material. Roughly 70 percent of all metal castings are created using this method.
Mold cavities for sand casting are created by compacting the sand mixture around an existing part, model, or pattern inside a multi-part molding box, called a casting flask.