foundry

American  

[foun-dree] / ˈfaʊn dri /

noun

plural

foundries

1. an establishment for producing castings in molten metal.

2. the act or process of founding or casting metal.

3. the category of metal objects made by founding; castings.

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foundry British  

/ ˈfaʊndrɪ /

noun

1. a place in which metal castings are produced

2. the science or practice of casting metal

3. cast-metal articles collectively

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Etymology

Origin of foundry

From the French word fonderie, dating back to 1595–1605. See found ³, -ery

Explanation

A factory that makes things out of hot metal poured into molds is called a foundry. Many of the ordinary objects in your life have parts that were produced in a foundry. The small metal parts that are needed in everything from trucks and cars to refrigerators, lawnmowers, and airplanes, are known as castings. These castings, used in a wide variety of everyday machines, systems, and appliances, are made in a foundry, where hot molten metal is poured into a mold and allowed to harden. Some foundries are distinguished specifically for what they produce, like a type foundry, which makes typefaces for printing presses.

Example Sentences

Still, Arcuri said the expected release of Intel’s process-design kit for its upcoming 14A process node, which it will build future chips on, will be “a key foundry catalyst.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

“Given the nascency of the Terafab project, we would still caution investors to avoid over-annualizing near-term foundry revenue from Terafab alone,” Acree says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

In Hong Kong, SMIC, China’s largest chip foundry, advanced more than 11% and Hua Hong Semiconductor soared over 14%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

"It was in the foundry for three to six months; they suggested rotating it and I thought what a brilliant idea."

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

They’d eloped on the Northern Pacific to Seattle—she remembered eating breakfast in the dining car—where he worked for two years in a Harbor Island foundry and for one loading lumber on the waterfront.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson