The earliest examples of pressure injection die casting - as opposed to gravity pressure casting - occurred in the mid-1800s. In 1849, Sturges obtained a patent for the first manually operated machine for casting typography. For the next 20 years, the process was limited to printer types, but by the end of the century, the development of other shapes began to increase. By 1892, commercial applications included parts for phonographs and cash registers, and mass production of many types of parts began in the early 1900s.

The first die-cast alloys were various compositions made up of tin and lead, but their use declined with the introduction of zinc and aluminium alloys in 1914. Magnesium and copper alloys followed, and by the 1930s many of the modern alloys still in use today became available.

The die casting process has evolved from the initial low pressure injection method to squeeze casting and semi-solid die casting techniques that include high pressure casting (forces in excess of 4,500 pounds per square inch). These modern processes enable the production of high integrity, near-clean castings with excellent surface finish.