Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes.
Scoop
Minimum Education
High School Diploma or GED
Career Prospects
Good (Increasing by 1-5%)
Training Time
6 months to 1 year
Job Openings
11,500 Annually
Median Earnings
$76,860 in California
$58,780 Nationally
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Day-to-Day
Convert blueprints into shop drawings to be followed in the construction or assembly of sheet metal products.
Determine project requirements, such as scope, assembly sequences, or required methods or materials, using blueprints, drawings, or written or verbal instructions.
Lay out, measure, and mark dimensions and reference lines on material, such as roofing panels, using calculators, scribes, dividers, squares, or rulers.
Fasten seams or joints together with welds, bolts, cement, rivets, solder, caulks, metal drive clips, or bonds to assemble components into products or to repair sheet metal items.
Trim, file, grind, deburr, buff, or smooth surfaces, seams, or joints of assembled parts, using hand tools or portable power tools.
Real Talk Reel
Want to see what it's like to be a Sheet Metal Worker? We've curated a playlist for you to get a glimpse into a day in the life.
@hollywood_tinknocker/ James Molina
@sheetmetal_artist/Stacy Hatfield
@54chingona
Best For You If...
YOU Like 💕
Working with my hands
You are skilled in 💫
Active Listening
Critical Thinking
Equipment Maintenance
Operation and Control
Operations Monitoring
Troubleshooting
You value 🙏
Having support
Having freedom
Personal relationships
Deep Dive
Sheet Metal Worker
Explore career pathways, key skills, and what each role has to offer.
Pathways to this Career
Learn about the education and training paths that can lead to this career — and what to expect from each one.