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What is a Sheet Metal Worker?
Job Description & Duties 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.
Life As a Sheet Metal Worker
- Fabricate or alter parts at construction sites, using shears, hammers, punches, or drills.
- Trim, file, grind, deburr, buff, or smooth surfaces, seams, or joints of assembled parts, using hand tools or portable power tools.
- Maneuver completed roofing units into position for installation.
- Perform building commissioning activities by completing mechanical inspections of a building’s water, lighting, or heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
- Inspect individual parts, assemblies, or installations, using measuring instruments, such as calipers, scales, or micrometers.
- Finish parts, using hacksaws or hand, rotary, or squaring shears.
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Sheet Metal Worker Required Skills
When polled, Sheet Metal Workers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Related Job Titles
- Sheet Metal Journeyman
- Metal Ceiling Hanger
- Hood Technician
- Whitesmith
- Extrusion Former
Job Opportunities for Sheet Metal Workers
In the United States, there were 138,900 jobs for Sheet Metal Worker in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 8.6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 12,000 new jobs for Sheet Metal Worker by 2026. The BLS estimates 16,200 yearly job openings in this field.
The states with the most job growth for Sheet Metal Worker are Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Vermont, or Alaska. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Sheet Metal Worker Salary
The salary for Sheet Metal Workers ranges between about $27,780 and $86,290 a year.
Sheet Metal Workers who work in Hawaii, Illinois, or Minnesota, make the highest salaries.
How much do Sheet Metal Workers make in different U.S. states?
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $38,970 |
| Alaska | $61,030 |
| Arizona | $41,790 |
| Arkansas | $37,540 |
| California | $56,310 |
| Colorado | $47,090 |
| Connecticut | $55,670 |
| Delaware | $54,620 |
| District of Columbia | $60,540 |
| Florida | $40,100 |
| Georgia | $46,550 |
| Hawaii | $76,900 |
| Idaho | $42,700 |
| Illinois | $69,780 |
| Indiana | $55,290 |
| Iowa | $47,750 |
| Kansas | $43,600 |
| Kentucky | $41,790 |
| Louisiana | $44,860 |
| Maine | $45,430 |
| Maryland | $56,280 |
| Massachusetts | $65,180 |
| Michigan | $52,180 |
| Minnesota | $68,870 |
| Mississippi | $40,180 |
| Missouri | $61,840 |
| Montana | $53,350 |
| Nebraska | $48,970 |
| Nevada | $49,750 |
| New Hampshire | $49,690 |
| New Jersey | $61,790 |
| New Mexico | $47,360 |
| New York | $70,070 |
| North Carolina | $37,980 |
| North Dakota | $51,240 |
| Ohio | $53,320 |
| Oklahoma | $49,900 |
| Oregon | $57,450 |
| Pennsylvania | $57,540 |
| Rhode Island | $57,580 |
| South Carolina | $40,280 |
| South Dakota | $42,720 |
| Tennessee | $44,910 |
| Texas | $40,860 |
| Utah | $53,880 |
| Vermont | $47,040 |
| Virginia | $47,440 |
| Washington | $65,360 |
| West Virginia | $56,950 |
| Wisconsin | $56,480 |
| Wyoming | $43,040 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Sheet Metal Workers
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Sheet Metal Workers:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Data entry software
- Microsoft Windows
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Spreadsheet software
- Computer aided design CAD software
- PTC Creo Parametric
- Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
How to Become a Sheet Metal Worker
What kind of Sheet Metal Worker requirements are there?
What work experience do I need to become a Sheet Metal Worker?
Where Sheet Metal Workers Work
Below are examples of industries where Sheet Metal Workers work:
You May Also Be Interested In…
Those interested in being a Sheet Metal Worker may also be interested in:
- Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Construction Carpenters
- Tapers
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
Career changers with experience as a Sheet Metal Worker sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
- Millwrights
- Helpers–Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
References:
Image Credit: US Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class John Linzmeier via Public domain
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