All About Sheet Metal Workers
Sheet Metal Worker Definition 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
- Trim, file, grind, deburr, buff, or smooth surfaces, seams, or joints of assembled parts, using hand tools or portable power tools.
- Maintain equipment, making repairs or modifications when necessary.
- Construct components for high-performance wind turbine systems.
- Install green architectural sheet metal components, such as cool roofs or hot or cold walls.
- Inspect individual parts, assemblies, or installations, using measuring instruments, such as calipers, scales, or micrometers.
- Maneuver completed roofing units into position for installation.
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Qualities of a Sheet Metal Worker
These are the skills Sheet Metal Workers say are the most useful in their careers:
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Related Job Titles
- Layer Out
- Aviation Metalsmith
- Gutter Installer
- Sheet Metal Fabricator
- Sheet Metal Assembler
Is There Job Demand 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. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 16,200 job openings in this field each year.
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.
Average Sheet Metal Workers Salary
Sheet Metal Workers make between $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 each U.S. state?
| 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 |
What Tools & Technology do Sheet Metal Workers Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Sheet Metal Workers may use on a daily basis:
- 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 do I Become a Sheet Metal Worker?
Education needed to be a Sheet Metal Worker:
How Long Does it Take to Become a Sheet Metal Worker?
Where Sheet Metal Workers Are Employed
The table below shows the approximate number of Sheet Metal Workers employed by various industries.
Related Careers
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
Are you already one of the many Sheet Metal Worker in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
- 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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