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Sheet Metal Worker

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What is a Sheet Metal Worker?

Sheet Metal Worker Example 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.

What Do Sheet Metal Workers Do On a Daily Basis?

  • Fabricate or alter parts at construction sites, using shears, hammers, punches, or drills.
  • Maneuver completed roofing units into position for installation.
  • 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.
  • Install green architectural sheet metal components, such as cool roofs or hot or cold walls.
  • Select gauges or types of sheet metal or nonmetallic material, according to product specifications.
  • Fabricate ducts for high efficiency heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to maximize efficiency of systems.

Things a Sheet Metal Worker Should Know How to Do

Below is a list of the skills most Sheet Metal Workers say are important on the job.

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.

Types of Sheet Metal Worker

  • Aircraft Metalsmith
  • Air Conditioning Sheet Metal Installer
  • Sheet Metal Apprentice
  • Sheet Metal Lay Out Worker
  • Fabricator

Job Opportunities for Sheet Metal Workers

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 138,900 jobs in the United States for Sheet Metal Worker. 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.

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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.

Salary for a Sheet Metal Worker

The average yearly salary of a Sheet Metal Worker ranges between $27,780 and $86,290.

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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?

What education or degrees do I need to become a Sheet Metal Worker?

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How many years of work experience do I need?

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Where Sheet Metal Workers Are Employed

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The table below shows the approximate number of Sheet Metal Workers employed by various industries.

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Similar Careers

Those thinking about becoming a Sheet Metal Worker might also be interested in the following careers:

Those who work as a Sheet Metal Worker sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:

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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