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.
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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.
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.
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?
How many years of work experience do I need?
Where Sheet Metal Workers Are Employed
The table below shows the approximate number of Sheet Metal Workers employed by various industries.
Similar Careers
Those thinking about becoming a Sheet Metal Worker might also be interested in the following careers:
- Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Construction Carpenters
- Tapers
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
Those who work as a Sheet Metal Worker sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
- 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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