All About Sheet Metal Workers
Position Description 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.
A Day in the Life of a Sheet Metal Worker
- Perform sheet metal work necessary for solar panel installations.
- Lay out, measure, and mark dimensions and reference lines on material, such as roofing panels, using calculators, scribes, dividers, squares, or rulers.
- Convert blueprints into shop drawings to be followed in the construction or assembly of sheet metal products.
- Finish parts, using hacksaws or hand, rotary, or squaring shears.
- 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.
- Secure metal roof panels in place by interlocking and fastening grooved panel edges.
Things a Sheet Metal Worker Should Know How to Do
Sheet Metal Workers state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
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
- Sheet Metal Lay Out Worker
- Sheet Metal Technician
- Beam Worker
- Sheet Metal Smith
- Welder
Sheet Metal Worker Employment Estimates
There were about 138,900 jobs for Sheet Metal Worker in 2016 (in the United States). 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.
What is the Average Salary of a Sheet Metal Worker
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
Becoming a Sheet Metal Worker
Learn what Sheet Metal Worker education requirements there are.
How Long Does it Take to Become a Sheet Metal Worker?
Where Sheet Metal Workers Work
The table below shows the approximate number of Sheet Metal Workers employed by various industries.
Related 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
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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