Sheet Metal Worker

Explore This Path

Ideal for hands-on creators who enjoy building and shaping metal structures.
Essential in constructing systems that ensure comfort and functionality in buildings.
Transform blueprints into reality with precision and skilled craftsmanship.

💰 Earn $53K-$116K

📚 High School Diploma or GED

⏱️ 6–12 MONTH TRAINING

📈 2.3% JOB GROWTH

Find Training

What You’ll Do

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.

Convert blueprints into shop drawings to be followed in the construction or assembly of sheet metal products.
Determine project requirements, such as scope, assembly sequences, or required methods or materials, using blueprints, drawings, or written or verbal instructions.
Lay out, measure, and mark dimensions and reference lines on material, such as roofing panels, using calculators, scribes, dividers, squares, or rulers.
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.
Trim, file, grind, deburr, buff, or smooth surfaces, seams, or joints of assembled parts, using hand tools or portable power tools.

Scoop

Minimum Education

High School Diploma or GED

Career Prospects

Good (Increasing by 1-5%)

Training Time

6 months to 1 year

Job Openings

11,500 Annually

Median Earnings

$76,860 in California

$58,780 Nationally

$25K

$50K

$75K

$100K

$125K

$150K

$175K

$200K

$225K

$250K

Real Talk Reel

Want to see what it's like to be a Sheet Metal Worker? We've curated a playlist for you to get a glimpse into a day in the life.

@hollywood_tinknocker/ James Molina

@sheetmetal_artist/Stacy Hatfield

@54chingona

Best For You If...

YOU Like 💕

Working with my hands

You are skilled in 💫

Active Listening
Critical Thinking
Equipment Maintenance
Operation and Control
Operations Monitoring
Troubleshooting

You value 🙏

Having support
Having freedom
Personal relationships

Deep Dive

Sheet Metal Worker

Explore career pathways, key skills, and what each role has to offer.

Pathways to this Career

Learn about the education and training paths that can lead to this career — and what to expect from each one.

Apprenticeship

An apprenticeship typically offers a combination of hands-on training and classroom instruction, leading to practical skills, industry-specific knowledge, and the potential for long-term employment in a specific trade or profession.

🎓 Paid Work

⏱️ FINISH IN 2-5 years

Vocational School

A vocational school typically equips students with specialized skills and practical training in specific trades or occupations, enhancing their employability and providing direct pathways to relevant careers.

🎓 Skills-Focused

⏱️ FINISH IN 6 months - 2 years

Associate's Degree

An associate's degree typically provides graduates with foundational knowledge and skills for entry-level jobs in the graduate's industry, or serves as a stepping stone towards further education.

🎓 College

⏱️ FINISH IN 2-3 years

Bachelor's Degree

A bachelor's degree typically results in increased knowledge about a variety of academic subjects, specialized knowledge in a focused field of study, and is considered the foundational qualification for many careers.

🎓 College

⏱️ FINISH IN 4-5+ years