Career profile · 47-2211
Sheet Metal Workers
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 the work can involve
- Maintain equipment, making repairs or modifications when necessary.
- Fabricate ducts for high efficiency heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to maximize efficiency of systems.
- 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.
- Transport prefabricated parts to construction sites for assembly and installation.
- Install assemblies, such as flashing, pipes, tubes, heating and air conditioning ducts, furnace casings, rain gutters, or downspouts in supportive frameworks.
- Hire, train, or supervise new employees or apprentices.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves some prior preparation and on-the-job learning. Check the specific employer, occupational credential and state requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Mathematics
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Mechanical
- Building and Construction
- Mathematics
- Design
- English Language
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Getting Information
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Contact with others about half the time | 33.5%08/2023 · sample 15 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Every day | 73.3%08/2023 · sample 15 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 81.2%08/2023 · sample 15 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Every day | 36.5%08/2023 · sample 15 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Never | 58.6%08/2023 · sample 15 |
| Spend Time Standing | Continually or almost continually | 88.8%08/2023 · sample 15 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 63.3%08/2023 · sample 15 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 95.1%08/2023 · sample 15 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Computer aided design CAD software: Applied Production ProFold, Autodesk AutoCAD, Corte Certo, FCC Software AutoPOL Series
- Computer aided manufacturing CAM software: Applied Production ProFab, JETCAM Expert, Merry Mechanization SMP/IS, Striker Systems SS-Profile
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for sheet metal workers
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Apprenticeship
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 50 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $47,530 | $22.85 | 1,450 |
| Alaska | $94,600 | $45.48 | 240 |
| Arizona | $50,260 | $24.16 | 3,060 |
| Arkansas | $45,820 | $22.03 | 1,230 |
| California | $76,590 | $36.82 | 8,390 |
| Colorado | $57,880 | $27.83 | 1,660 |
| Connecticut | $78,750 | $37.86 | 1,480 |
| Delaware | $61,460 | $29.55 | 440 |
| Florida | $49,640 | $23.87 | 8,040 |
| Georgia | $56,800 | $27.31 | 3,590 |
| Hawaii | $96,350 | $46.32 | 490 |
| Idaho | $46,350 | $22.29 | 1,290 |
| Illinois | $86,630 | $41.65 | 3,260 |
| Indiana | $64,040 | $30.79 | 4,580 |
| Iowa | $66,460 | $31.95 | 1,650 |
| Kansas | $62,670 | $30.13 | 1,730 |
| Kentucky | $60,680 | $29.17 | 2,210 |
| Louisiana | $50,320 | $24.19 | 1,080 |
| Maine | $62,120 | $29.87 | 830 |
| Maryland | $62,560 | $30.08 | 1,940 |
| Massachusetts | $82,100 | $39.47 | 2,890 |
| Michigan | $64,490 | $31.01 | 4,000 |
| Minnesota | $72,970 | $35.08 | 2,980 |
| Mississippi | $49,500 | $23.80 | 1,260 |
| Missouri | $63,560 | $30.56 | 2,640 |
| Montana | $61,420 | $29.53 | 410 |
| Nebraska | $64,440 | $30.98 | 440 |
| Nevada | $46,730 | $22.47 | 1,270 |
| New Hampshire | $59,800 | $28.75 | 760 |
| New Jersey | $92,840 | $44.64 | 2,790 |
| New Mexico | $56,720 | $27.27 | 640 |
| New York | $73,760 | $35.46 | 6,570 |
| North Carolina | $50,730 | $24.39 | 2,780 |
| North Dakota | $65,180 | $31.34 | 290 |
| Ohio | $74,790 | $35.96 | 4,180 |
| Oklahoma | $65,640 | $31.56 | 2,820 |
| Oregon | $73,750 | $35.46 | 3,250 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,400 | $29.52 | 3,260 |
| Rhode Island | $65,100 | $31.30 | 370 |
| South Carolina | $49,920 | $24.00 | 1,710 |
| South Dakota | $47,800 | $22.98 | 320 |
| Tennessee | $59,170 | $28.45 | 1,850 |
| Texas | $54,240 | $26.08 | 9,540 |
| Utah | $63,140 | $30.36 | 1,810 |
| Vermont | $58,250 | $28.00 | 370 |
| Virginia | $52,220 | $25.10 | 4,520 |
| Washington | $98,550 | $47.38 | 3,440 |
| West Virginia | $72,390 | $34.81 | 540 |
| Wisconsin | $77,760 | $37.38 | 3,180 |
| Wyoming | $58,740 | $28.24 | 160 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 362 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic→
- Model Makers, Metal and Plastic→
- Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic→
- Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic→
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 47-2211.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.