What Does a Sheet Metal Worker Do?
A new air handler alone isn't likely to cool a lab if its ductwork leaks, but if the ducts are tight and well sized, the same unit can be what keeps the room comfortable and the fume hoods pulling. Sheet metal workers make and install that ductwork, along with gutters, flashing and roof edges, for contractors and the in-house shops of campuses and hospitals.
Also known as: Sheet Metal Technician
Sheet Metal Worker Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a sheet metal worker include:
- Fabricate ducts, fittings and transitions from galvanized steel using brakes, shears and rollers.
- Lay out patterns on flat stock from drawings, or with plasma-cutting software for complex pieces.
- Install ductwork, dampers and diffusers in ceilings and mechanical rooms, sealing every joint.
- Make and hang gutters, downspouts, roof flashing and copings to keep water out of buildings.
- Weld, braze or rivet stainless and aluminum parts for kitchens, labs and fume hood exhausts.
- Build equipment guards, enclosures and brackets for maintenance shops across the site.
- Repair storm-damaged roof edges, louvers and ductwork after inspections.
- Measure existing openings on site and bring back dimensions for shop fabrication.
- Operate press brakes, plasma cutters and seam-closing machines safely and keep them adjusted.
- Seal and test duct systems for leaks so air reaches the rooms it was designed for.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a sheet metal worker, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Pattern layout and geometry
- Brake, shear and roller operation
- MIG, TIG and spot welding
- Reading mechanical and architectural drawings
- CAD or plasma-cutting software for layouts
- Working safely at height on roofs and lifts
- Careful measuring on site
- Hand strength and dexterity with snips and seamers
Education and Training
SMART union locals and contractor associations run many of the apprenticeships that train sheet metal workers after high school, and a helper's job in a fabrication shop is a good way to get noticed by them. Take a welding class or two before you apply.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $47,830 - $81,610 per year, with a median of $61,800.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Sheet Metal Workers.
Employment of sheet metal workers is projected to grow about 2.5 percent from 2025 to 2035, according to BLS. Retirements should still create about 9,800 openings a year, the agency estimates. Although new construction rises and falls with the economy, repair and retrofit work on ducts, roofs and gutters keeps many shops busy through slow years.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Sheet metal workers.