Sheet Metal Worker
Field & Trades
Fabricates and installs the ductwork, flashing, and metal roofing systems that move air through a building and keep water out of it.
What is a Sheet Metal Worker?
A Sheet Metal Worker fabricates and installs sheet metal components on a project, most commonly HVAC ductwork, but also roofing panels, flashing, and architectural metal. A lot of the fabrication happens in a shop ahead of time, cutting and forming metal to exact duct-run dimensions from drawings, before the finished pieces move to the jobsite for installation and connection to air handling equipment. The trade has its own apprenticeship and union (SMART) distinct from an HVAC Technician, who installs and services the equipment those ducts connect to rather than fabricating the ductwork itself.
What they do
- Fabricate ductwork and sheet metal components in a shop from drawing dimensions
- Install ductwork runs on the jobsite and connect them to air handling equipment
- Install metal roofing panels, flashing, and architectural sheet metal
- Seal and insulate ductwork joints to prevent air leakage
- Read HVAC drawings and shop drawings to plan duct runs and fabrication sequencing
- Coordinate with HVAC technicians and other trades on routing through ceilings and walls
A typical day
- 6:00 AMReview the day's duct fabrication list and set up the shop's cutting and forming equipment
- 7:00 AMFabricate a run of rectangular ductwork to the dimensions on the shop drawing
- 10:00 AMMove to the jobsite to install a completed duct run above a finished ceiling grid
- 1:00 PMSeal ductwork joints and connections to meet the project's air-leakage requirements
- 3:30 PMCoordinate with the HVAC technician on final connections between ductwork and a rooftop unit
Skills
Software
Pay expectations
Pay by experience, nationally
as of May 2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Sheet Metal Workers (SOC 47-2211), national data
Reviewed May 2025. Pay reflects the national wage distribution for this occupation, not a promise for any one job: entry level is the lower part of that range, 5 years in sits around the national median, and 10 years in is the upper part, since pay isn't actually tracked by years on the job. Real pay varies a lot by state, metro area, union status, and employer — scale these up or down for your market. These figures are base pay only: overtime, shift differentials, and per-project bonuses are standard across most construction trades and routinely push real earnings above what's shown here.
What this chart doesn't capture
A sheet metal company earns on two fronts — shop fabrication and field installation — which can smooth out income swings a purely field-based trade doesn't have.
These figures are wage-and-salary pay only — BLS excludes the self-employed and business owners entirely. No reliable owner-income figure exists for sheet metal contracting specifically; running both shop fabrication and field installation takes more overhead — equipment, shop space — than a trade that's purely field-based, which changes the math on going independent. Worth researching your own market before trusting any number you find.
Education
- Required:
- High school diploma or equivalent, then a registered apprenticeship through the SMART union, typically around four years combining paid on-the-job training with roughly 160 hours of classroom instruction per year; sheet metal work isn't separately state-licensed in most places
- Helpful:
- OSHA 10 or 30 certification (not a nationwide legal requirement, though several states, including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Nevada, Missouri, and Rhode Island, legally require it for workers on public construction projects)
- Not necessary:
- A four-year college degree; the apprenticeship-to-journeyman route is the standard path into the trade
Career progression
- 1.Apprentice Sheet Metal Worker
- 2.Journeyman Sheet Metal Worker
- 3.Shop or Field Foreman
- 4.Sheet Metal Contractor or Superintendent
Who hires for this role
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