Sheet Metal Worker job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

13

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$61,800

BLS May 2025

1. Maintain equipment, making repairs or modifications when necessary. importance 4.3 of 5
2. Fabricate ducts for high efficiency heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to maximize efficiency of systems. importance 4.2 of 5
3. 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. importance 4.2 of 5
4. Transport prefabricated parts to construction sites for assembly and installation. importance 4.2 of 5
5. Install assemblies, such as flashing, pipes, tubes, heating and air conditioning ducts, furnace casings, rain gutters, or downspouts in supportive frameworks. importance 4.2 of 5
6. Hire, train, or supervise new employees or apprentices. importance 4.0 of 5
7. Lay out, measure, and mark dimensions and reference lines on material, such as roofing panels, using calculators, scribes, dividers, squares, or rulers. importance 4.0 of 5
8. Fabricate or alter parts at construction sites, using shears, hammers, punches, or drills. importance 3.9 of 5
9. Determine project requirements, such as scope, assembly sequences, or required methods or materials, using blueprints, drawings, or written or verbal instructions. importance 3.9 of 5
10. Maneuver completed roofing units into position for installation. importance 3.9 of 5
11. Select gauges or types of sheet metal or nonmetallic material, according to product specifications. importance 3.7 of 5
12. Shape metal material over anvils, blocks, or other forms, using hand tools. importance 3.6 of 5
13. Trim, file, grind, deburr, buff, or smooth surfaces, seams, or joints of assembled parts, using hand tools or portable power tools. importance 3.6 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships and Communicating with People Outside the Organization.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Inspect individual parts, assemblies, or installations, using measuring instruments, such as calipers, scales, or micrometers.
• Convert blueprints into shop drawings to be followed in the construction or assembly of sheet metal products.
• Perform building commissioning activities by completing mechanical inspections of a building's water, lighting, or heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
• Fasten roof panel edges or machine-made moldings to structures by nailing or welding.
• Finish parts, using hacksaws or hand, rotary, or squaring shears.

Knowledge areas: Mechanical, Building and Construction, Mathematics, Design and English Language.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Autodesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word, Applied Production ProFab. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists apprenticeship as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

The most common answer among sheet metal workers surveyed by O*NET is a high school diploma or equivalent (49%).

Job title: Sheet Metal Worker
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Sheet Metal Worker to fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- 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.
- Lay out, measure, and mark dimensions and reference lines on material, such as roofing panels, using calculators, scribes, dividers, squares, or rulers.
- Fabricate or alter parts at construction sites, using shears, hammers, punches, or drills.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in coordination, reading comprehension and critical thinking
- Working knowledge of Mechanical and Building and Construction
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Autodesk AutoCAD or Microsoft Excel]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $61,800 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $29.71. BLS estimates about 119,770 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of sheet metal workers to grow 2.5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,800 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full sheet metal worker salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real sheet metal worker posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Maintain equipment, making repairs or modifications when necessary”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only sheet metal worker work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (coordination and reading comprehension).