# 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sheet-metal-workers
- SOC code: 47-2211.00
- Career family: Construction and extraction
- Median annual pay: $61,800 (10th percentile $38,630, 90th percentile $105,650)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +2.5%
- Openings a year: 9,800
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 100 |
| Investigative (I) | 18 |
| Artistic (A) | 9 |
| Social (S) | 0 |
| Enterprising (E) | 0 |
| Conventional (C) | 43 |

## What you'd do

- Getting Information (importance 93/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 86/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 86/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 83/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 82/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 81/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 81/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 80/100)
- Coaching and Developing Others (importance 80/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 78/100)

## Skills

Coordination, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, Mathematics, Speaking, Time Management, Active Learning

## Knowledge

Mechanical, Building and Construction, Mathematics, Design, English Language, Administration and Management, Education and Training, Production and Processing, Engineering and Technology, Computers and Electronics

## Also called

AC Sheet Metal Installer (Air Conditioning Sheet Metal Installer), Air Duct Mechanic, Aircraft Metalsmith, Aircraft Sheet Metal Mechanic, Angle Bender, Aviation Metalsmith, Beam Worker, Ceiling Installer, Chute Builder, Commercial Sheet Metal Service Installer

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Precision Metal Working](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4805) (CIP 4805, 746 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Ferris State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/ferris-state-university-949) | Precision Metal Working | not reported | $86,941 | $12,000 |
| [Del Mar College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/del-mar-college-782) | Precision Metal Working | $41,304 | $79,303 | not reported |
| [Hennepin Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/hennepin-technical-college-1182) | Precision Metal Working | $68,632 | $76,020 | $11,033 |
| [Des Moines Area Community College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/des-moines-area-community-college-797) | Precision Metal Working | $65,355 | $75,145 | not reported |
| [Ivy Tech Community College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/ivy-tech-community-college-1314) | Precision Metal Working | $69,427 | $75,002 | $5,900 |
| [Dunwoody College of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/dunwoody-college-of-technology-838) | Precision Metal Working | $60,388 | $70,886 | $12,000 |
| [Pennsylvania College of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pennsylvania-college-of-technology-2096) | Precision Metal Working | $63,054 | $70,298 | $19,500 |
| [Austin Community College District](https://www.collegesref.com/college/austin-community-college-district-152) | Precision Metal Working | $46,036 | $69,185 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/structural-metal-fabricators-and-fitters): $51,330 median pay
- [Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/aircraft-structure-surfaces-rigging-and-systems-assemblers): $65,380 median pay
- [Structural Iron and Steel Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/structural-iron-and-steel-workers): $62,780 median pay
- [Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/layout-workers-metal-and-plastic): $63,870 median pay
- [Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/drywall-and-ceiling-tile-installers): $58,930 median pay
- [Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/insulation-workers-floor-ceiling-and-wall): $49,120 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.