Best programs to become a sheet metal worker
You do not need a college degree to become a sheet metal worker. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking (IPEDS completions).
1 college program at 18 schools trains sheet metal workers, graduating 415 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $61,800 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About 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.
Best programs to study to become a sheet metal worker
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworkingmain feeder CIP 48.0506 | 415 | 100.0% | 18 | $36,566 | $9,429 |
Top 18 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What sheet metal workers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $76,590 | 8,390 | 0.60× | 6 | 211 |
| Indianalimited | $64,040 | 4,580 | 1.86× | 1 | 109 |
| Wisconsinlimited | $77,760 | 3,180 | 1.40× | 1 | 31 |
| Pennsylvanialimited | $61,400 | 3,260 | 0.70× | 1 | 24 |
| Minnesotalimited | $72,970 | 2,980 | 1.31× | 1 | 15 |
| Hawaiilimited | $96,350 | 490 | 1.01× | 1 | 12 |
| Floridalimited | $49,640 | 8,040 | 1.05× | 1 | 3 |
| Washingtonlimited | $98,550 | 3,440 | 1.26× | 1 | 3 |
| Montanalimited | $61,420 | 410 | 1.04× | 1 | 2 |
| Ohiolimited | $74,790 | 4,180 | 0.98× | 1 | 2 |
| Kansaslimited | $62,670 | 1,730 | 1.56× | 1 | 1 |
| Michiganlimited | $64,490 | 4,000 | 1.18× | 1 | 1 |
| Nevadalimited | $46,730 | 1,270 | 1.06× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- 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.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Active Listening3.0
- Speaking3.0
- Mathematics3.0
- Active Learning2.9
- Learning Strategies2.5
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical4.2
- Building and Construction3.8
- Mathematics3.8
- Design3.6
- English Language3.4
- Administration and Management3.1
Abilities
- Visualization3.6
- Near Vision3.6
- Multilimb Coordination3.4
- Manual Dexterity3.4
- Arm-Hand Steadiness3.4
- Finger Dexterity3.3
Core activities
- Getting Information4.7
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.4
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.4
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.3
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.3
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.3
How to get in
How to become a sheet metal worker
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Apprenticeship
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 1 majors mapped to Sheet Metal Workers1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 48.0506Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a sheet metal worker?+
You do not need a college degree to become a sheet metal worker. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a sheet metal worker?+
The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 program to this job, which graduates about 415 people a year.
How much do sheet metal workers earn?+
The median is $61,800 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $38,630 at the 10th percentile to $105,650 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for sheet metal workers growing?+
BLS projects a +2.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 10,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
18 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 1 program that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do sheet metal workers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Sheet Metal Worker, Sheet Metal Mechanic, Sheet Metal Fabricator, HVAC Sheet Metal Installer (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Sheet Metal Installer) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 47-2211.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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