Occupation
Sheet metal worker
Sheet metal workers lay out, fabricate, and install ducting, flashings, roofing, cladding, and fabricated metal components. The trade combines shop work on brakes, shears, and rollers with site installation and hanging. Pattern development and layout are central, because a flat pattern has to fold into the shape the drawing specifies.
Also known as: Sheet metal fabricator · Ductwork installer · Tinsmith
Occupation content
Part of Skilled trades, maintenance and repair
What the work involves
- Develop flat patterns and cutting lists from drawings for fittings, transitions, and offsets.
- Cut, punch, brake, roll, and seam sheet stock in the shop or with portable tools on site.
- Assemble duct sections, plenums, and fittings and seal joints to the specified standard.
- Hang and support ductwork and install grilles, dampers, and access panels.
- Fabricate and fit flashings, gutters, and metal cladding details.
- Check installed work against the drawings and adjust for site conditions and other trades.
How people commonly enter
- A registered sheet metal worker apprenticeship with a mechanical or metal fabrication contractor.
- A college sheet metal or metal fabrication programme used to enter an apprenticeship.
- Entry as a shop helper or installer's assistant, moving into layout and fabrication with training.
- Transfer from HVAC installation or general fabrication into the sheet metal trade.
Typical training: Apprenticeship
Licensing: Certification common, not usually required
Pathways: Apprenticeship route
Typical work context
Lab or workshop · Client sites · Physically active · Team based · Varied work
Related interests
Realistic (hands-on) · Conventional (organizing)
Related aptitude preparation
These are preparation links only. They do not measure eligibility for this occupation and no score here qualifies or disqualifies anyone.
Skills to practise
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Skilled trades, maintenance and repair.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
- US BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Sheet metal workers · United States
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- Red Seal Program — Designated Red Seal trades · Canada
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- O*NET OnLine — occupation search: sheet metal worker · United States
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Skilled trades, maintenance and repair in Canada, not a figure for Sheet metal worker. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Skilled trades, maintenance and repair family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Skilled trades, maintenance and repair: education pathways
Some roles in Skilled trades, maintenance and repair may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Skilled trades, maintenance and repair: licensing
Find jobs
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- Search Canada Job Bank · Canada
- Search USAJOBS · United States federal
- Search EURES · European Union / EEA
- Search Indeed · International (choose location on Indeed)