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.
U.S. Workers
117,470
Median Salary
$60,850
10-Year Growth
+2.4%
Annual Openings
10,600
Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
24 of 24 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Convert blueprints into shop drawings to be followed in the construction or assembly of sheet metal products.
AI: Fully automatable - AI and CAD automation tools can convert blueprints into detailed shop drawings with high accuracy, requiring only verification rather than fundamental manual drafting work.
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.
AI: Fully automatable - Welding, bolting, riveting, soldering, and automated sealing are already widely roboticized in manufacturing and can be fully automated for many assembly tasks.
Develop or lay out patterns, using computerized metalworking equipment.
AI: Fully automatable - Developing and laying out patterns for computerized metalworking is largely a digital/CAD/CAM task that AI tools can fully automate by generating optimized patterns and machine code.
Trim, file, grind, deburr, buff, or smooth surfaces, seams, or joints of assembled parts, using hand tools or portable power tools.
AI: Fully automatable - Trimming, grinding, deburring, and finishing are commonly handled by CNC and robotic systems in production settings and can be fully automated for a broad range of parts.
Select gauges or types of sheet metal or nonmetallic material, according to product specifications.
AI: Fully automatable - Selecting gauges and material types from specs is a rules-and-constraints task that AI systems can fully automate using standards, databases, and optimization criteria.
Construct components for high-performance wind turbine systems.
AI: Fully automatable - Industrial automation and robotic manufacturing systems already enable near‑complete automated construction of large, precision wind turbine components in factory settings.
Determine project requirements, such as scope, assembly sequences, or required methods or materials, using blueprints, drawings, or written or verbal instructions.
AI: Partial - AI can extract requirements and propose scopes and assembly sequences from documents and speech, but nuanced judgments about site-specific constraints and buildability often need human decision-making.
Lay out, measure, and mark dimensions and reference lines on material, such as roofing panels, using calculators, scribes, dividers, squares, or rulers.
AI: Partial - Robotic measurement and laser-guided marking systems can automate layout in controlled environments, but variable field conditions and ad-hoc adjustments on site limit full automation.
Fabricate ducts for high efficiency heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to maximize efficiency of systems.
AI: Partial - AI can design optimized duct layouts and drive CNC/robotic fabrication in controlled settings, but fully autonomous end-to-end fabrication and field adaptation for HVAC systems is not generally achieved by 2025.
Maneuver completed roofing units into position for installation.
AI: Partial - AI and semi‑autonomous machinery can assist in positioning roofing units, but fully autonomous maneuvering in varied, hazardous construction sites remains limited.
Finish parts, using hacksaws or hand, rotary, or squaring shears.
AI: Partial - Automated and robotic finishing exists for some repeatable parts, but many hacksaw/hand-tool finishing operations require human dexterity and judgment, so AI can only partially automate them as of 2025.
Shape metal material over anvils, blocks, or other forms, using hand tools.
AI: Partial - Shaping metal with hand tools relies on manual dexterity and on-the-fly judgments; AI-guided robots can handle some repetitive shaping but cannot fully replace skilled human work in varied scenarios yet.
Fabricate or alter parts at construction sites, using shears, hammers, punches, or drills.
AI: Partial - AI can assist with plans, cutting lists, and tool guidance and support some robotic onsite tasks, but fully autonomous fabrication/alteration across diverse construction sites is not generally practical by 2025.
Inspect individual parts, assemblies, or installations, using measuring instruments, such as calipers, scales, or micrometers.
AI: Partial - Computer vision and digital sensors can automate many measurement and inspection tasks, but handling diverse parts with precision instruments and fixturing still often requires human operation.
Transport prefabricated parts to construction sites for assembly and installation.
AI: Partial - Logistics and autonomous vehicle tech can automate parts of transport, but widespread fully autonomous delivery of prefabricated parts to construction sites is only partially achievable in 2025 due to regulatory and operational limits.
Verify that heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are designed, installed, and calibrated in accordance with green certification standards, such as those of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
AI: Partial - AI can analyze designs, sensor logs, and checklists to assess LEED-related compliance, but on‑site calibration checks and final certification decisions still require human expertise.
Install assemblies, such as flashing, pipes, tubes, heating and air conditioning ducts, furnace casings, rain gutters, or downspouts in supportive frameworks.
AI: Partial - AI can provide installation plans, guidance, and limited robotic assistance, but complex, variable site installations of assemblies still rely largely on human installers in 2025.
Hire, train, or supervise new employees or apprentices.
AI: Partial - AI can automate candidate screening, training content, and deliver coaching, but final hiring decisions, nuanced supervision, and apprenticeship mentorship require human oversight and judgment.
Maintain equipment, making repairs or modifications when necessary.
AI: Partial - AI excels at diagnostics, predictive maintenance, and guided repair procedures, but hands-on repair and ad-hoc modifications still typically need human technicians, so automation is partial.
Secure metal roof panels in place by interlocking and fastening grooved panel edges.
AI: Partial - Robotic fastening systems exist for controlled conditions, but on‑site interlocking and fastening of grooved roof panels across variable field conditions is only partially automatable.
Perform building commissioning activities by completing mechanical inspections of a building's water, lighting, or heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
AI: Partial - Automated sensor analytics and scripted tests can perform many commissioning checks, but comprehensive mechanical inspections require hands‑on testing and human judgment.
Fasten roof panel edges or machine-made moldings to structures by nailing or welding.
AI: Partial - Automated welding and nailing equipment can perform fastening in controlled manufacturing settings, but field variability and complex on‑site work limit full automation.
Perform sheet metal work necessary for solar panel installations.
AI: Partial - CAD-driven shop fabrication and robotic forming can produce many solar mounting components, yet on‑site adaptation and custom fitting mean the full task is only partially automatable.
Install green architectural sheet metal components, such as cool roofs or hot or cold walls.
AI: Partial - AI can design and optimize green sheet‑metal systems and provide installation guidance, but physical installation of architectural components on buildings remains primarily manual.