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; inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces.

Sheet metal workers need to be in good physical condition and have mechanical and mathematical aptitude and good reading skills. Good eye-hand coordination, spatial and form perception, and manual dexterity also are important. Primary skills needed for this occupation include: install sheet metal assemblies in supportive framework; operate metal or plastic fabricating equipment/machinery; use hand, power and precision measuring tools; braze, solder and weld metal parts or components together.