Skills
Sheet Metal Worker Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in sheet metal workers, and how to build and show them.
Sheet Metal Workers need technical skills such as pattern layout, blueprint and shop drawing reading, and metal forming with brakes and rollers, plus people skills like spatial reasoning and precision. They also use tools such as Brakes, shears and rollers and Plasma cutters and CNC fabrication tables.
Technical (hard) skills
- Pattern layout
- Blueprint and shop drawing reading
- Metal forming with brakes and rollers
- Seaming, riveting and welding
- Duct installation
- Testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB)
People (soft) skills
- Spatial reasoning
- Precision
- Teamwork
- Problem solving
Tools, equipment and technology
- Brakes, shears and rollers
- Plasma cutters and CNC fabrication tables
- Hand seamers, snips and crimpers
- Rivet guns and screw guns
- Welding equipment
- Duct jacks and lifts
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how sheet metal workers put their skills to work:
- How to install a rectangular duct run
- How to bend sheet metal on a brake
- How to seal ductwork with mastic
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Pattern layout” and “Blueprint and shop drawing reading.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “spatial reasoning,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Apprenticeship completion near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our sheet metal worker glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Sheet Metal Worker training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.