Sheet metal workers: salary in the UK
About £28,470 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +7.4% on last year
£2,888 a month About £2,372 a month after tax 7 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £23,932 in 2021 to £34,653 in 2026 (+45%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | x | x | £23,932 | x | x |
| 2022 | x | x | £27,423 | x | x |
| 2023 | x | £23,986 | £26,523 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | £26,817 | £31,675 | x | x |
| 2025 | x | £26,956 | £32,276 | x | x |
| 2026 | x | £28,077 | £34,653 | x | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £34,653 a year and half earn more. That is 15% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
Ranked by median, it is number 214 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,372 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,372 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | x | x |
| 20th | £27,452 | £2,288 |
| 25th (P25) | £28,077 | £2,340 |
| 30th | £29,096 | £2,425 |
| 40th | £31,679 | £2,640 |
| Median (50th) | £34,653 | £2,888 |
| 60th | £37,049 | £3,087 |
| 70th | £38,373 | £3,198 |
| 75th (P75) | x | x |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £34,653 | £35,104 | 7 |
| Women | x | x | : |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £28,470 | £2,372 |
| Scotland | £28,458 | £2,372 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £35,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 65 job titles to SOC 5211 Sheet metal workers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Beater
- Box maker
- Bruiser
- Bucket maker
- Canister maker
- Car radiator builder
- Copper pan smith
- Copper smith
- Coppersmith
- Dingman
- Drawer maker
- Drum and keg maker
- Drum maker
- Freight container repairer
- Hollow-ware maker
- Iron planisher
- Keg maker
- Kettle maker
- Last plater
- Manufacturer
- Marker
- Metal case maker
- Metal fabricator
- Metal finisher
- Metal pattern maker
- Metal smith
- Meter case maker
- Oil lamp maker
- Organ pipe maker
- Pail maker
- Panel beater
- Panel maker
- Pewterer
- Planisher
- Plater
- Pot maker
- Radiator man
- Radiator repairer
- Sheet iron smith
- Sheet iron worker
- Sheet metal engineer
- Sheet metal fabricator
- Sheet metal worker
- Sheet worker
- Shim maker
- Snagger
- Stencil cutter
- Stencil plate maker
- Straightener
- Tank mender
- Tin box maker
- Tin man
- Tin plate worker
- Tin smith
- Tin worker
- Tinker
- Tinsmith
- Tray maker
- Trunk maker
- Wheeler
Show all 65 titles
- White smith
- Whitesmith
- Wing maker
- Zinc plate worker
- Zinc worker
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Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.