SIC 3444 Sheet Metal Work

Contenidos

• NAICS CODE(S).
• INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT.
• ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE.
• BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT.
• CURRENT CONDITIONS.
• INDUSTRY LEADERS.
• WORKFORCE.
• RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY.
• FURTHER READING.

SIC 3444

This industry encompasses companies primarily engaged in manufacturing sheet metal work for buildings (not including fabrication work done by construction contractors at the place of construction), as well as stovepipes, light tanks, and other products of sheet metal.

NAICS CODE(S)

332322

Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

In the early 2000s, according to 2005 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, 4,407 companies were involved in the U.S. sheet metal work industry. They employed 113,683 workers and generated $15.3 billion in shipments. California, Ohio, Illinois, and Texas accounted for about one-third of the industry's total shipments. The most common end uses for sheet metal were electronic enclosures, such as personal computer housings or casings; roofing and roof drainage equipment; air conditioning ducts and stove pipes; sheet metal flooring and siding; awnings, canopies, cornices, and soffits; culverts, flumes, and irrigation pipes; and other or unspecified uses. These categories cover a myriad of products used by every industry, including aircraft manufacture (air cowls); building construction (siding, stove hoods, and gutters); heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) applications (ducts, furnace flues); mineral processing (coal chutes); highway construction (guardrails); agriculture (irrigation pipes); business machines (computer casings); shipbuilding (ship ventilators); postal delivery (mail boxes); and food preparation (vats and bins).

ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE

Sheet metal forming is one of the most basic and pervasive manufacturing processes in U.S. industry. In general, sheet metal products manufactured by industry firms have thin walls, simple as well as complex designs, and a large quantity of surface area in relation to thickness. They generally are lighter in weight and are more versatile than metal products formed and shaped through casting and forging processes. The manufacture of sheet metal products is generally characterized by low to moderate costs for labor, equipment, and dies.

Industry sheet metal products are manufactured with a wide range of metal-forming machine tools. Several different techniques can be used to produce the same sheet metal part. The factors determining which method to use include the cost of the die, the amount of labor available, the number of sheet metal parts to be made, and the speed of production. Deep-drawing methods, for example, involve more complicated machinery and cost more than other methods, but they are also faster and more cost effective for jobs involving the manufacture of many parts.

BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT

In 1997, the sheet metal industry consumed 45 percent the value of its total shipments on materials and supplies, primarily from blast furnaces and steel...