How To Cut Sheet Metal

When cutting sheet metal, it’s crucial to use the correct methods to get the best results while staying safe. You may need to know how to cut sheet metal while working on DIY craft projects, gutter repair, ductwork, or metal roofing.

Sheet metal is made from different materials and comes in various thicknesses, known as gauges. An easy way to remember sheet metal thickness is that the higher the gauge number, the thinner it is. The thicker the sheet metal, the higher the cost tends to be. Metals such as copper, aluminum, brass, and cold-rolled steel are generally soft, and tin snips are usually suitable for cutting these softer metals.

Most strong and thick sheet metals will require power tools for cutting, such as an angle grinder, band saw, rotary tool, circular saw, or chop saw. I used 22 gauge cold-rolled steel sheet metal for demonstration purposes and different common household tools to cut it.

How to cut sheet metal with tin snips

• Wear work gloves and eye protection to avoid cutting yourself and protect yourself from flying metal shards.
• Mark the sheet metal where you’d like to cut it with a carbide-tipped scribe, pencil, or marker.
• Use a stable bench or table to support your sheet metal. Hold the sheet over the edge or put 2x4s underneath the metal and clamp it down.
• Use a carbide drill bit to drill a hole in the metal, large enough for the bottom blade of the tin snips to fit into. Since I am cutting a circle, I am using green tin snips.
  • NOTE: Tin snips have three different colored handles, each serving a specific purpose. Tin snips with green handles are designed to cut in the right direction, while those with red handles are designed to cut in the left direction. Tin snips with yellow handles are used to cut straight lines.
• Start by inserting the bottom blade of the tin snips into the hole drilled in the center of the sheet metal. Just like cutting with scissors, fully open the blade and squeeze down to cut along the marked line. Follow the circle until you reach the end of the cut.
• Use a metal file to remove any sharp edges left after cutting metal. File in one direction.
• Repeat this process for a straight-cut line, except you will use yellow tin snips.

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