Get matched with top metal fabricators and restorers in Elgin, IL

Metal fabrication is a large umbrella term that can include bending metal, welding, cutting, stamping, drilling, forging, and casting. Metal fabricators often have quite a few pieces of specialized machinery and experience in the different forms of fabrication, which means they’re able to handle many different forms of metal work. An experienced metal fabricator might be able to tackle everything from creating metal siding or roofing from raw materials to constructing a custom wrought iron fence.

The average hourly rate for a metal fabricator is around $70, but the scope of your project will play a big role in your total costs. A good way to get an estimate for your metal fabrication project is to multiply the cost of raw materials by four. A quarter of your total typically goes toward material, and three quarters goes toward labor. Some factors that can influence your metal fabrication costs include the difficulty of your project, the metal you’re using, and your specified design.

A welder is a metal worker that uses heat and specialized tools to bind metal together, while a sheet metal worker more often uses cold methods to bend thin sheets of metal into shape for siding, roofing, or some other application. A metal fabricator might use one or both of these metal working techniques, along with others, to provide a wider range of services. In many cases, a metal fabricator is the most likely to be able to handle your metal project.