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Orange County · Sheet Metal Worker
Sheet Metal Worker prevailing wage in Orange County, California
$96.98an hour, base wage + fringe benefits
$65.31 base wage + $31.67 fringe benefits
Orange County uses the same sheet metal worker rates as 4 other counties. See all of them on one page.
On California public works in Orange County, a sheet metal worker must be paid at least $96.98 an hour in total: $65.31 in wages plus $31.67 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $129.64 and Sunday and holiday work is $162.29.
DIR general determination 166-102-1, issued August 22, 2026. Expires June 30, 2027. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $65.31 + $31.67
The basic hourly rate is the taxable wage. The other lines, the fringe benefits DIR calls employer payments, are what DIR expects the employer to pay into health, pension and other plans for each hour worked. An employer can pay part of that as extra wages instead, as long as the total per hour stays at $96.98 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) (footnote AB) | $65.31 |
| Health and welfare | $12.02 |
| Pension (footnote BL) | $18.01 |
| Training | $0.92 |
| Other payments | $0.72 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $96.98 |
Straight time covers an 8-hour day.
When does this rate change?
- A project pays the rates in effect on its bid advertisement date for the life of the job, plus any increase DIR set in advance (DIR FAQ).
- DIR issues new determinations on February 22 and August 22, and they take effect 10 days later. This rate is from determination 166-102-1, issued August 22, 2026; DIR's expiration date for it is June 30, 2027.
Scheduled increases
DIR has already set these increases. Work on or after each date is paid the higher rate. DIR often leaves part of an increase "to be allocated to wages and/or employer payments" and confirms the split when it comes due, and it can reduce a scheduled increase in a later notice, so check DIR's increase page before you pay it.
| Takes effect | Increase per hour | Total after increase |
|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2027 | +$3.50 | $100.48 |
| July 1, 2028 | +$3.50 | $103.98 |
The double asterisk after DIR's expiration date means the next rate is already set. If the work runs past that date you have to pay the new rate, and DIR says to build it into contracts signed now (DIR FAQ, Q8).
Rate history since 2024
Total hourly rate for this classification in each DIR release. The chart above draws the same figures with the increases that follow.
| Release | Total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-2 | $90.48 | |
| 2025-1 | $90.48 | no change |
| 2025-2 | $93.73 | +$3.25 |
| 2026-1 | $93.73 | no change |
| 2026-2 | $96.98 | +$3.25 |
Davis-Bacon sheet metal worker rate in Orange County
Federally funded or assisted construction here uses the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determinations. When a California awarding body runs a federally funded or assisted project, DIR's rates must be paid where they are higher than the Davis-Bacon rates (DIR public works FAQ).
For building work, the matching Davis-Bacon classification is SHEET METAL WORKER: (1) COMMERCIAL - NEW CONSTRUCTION AND REMODEL WORK (LOS ANGELES (SOUTH OF A STRAIGHT LINE DRAWN BETWEEN GORMAN AND BIG PINES)AND CATALINA ISLAND, INYO, KERN (NORTHEAST PART, EAST OF HWY 395), MONO ORANGE, RIVERSIDE, AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES) at $89.74 ($59.31 base + $30.43 fringe), from CA20260024 modification 4, published July 14, 2026, rate SHEE0105-003. Against DIR's $96.98: DIR's rate is $7.24 an hour higher. On a job covered by both, the higher rate applies. Note: federal rate covers only part of the county (see federal classification text).
| Construction | Federal classification | Base wage | Total rate | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building, Highway, Heavy | SHEET METAL WORKER: (1) COMMERCIAL - NEW CONSTRUCTION AND REMODEL WORK (LOS ANGELES (SOUTH OF A STRAIGHT LINE DRAWN BETWEEN GORMAN AND BIG PINES)AND CATALINA …SHEE0105-003 | $59.31 | $89.74 | CA20260024 Mod 4 |
| Residential | SHEET METAL WORKER (WORK ON GENERAL SHEET METAL AND HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING SIGNLE FAMILY DWELLINGS, MULTIPLE FAMILY DWELLINGS, TRACK HOMES AND APARTMENT …SHEE0105-001 | $33.10 | $43.91 | CA20260017 Mod 5 |
| Residential | SHEET METAL: TECHNICIAN IMPERIAL SHEET METAL TECHNICIAN - SCOPE: A. EXISTING RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS, BOTH SINGLE AND MULTI-FAMILY, WHERE EACH UNIT IS HEATED …SHEE0206-003 | $38.65 | $48.96 | CA20260017 Mod 5 |
Davis-Bacon rates from SAM.gov, read October 25, 2026. Our federal totals are base plus fringe; DOL prints no total. California Davis-Bacon changes
How Orange County compares
The main sheet metal worker rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and in the nearest counties. All bars use the same scale.
Every county in California
Base wage and fringe benefits, nearby
- Orange Countybase $65.31$96.98
- Los Angeles Countybase $65.31$96.98
- San Diego Countybase $58.73$91.44
- Ventura Countybase $59.54$97.09
Sheet Metal Worker rates in nearby counties
Current DIR rates. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done, even if your shop is somewhere else.
DIR's sheet metal worker rates for Orange County are the same as in 4 other counties: Inyo, Mono, Riverside, San Bernardino.
| County | Classification | Base wage | Total rate | vs Orange County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ventura County | Sheet Metal Worker (HVAC) | $59.54 | $97.09 | +$0.11 |
| Orange County | Sheet Metal Worker | $65.31 | $96.98 | |
| Los Angeles County | Sheet Metal Worker | $65.31 | $96.98 | same |
| Riverside County | Sheet Metal Worker | $65.31 | $96.98 | same |
| San Bernardino County | Sheet Metal Worker | $65.31 | $96.98 | same |
| San Diego County | Sheet Metal Worker (HVAC) | $58.73 | $91.44 | −$5.54 |
| Kern County | Sheet Metal Worker | $54.13 | $84.59 | −$12.39 |
California sheet metal worker prevailing wage by county, with a map
Footnotes on this rate
DIR's footnotes, in DIR's words. Several change the rate itself: zone pay, a percentage added to the total, or which overtime hours get which rate.
- AB Includes amount withheld for working dues.
- BL Pursuant to Labor Code sections 1773.1 and 1773.8, the amount paid for this employer payment may vary resulting in a lower taxable basic hourly wage rate, but the total hourly rates for straight time and overtime may not be less than the general prevailing rate of per diem wages.
- BM Rate applies for the first 4 overtime hours Monday through Friday and the first 12 hours worked on Saturday. All other time is paid at the Sunday/holiday rate. Saturdays in the same workweek may be worked at straight-time if job is shut down during the normal workweek due to inclement weather.
DIR's other marks: # means an apprenticeable craft, * means in effect until superseded, ** means the next rate is already set.
More from DIR on this rate
- Holidays (DIR PDF)
- Scope of work: which tasks this rate covers
- Travel and subsistence
- Apprentice rates: DIR publishes these separately, by program. Look them up on DIR.
Are you being paid this rate?
Add your hourly wage to what your employer pays into health, pension and other plans for you, and compare it with $96.98. Plan payments only count if the money goes into the plan; your pay stub won't show them, but plan statements will. The training amount goes to the California Apprenticeship Council or an apprenticeship program, not to you. Check a week of pay.
Contractors on most public works jobs file certified payroll with the state, and anyone can look it up in DIR's CPR public search. If your total comes up short, you can file a public works complaint with the California Labor Commissioner.
Source
California Department of Industrial Relations, general prevailing wage determination 166-102-1: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/ORA.html
Each figure is copied from DIR's file and checked by a second, separate reader. How we check · How to read a determination · Download Orange County as CSV · Report an error