Bringing Duct Fabrication In-House: A 2026 Equipment Guide for Sheet Metal Shops

This one is trade news, not homeowner advice. It's a guide for sheet metal shop owners weighing whether to make their own ductwork in-house instead of buying it from outside suppliers. The pitch: outsourced duct has thin margins and unpredictable lead times, so bringing fabrication in-house can save money and time for the shop.

The article walks through equipment costs for 2026, all in US dollars, before shipping and installation. A basic round-duct setup, centered on a machine called a spiral tubeformer that turns coil steel into spiral pipe, can start under $100,000. A full automated line for rectangular duct, which uses a "coil line" to cut, seam, and flange duct in one pass, can run several hundred thousand dollars. It also covers practical needs like three-phase electrical power, floor space (some lines run 45 to 50 feet long), and advice on vetting equipment suppliers.

For a homeowner, this doesn't change anything about your house directly. It's about how HVAC contractors and duct shops equip their businesses. It could, in a general sense, eventually affect duct availability or contractor costs in some markets if more shops shift to making their own ductwork, but the article gives no specifics on pricing or timelines that would touch a homeowner's project or a rebate program.