C-43 Sheet Metal exam questions, with answers
10 practice questions for the CSLB Sheet Metal trade exam, each with the answer, a plain explanation and the source it rests on.
These are not real exam questions. CSLB does not release its test questions or answer keys, and nobody else has them. We write our own questions from the C-43 outline and the codes, standards and references CSLB lists for the exam. Each answer names its source so you can check it.
The C-43 exam has 4 sections. The questions below are grouped by section, with the share of the exam each one carries. Read the question, pick an answer, then open “Show the answer”. The other questions of the free test, scored section by section, are in the free 25-question C-43 test.
Planning and Estimating · 21% of the exam
Reviewing project plans; evaluating job sites; designing sheet metal projects; calculating costs.
1. Your submittal package for a federal job under UFGS 01 33 00 includes a coil coater's lab report showing that the same panel finish was tested to the specified standard. For an SD-06 Test Report like this, unless another section says otherwise, how recent must the testing be?
- Within five years of the product's first sale
- Within six months before the panels are made
- Within one year before the submittal is sent
- Within three years of the contract award date
Show the answer
Answer: D. UFGS 01 33 00 describes an SD-06 Test Report as a report, signed by the testing laboratory, that an identical material or product was tested to the specified requirements. Unless another section says otherwise, that testing must have been within three years of the date of contract award for the project. The other time windows are not what the specification states.
2. On a pre-bid walk of an older house in a cold mountain town, you see electric heat cables clipped along the gutters and the lowest courses of roofing. According to the HUD Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide, what may these de-icing cables be evidence of?
- An ice dam problem at the roof eaves
- Downspouts that drain onto the walk
- A missing drip edge along the rakes
- Gutters sized too small for the roof
Show the answer
Answer: A. The HUD Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide tells the inspector to check gutters and the roofing right next to them for electrical de-icing cables, which may be evidence of an ice dam problem. Ice dams form at cold eaves where snow melts higher on the roof and refreezes. Undersized gutters, downspout discharge and drip edge are separate items that the cables do not point to.
Source: HUD Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide, 2.8 Gutters and Downspouts
Fabrication · 23% of the exam
Layout and pattern production; processing sheet metal; welding, soldering, and mechanical assembly.
3. You draw a flat pattern (development) for a transition that the shop will fold, and the drawing does not show a view of the finished part. Per the Navy's Blueprint Reading and Sketching manual, where should instructions such as "bend up 90 degrees" or "bend down 180 degrees" go?
- On a separate cut list sent with the job
- In the bill of materials next to the gauge
- Beside each bend line on the development
- In a general note inside the title block
Show the answer
Answer: C. NAVEDTRA 14040 says that if the finished part is not shown with the development, instructions such as bend up 90 degrees, bend down 180 degrees and bend up 45 degrees should be shown beside each bend line. A title block note, cut list or bill of materials does not tie each instruction to its bend.
Source: NAVEDTRA 14040, Ch 8, Bends, U.S. Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching (NAVEDTRA 14040), Chapter 8
4. You are bidding galvanized steel ductwork for a product-conveying exhaust system (dust or fumes). Under 2025 CMC 506.1, galvanized steel and aluminum ducts may not be used where the conveyed material is hotter than what temperature?
- 250°F
- 400°F
- 600°F
- 750°F
Show the answer
Answer: B. 2025 CMC 506.1 says galvanized steel and aluminum ducts must not be used where the temperature of the material being conveyed exceeds 400°F (204°C). The same section also rules out aluminum for flammable vapors, fumes or explosive dusts and for Class 2, 3 and 4 systems. The other temperatures are not the code limit.
Source: 2025 CMC 506.1, 2025 California Mechanical Code (Title 24, Part 4), Chapter 5 Exhaust Systems
5. While soldering a copper gutter seam, a helper flicks his hot soldering copper to throw off the extra solder. According to the Navy's Tools and Their Uses manual, why should he not swing the iron like this?
- It cools the copper well below its working temperature
- It spreads acid flux fumes across the work area
- Flying bits of solder can burn eyes or start fires
- It knocks the tinning off the point of the iron
Show the answer
Answer: C. Tools and Their Uses says never to swing an iron to remove solder, because the bits of solder that come off may cause serious skin or eye burns or ignite combustible materials in the work area. Wipe the iron on a cleaning cloth instead. Cooling, flux fumes and lost tinning are not the reason the manual gives.
Installation · 34% of the exam
Preparing for installation; gutters, downspouts, and drainage; flashings; hoods and exhaust; metal roofs, siding, and paneling; specialty and miscellaneous items.
6. You are setting roof drains on a commercial roof that is not a sun deck, parking deck or other serviced walking area. What kind of strainer does 2025 CPC 1102.2 require on these drains?
- A gravel stop ring with no strainer cap
- A domed strainer over each roof drain
- A flat strainer set level with the deck
- A flat grate set slightly below the deck
Show the answer
Answer: B. 2025 CPC 1102.2 says roof drains shall have domed strainers. Only sun decks, parking decks and similar areas that are normally serviced and maintained may use flat surface strainers, and those must be level with the deck. A grate below the deck or a gravel stop without a strainer does not meet the code.
Source: 2025 CPC 1102.2, 2025 California Plumbing Code (Title 24, Part 5), Chapter 11 Storm Drainage
7. A flat-roofed California house has a low spot in the middle of the roof, and the roof is not sloped to drain over its edges. What does 2025 CRC R903.4 require for that roof?
- A cricket that moves water to the nearest edge
- A gutter along the lowest eave of the house
- A roof drain installed at each low point
- A scupper through the parapet at each corner
Show the answer
Answer: C. 2025 CRC R903.4 says that unless roofs are sloped to drain over roof edges, roof drains shall be installed at each low point of the roof. A gutter or corner scuppers do not reach water trapped at a low spot in the middle, and a cricket is not what the section requires.
Source: 2025 CRC R903.4, 2025 California Residential Code (Title 24, Part 2.5), Section R903
8. On a commercial building, anchored brick veneer bears on a steel shelf angle at the second floor. Under 2025 CBC 1404.4.3, where do the flashing and weep holes go at that support?
- In the course of masonry directly below the angle
- In the first course of masonry above the support
- At 10 in above the angle, as at the foundation
- In the second course of masonry above the angle
Show the answer
Answer: B. 2025 CBC 1404.4.3 says that at points of support such as structural floors, shelf angles and lintels, flashing and weep holes shall be located in the first course of masonry above the support. The 10 in figure applies only at the foundation, where flashing and weeps go not more than 10 in above finished ground.
Source: 2025 CBC 1404.4.3, 2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2), Chapter 14 Exterior Walls
Safety · 22% of the exam
Personal safety; shop and job site safety; hoisting and rigging operations.
9. A worker running the shop's powered slip roll wears an unbuttoned long-sleeve shirt with loose cuffs. Under 8 CCR 3383(b), what is the rule?
- Loose clothing is fine when a lead worker is watching him
- Loose sleeves or cuffs that can catch in machinery may not be worn
- Loose clothing is fine while the rolls run at a slow speed
- Loose clothing is fine if he also wears cut-resistant gloves
Show the answer
Answer: B. 8 CCR 3383(b) requires clothing appropriate for the work and says loose sleeves, tails, ties, lapels, cuffs or other loose clothing that can be entangled in moving machinery shall not be worn. Gloves, a slow speed or a watcher do not change that.
Source: 8 CCR §3383(b), California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 3383. Body Protection
10. Your crew is hoisting a bundle of rooftop curbs to the roof with a crane. Under 8 CCR 4999(a), who may rig the load?
- The foreman, once he has signed the written lift plan
- Any crew member who has studied the crane's load chart
- The crane operator, who is in charge of the whole lift
- A qualified rigger, or a trainee the rigger directly watches
Show the answer
Answer: D. 8 CCR 4999(a) says all loads shall be rigged by a qualified person (rigger), trained and capable of safely doing the rigging, or by a trainee under the direct visual supervision of a qualified rigger. Reading the load chart, running the crane or signing a lift plan does not make someone a qualified rigger.
Source: 8 CCR 4999(a), Cal/OSHA Title 8 Section 4999, Handling Loads
Where to go from here
How the license works, from experience to fees: how to get a C-43 license. Everything about the course: the C-43 exam page.
Questions from our free C-43 test, written from CSLB License Examination Study Guide, Sheet Metal (C-43), form 13E-43 (03-2026), for examinations scheduled on or after January 1, 2026. CSLB notes that the percentages are approximate. Reviewed 14 October 2026. Study guidance only; we are not affiliated with CSLB or PSI.