Metalwork Merit Badge
The five requirements, drawn in the order the badge actually implies rather than the order it prints: the option chosen first, the four gate edges into requirement 5, and the same piece of metal carried from 3(a) into 3(b).
6 steps (40 parts inside them). 33 parts depend on questions you have not answered yet. · Version 1, published 13 August 2026 · About Metalwork Merit Badge
No questions answered
This is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering the 2 questions at the address above takes out the parts that are not for you.
Which of this applies to you
You have not answered anything yet, so this is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering 2 short questions will take out the parts that are not for you.
The steps
Stage 1 of 6
1 step
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5. ONE of four options, but choose it at the very start Often forgotten Decision
The requirement gates itself behind the first four requirements, while requirement 1 needs this choice already made. So: choose now, work 1 to 4, then come back and do it.
This requirement gates itself behind requirements 1 to 4, while requirement 1 depends on this choice already having been made. It is not a deadlock (one needs the CHOICE, the other needs COMPLETION), but the working order is: choose the option, do 1 to 4, then do the option.
31 parts
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5(A). Option A: Sheet Metal Mechanic/Tinsmith Optional May not apply Usually comes after 1. Safety, and it covers the option you have not read yet, 2. Six terms, then four questions about metals and 2 others.
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5(A)(3). Make the two objects in 24- or 26-gauge sheet metal Optional May not apply Usually comes after 5(A)(2). Sketch the two objects you will make.
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5(B). Option B, Silversmith Optional May not apply Usually comes after 1. Safety, and it covers the option you have not read yet, 2. Six terms, then four questions about metals and 2 others.
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5(B)(3). Make the two objects: in 18- or 20-gauge sheet COPPER Optional May not apply Usually comes after 5(B)(2). Sketch the two objects you will make.
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5(C). Option C, Founder Optional May not apply Usually comes after 1. Safety, and it covers the option you have not read yet, 2. Six terms, then four questions about metals and 2 others.
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5(C)(3). Make two moulds: one from your own pattern Optional May not apply Usually comes after 5(C)(2). Sketch the two objects you will cast.
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5(D). Option D, Blacksmith Optional May not apply Often forgotten Usually comes after 1. Safety, and it covers the option you have not read yet, 2. Six terms, then four questions about metals and 2 others. Option D needs a forge, an anvil and low-carbon steel at least 1/4 inch thick, and it is twelve steps against six or seven for the others. Confirm you have access to a forge before choosing it. This is the choice that most often has to be unmade.
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5(D)(4). Forge the two objects you sketched Optional May not apply Often forgotten Usually comes after 5(D)(2). Sketch the two objects you will hot-forge. The requirement says to be sure you have your counselor's approval BEFORE you begin. That is stated for this step and no other on the badge.
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Stage 2 of 6
1 step
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1. Safety, and it covers the option you have not read yet Often forgotten Task
Read the safety rules, discuss how to be safe working with metal, and discuss the ADDITIONAL rules for the requirement 5 option you choose. That last clause is why the option has to be picked before this can be finished.
Usually comes after 5. ONE of four options, but choose it at the very start.
CHOOSE YOUR REQUIREMENT 5 OPTION BEFORE YOU SIT DOWN FOR THIS. The last sentence asks about "the additional safety rules that apply to the metalwork option you choose for requirement 5", so this discussion cannot be completed until that choice is made. Working top to bottom means booking the conversation twice.
Stage 3 of 6
1 step
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2. Six terms, then four questions about metals Requirement
Native metal, malleable, metallurgy, alloy, nonferrous and ferrous, then the four parts below.
Stage 4 of 6
1 step
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3. Three bench exercises, and 3(a) and 3(b) are one piece of metal Requirement
The only steps on this badge where the dependency is a physical object rather than knowledge.
3 parts
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3(a). Work-harden a piece of sheet brass or copper Often forgotten KEEP THIS PIECE OF METAL. Requirement 3(b) anneals the very same piece and asks you to compare the effort needed before and after. A fresh piece proves nothing, and this is the only step on the badge where a physical object has to survive between requirements.
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3(b). Anneal that same piece, and try to unbend it Usually comes after 3(a). Work-harden a piece of sheet brass or copper.
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Stage 5 of 6
1 step
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4. Careers or a hobby, one of the two Decision
Both end in a discussion with your counselor.
2 parts
Stage 6 of 6
1 step
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Counselor signs it off Milestone
The completion date is the date you met the requirements, not the date of the signature.
Usually comes after 5(A). Option A: Sheet Metal Mechanic/Tinsmith, 5(B). Option B, Silversmith and 2 others.
Merit badge requirements are republished annually. A Scout beginning work uses the requirements as they stand then; a Scout already working may finish under the ones they started with. Guide to Advancement 7.0.4.3 governs which applies. This page records the date its copy was read. Check it against the official page before relying on it.
This plan is a planning aid: the current Boy Scouts of America publication is always the authority, and the sources used here are listed in full. Each step names its own.