Metalwork is the craft of shaping metal into useful or beautiful objects. A blacksmith heating iron in a forge and hammering it into a horseshoe is doing metalwork. So is a jeweler carefully forming silver into a necklace, or a welder joining steel beams for a skyscraper.

Metalwork has been essential to human civilization for thousands of years. Ancient metalworkers discovered how to melt copper and tin together to create bronze, which was strong enough for tools and weapons. Later, they learned to work with iron, then steel. The quality of a society's metalwork often determined whether it prospered or struggled.

Today, metalwork ranges from industrial manufacturing (like stamping out car parts) to fine art (like sculptures made from welded steel). Some metalwork requires extreme heat and heavy hammering, while other types involve delicate engraving or polishing. A metalworker might create anything from cooking pots to church bells, from intricate gates to simple nails.

The word can also refer to the metal objects themselves: the metalwork on an antique door might include decorative hinges, a door knocker, and an ornate lockplate.