[header] How to cut steel [title] Use compound snips to make small cuts in thin-gauge steel. [step] Compound snips are sometimes referred to as " aviation snips " or " tin snips. " these scissor-like tools allow you to cut through thin steel-24 gauge or thinner-in the same way you would cut through paper with ordinary scissors. 
Snips are a good choice if you need to make quick, short cuts on very thin steel. There are three kinds of compound snips, with color-coded handles to make them easy to tell apart.