This paper presents ab initio calculations of surface energy and work function for 40 elemental metals, based on a Green's-function technique using the linear muffin-tin-orbitals (LMTO) method. The results are in excellent agreement with recent full-potential, all-electron slab calculations for 4d metals. The calculations explain trends in surface energies of various metals, as derived from liquid metal surface tension, and provide work functions consistent with experimental data within 15%. The results also explain the smooth variation of experimental work functions with atomic number. The study uses a tight-binding LMTO Green's-function technique, which allows for efficient self-consistent calculations. The method incorporates linear-response theory and a linearized Dyson equation to improve convergence and accuracy. The calculations were performed for closed-packed surfaces of alkali, alkaline earth, divalent rare earth, 3d, 4d, and 5d transition and noble metals. The results are compared with experimental data and other theoretical calculations. The surface energy is calculated as the difference between the total energy of the surface region and the energy of single atoms in the bulk. The work function is determined as the difference between the electrostatic dipole barrier and the Fermi level. The results show that the calculated surface energies and work functions are in good agreement with experimental values, with deviations typically less than 10%. For transition metals, the calculated surface energies exhibit a parabolic dependence on valence, consistent with the contribution of d-electrons to surface energy. The work functions of transition metals are also in good agreement with experimental data, with deviations generally less than 15%. The results demonstrate that ab initio calculations can provide accurate values for surface energy and work function, comparable to experimental measurements. The study highlights the importance of these properties in understanding a wide range of surface phenomena, including growth rate, crystallite form, sintering, catalytic behavior, and grain boundary formation.This paper presents ab initio calculations of surface energy and work function for 40 elemental metals, based on a Green's-function technique using the linear muffin-tin-orbitals (LMTO) method. The results are in excellent agreement with recent full-potential, all-electron slab calculations for 4d metals. The calculations explain trends in surface energies of various metals, as derived from liquid metal surface tension, and provide work functions consistent with experimental data within 15%. The results also explain the smooth variation of experimental work functions with atomic number. The study uses a tight-binding LMTO Green's-function technique, which allows for efficient self-consistent calculations. The method incorporates linear-response theory and a linearized Dyson equation to improve convergence and accuracy. The calculations were performed for closed-packed surfaces of alkali, alkaline earth, divalent rare earth, 3d, 4d, and 5d transition and noble metals. The results are compared with experimental data and other theoretical calculations. The surface energy is calculated as the difference between the total energy of the surface region and the energy of single atoms in the bulk. The work function is determined as the difference between the electrostatic dipole barrier and the Fermi level. The results show that the calculated surface energies and work functions are in good agreement with experimental values, with deviations typically less than 10%. For transition metals, the calculated surface energies exhibit a parabolic dependence on valence, consistent with the contribution of d-electrons to surface energy. The work functions of transition metals are also in good agreement with experimental data, with deviations generally less than 15%. The results demonstrate that ab initio calculations can provide accurate values for surface energy and work function, comparable to experimental measurements. The study highlights the importance of these properties in understanding a wide range of surface phenomena, including growth rate, crystallite form, sintering, catalytic behavior, and grain boundary formation.