Gauge Definition Sheet Metal

A sheet metal gauge sometimes spelled gage indicates the standard thickness of sheet metal for a specific material.

Gauge definition sheet metal.

Commonly used steel sheet metal ranges from 30 gauge to about 7 gauge. Metal decking is most commonly 16 18 20 and 22 gauge in thickness. Why gauge thickness matters. Unit of thickness of a metal sheet or wire.

Sheet metal thickness gauges for steel are based on a weight of 41 82 pounds per square foot per inch of thickness. Sheet metal gauge size chart gauge or gage sizes are numbers that indicate the thickness of a piece of sheet metal with a higher number referring to a thinner sheet. The larger the gauge number the thinner the metal. In most of the world sheet metal thickness is consistently specified in millimeters.

In the u s the thickness of sheet metal is commonly specified by a traditional non linear measure known as its gauge. For example 18 gauge steel according to a gauge conversion chart is 0 0478 inch or 1 214 millimeter. The larger the gauge number the thinner the metal. As the gauge number increases the material thickness decreases.

So inversely the smaller the gauge number the thicker the metal. The equivalent thicknesses differ for each gauge size standard which were developed based on the weight of the sheet for a given material. 1 for sheet metal a retrogressive scale higher numbers mean lower thickness that starts with 10 gauge representing a thickness of 3 416 millimeters or 0 1345 inches. How gauge thickness works.