How To Decide Sheet Metal Thickness

One of the most important parts of custom sheet metal fabrication is selecting the correct gauge for the job.

How to decide sheet metal thickness.

Gague are used to specify the thickness of a metal sheet. Calipers are hand tools designed to precisely measure the distance between two points. Just fit the two tips of the caliper around the metal you need to measure to determine its thickness. For example 14 gauge stainless steel is 07812 inches thick.

The smaller the gauge number the thicker the metal. One important note however is that ferrous and non ferrous sheet metals of the same gauge have different thicknesses so you ll need one gauge for ferrous metals and one for non ferrous. Selecting sheet metal thickness requires familiarity with material gauges. A gauge conversion chart can be used to determine the actual thickness of sheet metal in inches or millimeters.

Usually most of the common sheet metal products are made from the sheet thickness 1 2mm for general purposes however cost reduction techniques are applied to even reduce the same if needed. The most precise way to measure a metal s thickness is to use a caliper. In the united states the thickness of the metal is measured as a gauge. Then as the gauge number increases the sheet metal will become thinner.

When working with sheet metal the term gauge is often used. For example 18 gauge steel according to a gauge conversion chart is 0 0478 inch or 1 214 millimeter. Keeping a gauge conversion chart nearby is an easy way to determine the actual thickness of a sheet of metal in inches or millimeters. Use a tape measure to find the thickness of your sheet metal piece.

The gauge number 18 holds no relevance to the actual measurements. The thicker the piece of sheet metal the heavier in weight the material is for building. If your measurement was 55. How to measure sheet metal gauge thickness.

The selection of sheet metal thickness depends upon the type of use i e. Use the millimeter hash marks to find the most accurate measurement. Multiply the number of millimeters by 0 03937 to convert to inches. 992 views view 3 upvoters.

Commonly used gauges can range anywhere from 30 to 7. With custom sheet metal fabrication always note that the higher the number of the gauge the thinner the metal. These gauge numbers will differ depending on the material. Based on the product you are planning to develop.