Sheet Metal Gauge Chart

Sheet metal gauge explained

Same gauge, different thickness

MSG (steel), US Standard (stainless) and B&S (aluminium, copper): higher gauges are thinner, but the same number is a different thickness, e.g. 16 ga steel 1.519 mm, stainless 1.5875 mm, aluminium 1.291 mm.

Thickness and sheet weight

Weight = length × width × thickness × density. Steel gauge is defined at 41.82 lb/ft² per inch, so 16 ga is about 2.5 lb/ft²; aluminium weighs about a third as much.

Sheet metal gauge chart (0–38)

All four systems side by side; “—” means the gauge is not defined in that system. Weight is for steel (MSG).

Filter chart

Sheet metal gauge chart (0–38)
Gauge	Steel in	Steel mm	Galv. in	Galv. mm	Stainless in	Stainless mm	Al / Cu in	Al / Cu mm	Steel lb/ft²
0	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.3249	8.251	—
1	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.2893	7.348	—
2	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.2576	6.544	—
3	0.2391	6.073	—	—	0.25	6.35	0.2294	5.827	9.999
4	0.2242	5.695	—	—	0.23438	5.9531	0.2043	5.189	9.376
5	0.2092	5.314	—	—	0.21875	5.5562	0.1819	4.621	8.749
6	0.1943	4.935	—	—	0.20312	5.1594	0.162	4.115	8.126
7	0.1793	4.554	—	—	0.1875	4.7625	0.1443	3.665	7.498
8	0.1644	4.176	0.1681	4.27	0.17188	4.3656	0.1285	3.264	6.875
9	0.1495	3.797	0.1532	3.891	0.15625	3.9688	0.1144	2.906	6.252
10	0.1345	3.416	0.1382	3.51	0.14062	3.5719	0.1019	2.588	5.625
11	0.1196	3.038	0.1233	3.132	0.125	3.175	0.0907	2.305	5.002
12	0.1046	2.657	0.1084	2.753	0.10938	2.7781	0.0808	2.053	4.374
13	0.0897	2.278	0.0934	2.372	0.09375	2.3812	0.072	1.828	3.751
14	0.0747	1.897	0.0785	1.994	0.07812	1.9844	0.0641	1.628	3.124
15	0.0673	1.709	0.071	1.803	0.07031	1.7859	0.0571	1.45	2.814
16	0.0598	1.519	0.0635	1.613	0.0625	1.5875	0.0508	1.291	2.501
17	0.0538	1.367	0.0575	1.46	0.05625	1.4287	0.0453	1.15	2.25
18	0.0478	1.214	0.0516	1.311	0.05	1.27	0.0403	1.024	1.999
19	0.0418	1.062	0.0456	1.158	0.04375	1.1112	0.0359	0.912	1.748
20	0.0359	0.912	0.0396	1.006	0.0375	0.9525	0.032	0.812	1.501
21	0.0329	0.836	0.0366	0.93	0.03438	0.8731	0.0285	0.723	1.376
22	0.0299	0.759	0.0336	0.853	0.03125	0.7937	0.0253	0.644	1.25
23	0.0269	0.683	0.0306	0.777	0.02813	0.7144	0.0226	0.573	1.125
24	0.0239	0.607	0.0276	0.701	0.025	0.635	0.0201	0.511	0.999
25	0.0209	0.531	0.0247	0.627	0.02187	0.5556	0.0179	0.455	0.874
26	0.0179	0.455	0.0217	0.551	0.01875	0.4762	0.0159	0.405	0.749
27	0.0164	0.417	0.0202	0.513	0.01719	0.4366	0.0142	0.361	0.686
28	0.0149	0.378	0.0187	0.475	0.01562	0.3969	0.0126	0.321	0.623
29	0.0135	0.343	0.0172	0.437	0.01406	0.3572	0.0113	0.286	0.565
30	0.012	0.305	0.0157	0.399	0.0125	0.3175	0.01	0.255	0.502
31	0.0105	0.267	0.0142	0.361	0.01094	0.2778	0.0089	0.227	0.439
32	0.0097	0.246	0.0135	0.343	0.01016	0.258	0.008	0.202	0.406
33	0.009	0.229	—	—	0.00937	0.2381	0.0071	0.18	0.376
34	0.0082	0.208	—	—	0.00859	0.2183	0.0063	0.16	0.343
35	0.0075	0.19	—	—	0.00781	0.1984	0.0056	0.143	0.314
36	0.0067	0.17	—	—	0.00703	0.1786	0.005	0.127	0.28
37	0.0064	0.163	—	—	0.00664	0.1687	0.0045	0.113	0.268
38	0.006	0.152	—	—	0.00625	0.1588	0.004	0.101	0.251

Formula and method

The US Standard Gauge (15 U.S.C. 206) fixes a fractional thickness and weight for each gauge (40 lb/ft² per inch). Manufacturers’ Standard: thickness = statute weight ÷ 41.82; galvanized: thickness = (statute weight + 2.5 oz/ft²) ÷ 41.82; B&S: d = 0.005 × 92^((36 − n)/39) in. Other materials: weight = thickness × density (304 7.93, 316 7.98, aluminium 2.70, brass 8.50, copper 8.96 g/cm³).

Worked example

16 ga steel: statute weight 2.5 lb/ft² ÷ 41.82 = 0.0598 in = 1.519 mm; a 4 × 8 ft sheet = 32 ft² × 2.5 ≈ 80 lb (36.3 kg).

Assumptions and limits

Gauge is a North American convention; Europe and China usually order sheet in millimetres, so follow the supplier’s mm tolerance.
Some suppliers list rounded decimals for stainless (e.g. 13 ga 0.094 in instead of 3/32 = 0.09375 in); differences are small.
Weights are nominal and exclude rolling tolerance and coatings (the galvanized gauge already includes 2.5 oz/ft² of zinc).

Frequently asked questions

How thick is 16 gauge steel?

Steel 0.0598 in (1.519 mm); stainless 0.0625 in (1.5875 mm); aluminium 0.0508 in (1.291 mm).

Why is a higher gauge thinner?

Gauge numbers come from the number of drawing or rolling passes: more passes make thinner material.

What gauge is 1.5 mm steel?

Closest is 16 ga (1.519 mm). Use “Thickness → nearest gauge” to see every standard.

Is sheet gauge the same as wire gauge (AWG)?

Aluminium, copper and brass sheet use B&S, the same formula as AWG; steel and stainless use different systems.

References

Sheet Metal Gauge Chart practical guide and common questions

What does Sheet Metal Gauge Chart calculate?

Pick a material and gauge to see thickness and weight, or enter a measured thickness to find the gauge. The chart below lists all four gauge systems side by side. The US Standard Gauge (15 U.S.C. 206) fixes a fractional thickness and weight for each gauge (40 lb/ft² per inch). Manufacturers’ Standard: thickness = statute weight ÷ 41.82; galvanized: thickness = (statute weight + 2.5 oz/ft²) ÷ 41.82; B&S: d = 0.005 × 92^((36 − n)/39) in. Other materials: weight = thickness × density (304 7.93, 316 7.98, aluminium 2.70, brass 8.50, copper 8.96 g/cm³).

When is this useful?

16 ga steel: statute weight 2.5 lb/ft² ÷ 41.82 = 0.0598 in = 1.519 mm; a 4 × 8 ft sheet = 32 ft² × 2.5 ≈ 80 lb (36.3 kg).

How do I enter the inputs?

Enter the inputs for Sheet Metal Gauge Chart: Look up, Material, Gauge (ga), Thickness, Thickness unit, Sheet size unit, Sheet length, Sheet width, Number of sheets. Calculate, check the units and assumptions, then copy or download the results.

How should I interpret the results?

Gauge is a North American convention; Europe and China usually order sheet in millimetres, so follow the supplier’s mm tolerance. Some suppliers list rounded decimals for stainless (e.g. 13 ga 0.094 in instead of 3/32 = 0.09375 in); differences are small. Weights are nominal and exclude rolling tolerance and coatings (the galvanized gauge already includes 2.5 oz/ft² of zinc).

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Sheet metal gauge explained

Same gauge, different thickness

Thickness and sheet weight