Sheet metal gauge chart

16 gauge steel = 0.0598 in (1.52 mm)

Gauge numbers are not a unit of thickness: the same gauge means a different thickness for steel, galvanized steel, stainless steel and aluminum. A larger gauge number is a thinner sheet.

Gauge	Steel in / mm	Steel lb/ft²	Galvanized in / mm	Stainless in / mm	Aluminum in / mm
3 gauge	0.2391 / 6.07	9.764	—	—	—
4 gauge	0.2242 / 5.69	9.156	—	—	—
5 gauge	0.2092 / 5.31	8.543	—	—	—
6 gauge	0.1943 / 4.94	7.935	—	—	0.1620 / 4.11
7 gauge	0.1793 / 4.55	7.322	—	0.1875 / 4.76	0.1443 / 3.67
8 gauge	0.1644 / 4.18	6.714	0.1681 / 4.27	0.1719 / 4.37	0.1285 / 3.26
9 gauge	0.1495 / 3.80	6.105	0.1532 / 3.89	0.1563 / 3.97	0.1144 / 2.91
10 gauge	0.1345 / 3.42	5.493	0.1382 / 3.51	0.1406 / 3.57	0.1019 / 2.59
11 gauge	0.1196 / 3.04	4.884	0.1233 / 3.13	0.1250 / 3.18	0.0907 / 2.30
12 gauge	0.1046 / 2.66	4.272	0.1084 / 2.75	0.1094 / 2.78	0.0808 / 2.05
13 gauge	0.0897 / 2.28	3.663	0.0934 / 2.37	0.0940 / 2.39	0.0720 / 1.83
14 gauge	0.0747 / 1.90	3.051	0.0785 / 1.99	0.0781 / 1.98	0.0630 / 1.60
15 gauge	0.0673 / 1.71	2.748	0.0710 / 1.80	0.0700 / 1.78	0.0570 / 1.45
16 gauge	0.0598 / 1.52	2.442	0.0635 / 1.61	0.0625 / 1.59	0.0508 / 1.29
17 gauge	0.0538 / 1.37	2.197	0.0575 / 1.46	0.0560 / 1.42	0.0450 / 1.14
18 gauge	0.0478 / 1.21	1.952	0.0516 / 1.31	0.0500 / 1.27	0.0403 / 1.02
19 gauge	0.0418 / 1.06	1.707	0.0456 / 1.16	0.0440 / 1.12	0.0360 / 0.91
20 gauge	0.0359 / 0.91	1.466	0.0396 / 1.01	0.0375 / 0.95	0.0320 / 0.81
21 gauge	0.0329 / 0.84	1.344	0.0366 / 0.93	0.0340 / 0.86	0.0280 / 0.71
22 gauge	0.0299 / 0.76	1.221	0.0336 / 0.85	0.0310 / 0.79	0.0250 / 0.64
23 gauge	0.0269 / 0.68	1.099	0.0306 / 0.78	0.0280 / 0.71	0.0230 / 0.58
24 gauge	0.0239 / 0.61	0.976	0.0276 / 0.70	0.0250 / 0.64	0.0200 / 0.51
25 gauge	0.0209 / 0.53	0.854	0.0247 / 0.63	0.0220 / 0.56	0.0180 / 0.46
26 gauge	0.0179 / 0.45	0.731	0.0217 / 0.55	0.0190 / 0.48	0.0170 / 0.43
27 gauge	0.0164 / 0.42	0.670	0.0202 / 0.51	0.0170 / 0.43	0.0140 / 0.36
28 gauge	0.0149 / 0.38	0.608	0.0187 / 0.47	0.0160 / 0.41	0.0126 / 0.32
29 gauge	0.0135 / 0.34	0.551	0.0172 / 0.44	0.0140 / 0.36	0.0113 / 0.29
30 gauge	0.0120 / 0.30	0.490	0.0157 / 0.40	0.0130 / 0.33	0.0100 / 0.25
31 gauge	0.0105 / 0.27	0.429	0.0142 / 0.36	0.0110 / 0.28	0.0089 / 0.23
32 gauge	0.0097 / 0.25	0.396	—	—	—
33 gauge	0.0090 / 0.23	0.368	—	—	—
34 gauge	0.0082 / 0.21	0.335	—	—	—
35 gauge	0.0075 / 0.19	0.306	—	—	—
36 gauge	0.0067 / 0.17	0.274	—	—	—
37 gauge	0.0064 / 0.16	0.261	—	—	—
38 gauge	0.0060 / 0.15	0.245	—	—	—

Steel: Manufacturers' Standard Gauge for sheet steel. Data adapted from Wikipedia, "Sheet metal" (CC BY-SA 4.0). Weight per square foot uses 7850 kg/m³.

Weight of a sheet by gauge

Weight of full sheets of plain (uncoated) steel: the US standard 4 × 8 ft and 4 × 10 ft sheets, and the metric 1250 × 2500 mm sheet. The last column is a 4 × 8 sheet of galvanized steel of the same gauge, calculated from its thickness.

Gauge	4 × 8 ft (lb)	4 × 10 ft (lb)	1250 × 2500 mm (kg)	Galvanized 4 × 8 ft (lb)
7 gauge	234.3	292.9	111.7	—
8 gauge	214.8	268.6	102.4	219.7
9 gauge	195.4	244.2	93.2	200.2
10 gauge	175.8	219.7	83.8	180.6
11 gauge	156.3	195.4	74.5	161.1
12 gauge	136.7	170.9	65.2	141.7
13 gauge	117.2	146.5	55.9	122.1
14 gauge	97.6	122.0	46.5	102.6
15 gauge	87.9	109.9	41.9	92.8
16 gauge	78.1	97.7	37.3	83.0
17 gauge	70.3	87.9	33.5	75.1
18 gauge	62.5	78.1	29.8	67.4
19 gauge	54.6	68.3	26.0	59.6
20 gauge	46.9	58.6	22.4	51.8
21 gauge	43.0	53.7	20.5	47.8
22 gauge	39.1	48.8	18.6	43.9
23 gauge	35.2	43.9	16.8	40.0
24 gauge	31.2	39.0	14.9	36.1
25 gauge	27.3	34.1	13.0	32.3
26 gauge	23.4	29.2	11.2	28.4
27 gauge	21.4	26.8	10.2	26.4
28 gauge	19.5	24.3	9.3	24.4
29 gauge	17.6	22.1	8.4	22.5
30 gauge	15.7	19.6	7.5	20.5

How sheet metal gauges work

Gauge numbers started as a measure of weight, not thickness: sheet was sold by the pound, and the gauge said how heavy a square foot was. The Manufacturers' Standard Gauge used for sheet steel today still reflects that, which is why the steps between gauges are uneven. A smaller number means a thicker sheet: 7 gauge is about 4.6 mm, 30 gauge about 0.3 mm.

Each material has its own table. Galvanized sheet gauges are slightly thicker than plain steel of the same number because they include the zinc coating; stainless steel and aluminum follow different gauge tables again. So "16 gauge" means 0.0598 in for plain steel but 0.0508 in for aluminum. When ordering, it is safest to give the thickness in inches or millimetres.

Sheet weight formula

Weight of a steel sheet = thickness × area × density. In US units, lb = thickness (in) × area (ft²) × 40.8; in metric, kg = thickness (mm) × area (m²) × 7.85. Example: a 4 × 8 ft sheet of 16 gauge (0.0598 in) weighs 0.0598 × 32 × 40.8 = 78.1 lb. For aluminum multiply the steel result by 0.344, for stainless steel by about 1.01, using the actual thickness.

Typical gauges by use

As a rough guide, heavy gauges (7 to 11) are used for truck beds, trailers, brackets and machine guards; 12 to 16 gauge for enclosures, cabinets, car body repair panels and light structural parts; 18 to 22 gauge for appliance housings, ducting and flashing; and 24 to 30 gauge for HVAC duct, roofing and cladding sheet. Thicker material, from about 1/4 in (6 mm), is plate: see the steel plate weight chart.

Frequently asked questions

How thick is 16 gauge steel?

16 gauge sheet steel is 0.0598 in (1.52 mm) thick and weighs 2.44 lb/ft². 16 gauge galvanized is 0.0635 in, and 16 gauge aluminum 0.0508 in.

How much does a 4 × 8 sheet of 16 gauge steel weigh?

About 78.1 lb: 2.442 lb/ft² × 32 ft².

Which is thicker, 10 gauge or 14 gauge?

10 gauge. A lower gauge number is a thicker sheet: 10 gauge steel is 0.1345 in (3.42 mm), 14 gauge 0.0747 in (1.90 mm).

Why is aluminum gauge thinner than steel gauge?

Gauge numbers come from separate tables for each material. Aluminum uses a different gauge system, so the same gauge number gives a thinner aluminum sheet. Always convert the gauge with the table for the material you are buying.

How do I calculate the weight of sheet metal?

Weight (lb) = thickness (in) × area (ft²) × 40.8 for steel, or weight (kg) = thickness (mm) × area (m²) × 7.85. Look the thickness up in the gauge chart first.

Is gauge used outside the US?

Mostly not. In Europe, India and most other countries sheet is ordered by thickness in millimetres (for example 1.5 mm or 2 mm). Gauge sizes still appear on imported drawings and for galvanized roofing sheet.