How To Read A Sheet Metal Gauge Chart

Sheet metal gauge charts are invaluable tools in the metalworking industry. They provide essential information about the thickness of the sheet metal to help you choose the perfect measurement for your design. For this reason, understanding how to read and use the gauge chart is vital.

Besides achieving high-quality results, a sheet metal gauge chart can also help you save time and money in the process.

In this article, we look at the gauge chart system in detail and provide you with different sheet metal gauge charts to help you choose the right measurement to ensure the success of your project.

But let’s first start with the basics.

Understanding the Gauge System

The sheet metal gauge system helps determine the thickness or diameter of different materials, such as metal and wire, based on their weight. Gauge is sometimes called “gage,” often denoted by a number followed by “ga.” The gauge chart system consists of a series of numbered gauges, with their specific thickness represented on a gauge chart. The units used are inches or millimeters.

Gauge chart systems are standard in the construction, manufacturing, and engineering industries. You might think that the higher the gauge, the thicker the material. This is not the case. As the gauge size increases, the thinner the material becomes. For example, a 14-gauge metal sheet is thicker and stronger than an 18-gauge sheet.

Different standard gauges exist for different metal materials. For example, non-ferrous metal uses the American Wire Gauge (AWG) standard, also known as the Brown and Sharpe gauge system or the gauge of the wire.

Now that you know the basics of metal gauge measurement, let’s look at the different sheet metal gauge charts you may come across today.

Different Sheet Metal Gauge Charts

As mentioned, all types of metals do not use the same gauge chart system due to the materials. These sheet metal gauge charts will help you choose the correct measurement units for your specific metal material.

Stainless Steel Gauge Chart

Number of Gauge	Thickness in Inches	Thickness in mm	Weight per Square Foot in Pounds (lb/ft2)
0000000	0.5	12.7	20
000000	0.46875	11.90635	18.75
00000	0.4375	11.1135	17.50
0000	0.40625	10.31875	16.25
000	0.375	9.525	15
00	0.34375	8.73125	13.75
0	0.3125	7.9375	12.5
1	0.28125	7.14375	11.25
2	0.265625	6.746875	10.625
3	0.25	6.35	10
4	0.234375	5.953125	9.375
5	0.21875	5.55625	8.75
6	0.203125	5.159375	8.125
7	0.1875	4.725	7.5
8	0.171875	4.365625	6.875
9	0.15625	3.96875	6.25
10	0.140625	3.571875	5.625
11	0.125	3.175	5
12	0.109375	2.778125	4.375
13	0.09375	2.38125	3.75
14	0.78125	1.984375 Yi	3.125
15	0.703125	1.7859375	2.8125
16	0.0625	1.5875	2.5
17	0.05625	1.42875	2.25
18	0.05	1.27	2
19	0.04375	1.11125	1.75
20	.0375	0.9525	1.50
21	0.34375	0.873125	1.375
22	0.03125	0.793750	1.25
23	0.28125	0.714375	1.125
24	0.25	0.635	1
25	0.21875	0.555625	0.875
26	0.01875	0.47625	0.75
27	0.171875	0.4365625	0.6875
28	0.15625	0.396875	0.625
29	0.0140625	0.3571875	0.5625
30	0.0125	0.3175	0.5
31	0.0109375	0.2778125	0.4375
32	0.01015625	0.25796875	0.40625
33	0.009375	0.238125	0.375
34	0.00859375	0.21828125	0.34375
35	0.0078125	0.1984375	0.3125
36	0.00703125	0.17859375	0.28125
37	0.006640625	0.168671875	0.265625
38	0.00625	0.15875	0.25

Standard Steel Gauge Chart

Number of Gauge	Thickness in Inches	Thickness in mm	Weight per Square Foot in Pounds (lb/ft2)
3	0.2391	6.073	9.754
4	0.2242	5.695	9.146
5	0.2092	5.314	8.534
6	0.1943	4.935	7.927
7	0.1793	4.554	7.315
8	0.1644	4.176	6.707
9	0.1495	3.797	6.099
10	0.1345	3.416	5.487
11	0.1196	3.038	4.879
12	0.1046	2.657	4.267
13	0.0897	2.278	3.659
14	0.0747	1.897	3.047
15	0.0673	1.709	2.746
16	0.0598	1.519	2.440
17	0.0538	1.367	2.195
18	0.0478	1.214	1.950
19	0.0418	1.062	1.705
20	0.0359	0.912	1.465
21	0.0329	0.836	1.342
22	0.0299	0.759	1.220
23	0.0269	0.683	1.097
24	0.0239	0.607	0.975
25	0.0209	0.531	0.853
26	0.0179	0.455	0.730
27	0.0164	0.417	0.669
28	0.0149	0.378	0.608
29	0.0135	0.343	0.551
30	0.0120	0.305	0.490
31	0.0105	0.267	0.428
32	0.0097	0.246	0.396
33	0.0090	0.229	0.367
34	0.0082	0.208	0.335
35	0.0075	0.191	0.306
36	0.0067	0.170	0.273
37	0.0064	0.163	0.261
38	0.0060	0.152	0.245

Galvanized Steel Gauge (GSG) Chart

Number of Gauge	Thickness in Inches	Thickness in mm	Weight per Square Foot in Pounds (lb/ft2)
8	0.168	4.270	7.031
9	0.153	3.891	6.406
10	0.138	3.510	5.781
11	3.132	3.132	5.156
12	0.108	2.753	4.531
13	0.093	2.372	3.906
14	0.079	1.994	3.281
15	0.071	1.803	2.969
16	0.064	1.613	2.656
17	0.058	1.461	2.406
18	0.052	1.311	2.156
19	0.046	1.158	1.906
20	0.040	1.006	1.656
21	0.037	0.930	1.531
22	0.034	0.853	1.406
23	0.031	0.777	1.281
24	0.028	0.701	1.156
25	0.025	0.627	1.031
26	0.022	0.551	0.906
27	0.020	0.513	0.844
28	0.019	0.475	0.781
29	0.017	0.437	0.719
30	0.016	0.399	0.656
31	0.014	0.361	0.584
32	0.013	0.340	0.563

Buy Certified High-Quality Metals for Industrial Solutions
New Aluminum	New Steel	New Stainless Steel

Reliable supply: Consistent, certified aluminum stock you can trust. High-quality material: Superior-grade aluminum for precision needs. Custom cuts: Accurate cuts down to thousandths of an inch.	Durability and strength: Reliable for projects needing long-lasting, tough materials. Cost-effective: Quality steel that offers strength without breaking the bank. Custom cutting: Precise cuts tailored to exact needs with top-tier cutting tools.	Sustainability: Highly eco-friendly as the most recyclable metal on earth. High durability: Resistant to corrosion and wear, ensuring long-lasting performance. Custom precision cuts: Tailored to your specifications with quick, accurate results.

Aluminum Gauge Chart

Number of Gauge	Thickness in Inches	Thickness in mm	Weight per Square Foot in Pounds (lb/ft2)
000000	0.5800	14.73
00000	0.5165	13.12
0000	0.4600	11.68	6.461
000	0.4096	10.40	5.754
00	0.3648	9.266	5.124
0	0.3249	8.252	4.563
1	0.2893	7.348	4.084
2	0.2576	6.543	3.619
3	0.2294	5.827	3.223
4	0.2043	5.189	2.870
5	0.1819	4.620	2.556
6	0.1620	4.115	2.276
7	0.1443	3.665	2.027
8	0.1285	3.264	1.805
9	0.1144	2.906	1.607
10	0.1019	2.588	1.431
11	0.0907	2.304	1.275
12	0.0808	2.052	1.135
13	0.0720	1.829	1.011
14	0.0641	1.628	0.9001
15	0.0571	1.450	0.8016
16	0.0508	1.290	0.7138
17	0.0453	1.151	0.6357
18	0.0403	1.024	0.5661
19	0.0359	0.9116	0.5041
20	0.0320	.8118	0.4489
21	0.0285	.7230	0.3998
22	0.0253	.6433	0.3560
23	0.0226	.5733	0.3170
24	0.0201	0.5106	0.2823
25	0.0179	0.4547	0.2514
26	0.0159	0.4049	0.2239
27	0.0142	0.3606	0.1994
28	0.0126	0.3211	0.1776
29	0.0113	0. 2859	0.1581
30	0.0100	0.2546	0.1408
31	0.0089	0.2268	0.1254
32	0.0080	0.2019	0.1117
33	0.0071	0.1798	0.09945
34	0.0063	0.1601	0.08855
35	0.0056	0.1426	0.07886
36	0.0050	0.1270	0.07023
37	0.0045	0.1131	0.06255
38	0.0040	0.1007	0,05569
39	0.0035	0.0897	0.04960
40	0.0031	0.0799	0.04416

Zinc Gauge Chart

Number of Gauge	Thickness in Inches	Thickness in mm	Weight per Square Foot in Pounds (lb/ft2)
1	0.002	0.051	0.07
2	0.004	0.102	0.15
3	0.006	0.152	0.22
4	0.008	0.203	0.30
5	0.010	0.254	0.37
6	0.012	0.305	0.45
7	0.014	0.356	0.52
8	0.016	0.406	0.60
9	0.018	0.457	0.67
10	0.020	0.508	0.75
11	0.024	0.610	0.90
12	0.028	0.711	1.05
13	0.032	0.813	1.20
14	0.036	0.914	1.35
15	0.040	1.016	1. 50
16	0.045	1.143	1.68
17	0.050	1.270	1.87
18	0.055	1.397	2.06
19	0.060	1.524	2.24
20	0.070	1.778	2.62
21	0.080	2.032	2.99
22	0.090	2.286	3.37
23	0.100	2.540	3.74
24	0.125	3.175	4.68
25	0.250	6.350	9.35
26	0.375	9.525	14.03
27	0.500	12.700	18.70
28	1.000	25.400	37.40

As you can observe in each gauge chart above, the decimal equivalent of gauge numbers varies based on metal type. To ensure your material meets your project’s correct dimensional requirements, use the right gauge chart.

Final Thoughts

A sheet metal gauge chart provides essential information that lets you choose accurate material measurements in construction, manufacturing, and engineering. Using these charts can help you enhance the quality of your project and, the best part, save time and money throughout the process.

Use our gauge chart above to ensure you have the right dimensions depending on the type of sheet metal you have.