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Steel gauge thickness chart
Every sheet steel gauge with its thickness in inches and millimetres, weight per square foot, and the separate galvanized and stainless values. Gauge is a legacy count, not a measurement — the number runs backwards and has no unit, so it always has to be looked up.
Gauge converter
Inches
0.0747"
Millimetres
1.90 mm
Weight
3.05 lb/ft²
Total
305 lb
Full gauge chart
Thicknesses are the published nominal values from the Manufacturers' Standard Gauge for sheet steel, and the separate galvanized and stainless gauge series. Weight is calculated at 40.84 lb/ft² per inch (mild steel at 0.2836 lb/in³).
| Gauge | Steel (in) | Steel (mm) | lb/ft² | Galvanized (in) | Stainless (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 ga | 0.2391 | 6.07 | 9.76 | — | 0.2500 |
| 4 ga | 0.2242 | 5.69 | 9.16 | — | 0.2344 |
| 5 ga | 0.2092 | 5.31 | 8.54 | — | 0.2187 |
| 6 ga | 0.1943 | 4.94 | 7.94 | — | 0.2031 |
| 7 ga | 0.1793 | 4.55 | 7.32 | — | 0.1875 |
| 8 ga | 0.1644 | 4.18 | 6.71 | 0.1681 | 0.1719 |
| 9 ga | 0.1495 | 3.80 | 6.11 | 0.1532 | 0.1562 |
| 10 ga | 0.1345 | 3.42 | 5.49 | 0.1382 | 0.1406 |
| 11 ga | 0.1196 | 3.04 | 4.88 | 0.1233 | 0.1250 |
| 12 ga | 0.1046 | 2.66 | 4.27 | 0.1084 | 0.1094 |
| 13 ga | 0.0897 | 2.28 | 3.66 | 0.0934 | 0.0937 |
| 14 ga | 0.0747 | 1.90 | 3.05 | 0.0785 | 0.0781 |
| 15 ga | 0.0673 | 1.71 | 2.75 | 0.0710 | 0.0703 |
| 16 ga | 0.0598 | 1.52 | 2.44 | 0.0635 | 0.0625 |
| 17 ga | 0.0538 | 1.37 | 2.20 | 0.0575 | 0.0562 |
| 18 ga | 0.0478 | 1.21 | 1.95 | 0.0516 | 0.0500 |
| 19 ga | 0.0418 | 1.06 | 1.71 | 0.0456 | 0.0437 |
| 20 ga | 0.0359 | 0.91 | 1.47 | 0.0396 | 0.0375 |
| 21 ga | 0.0329 | 0.84 | 1.34 | 0.0366 | 0.0344 |
| 22 ga | 0.0299 | 0.76 | 1.22 | 0.0336 | 0.0312 |
| 23 ga | 0.0269 | 0.68 | 1.10 | 0.0306 | 0.0281 |
| 24 ga | 0.0239 | 0.61 | 0.98 | 0.0276 | 0.0250 |
| 25 ga | 0.0209 | 0.53 | 0.85 | 0.0247 | 0.0219 |
| 26 ga | 0.0179 | 0.45 | 0.73 | 0.0217 | 0.0187 |
| 27 ga | 0.0164 | 0.42 | 0.67 | 0.0202 | 0.0172 |
| 28 ga | 0.0149 | 0.38 | 0.61 | 0.0187 | 0.0156 |
Nominal values for reference and estimating. Mill tolerance varies by width, thickness and product standard — confirm against ASTM A1008 (cold rolled), A1011 (hot rolled) or your mill certificate before cutting to a tight fit.
Gauge by gauge
Common questions
- Why does a higher gauge number mean thinner steel?
- The gauge system counts how many times the steel was drawn through a die to reach its final thickness. More passes means more reduction, so a higher number means thinner material. It is a legacy manufacturing count, not a measurement, which is why gauge has no unit and must be looked up in a table.
- Is 14 gauge steel thicker than 16 gauge?
- Yes. 14 gauge sheet steel is 0.0747 inches (1.90 mm) and 16 gauge is 0.0598 inches (1.52 mm), so 14 gauge is about 25% thicker. The lower the gauge number, the thicker the steel.
- Why is galvanized steel thicker than plain steel at the same gauge?
- The published galvanized thickness includes the zinc coating applied to both faces, so 14 gauge galvanized measures 0.0785 inches against 0.0747 inches for uncoated sheet. Galvanized and stainless each use their own gauge series — reading them off a plain steel chart will give you the wrong number.
- How do I calculate the weight of a steel sheet?
- Multiply thickness in inches by 40.84 to get pounds per square foot, then multiply by the sheet area. A 4×8 sheet of 14 gauge steel is 0.0747 × 40.84 × 32 ft², or about 97.6 lb. The converter above does this for any gauge and area.
- Does gauge apply to steel plate?
- No. Gauge is used for sheet, generally up to about 3/16 inch. Above that, steel is specified by its fractional or decimal thickness and called plate. Most shops stop using gauge somewhere around 7 gauge and switch to calling the material by dimension.
We build the software behind numbers like these.
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