Sheet Metal Gauge Chart (Thickness by Material)

Gauge is an inverse, material-specific thickness scale — the higher the gauge number, the thinner the sheet. A 16-gauge mild steel sheet is about 0.0598 in (1.52 mm), but galvanized steel, aluminum and stainless each use a different gauge table, so the same gauge number gives a different thickness in each. Always state the material with the gauge.

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Reviewed

June 1, 2026

Gauge thickness differs by material because each scale was standardized separately: steel follows the Manufacturers' Standard Gauge (a weight-based schedule for uncoated sheet), galvanized steel adds a nominal zinc coating on top of that base, aluminum and other nonferrous sheet use the Brown & Sharpe (AWG) geometric series, and stainless has its own table. So a "16 ga" sheet is 0.0598 in in steel, 0.0635 in galvanized, 0.0508 in in aluminum and 0.0625 in in stainless — never assume one number across materials. Gauge is also only a nominal target, so before cutting, bending or ordering, confirm the actual measured thickness against your supplier's mill spec.

Nominal sheet thickness by gauge number and material.

Gauge

Steel (in)

Steel (mm)

Galvanized (in)

Aluminum (in)

Stainless (in)

0.2391

6.07

0.2294

0.2500

0.2242

5.69

0.2043

0.2344

0.2092

5.31

0.1819

0.2187

0.1943

4.94

0.1620

0.2031

0.1793

4.55

0.1443

0.1875

0.1644

4.18

0.1681

0.1285

0.1719

0.1495

3.80

0.1532

0.1144

0.1562

0.1345

3.42

0.1382

0.1019

0.1406

0.1196

3.04

0.1233

0.0907

0.1250

0.1046

2.66

0.1084

0.0808

0.1094

0.0897

2.28

0.0934

0.0720

0.0937

0.0747

1.90

0.0785

0.0641

0.0781

0.0598

1.52

0.0635

0.0508

0.0625

0.0478

1.21

0.0516

0.0403

0.0500

0.0359

0.91

0.0396

0.0320

0.0375

0.0299

0.76

0.0336

0.0253

0.0312

0.0239

0.61

0.0276

0.0201

0.0250

0.0179

0.45

0.0217

0.0159

0.0187

0.0149

0.38

0.0187

0.0126

0.0156

0.0120

0.30

0.0157

0.0100

0.0125