How thick is 16 gauge steel?

16 gauge is 0.0598 in, 1.52 mm, in sheet steel (Manufacturers' Standard Gauge). It weighs 11.92 kg per m², 2.44 lb per square foot. In galvanized steel 16 gauge is 1.61 mm, in aluminium 1.29 mm.

Why is the same gauge a different thickness in aluminium?

Gauges are old wire and sheet numbering systems, and each metal kept its own: steel uses the Manufacturers' Standard Gauge, aluminium the Brown & Sharpe (AWG) series. 16 gauge is 1.52 mm in steel but 1.29 mm in aluminium.

Does a higher gauge mean thicker sheet?

No, the opposite: the higher the gauge number, the thinner the sheet. 10 gauge steel is 3.42 mm, 28 gauge is 0.38 mm.

Sheet Metal Gauge Chart: mm, Inches and Weight

Steel (Manufacturers' Standard Gauge)

Gauge	mm	inches	kg/m²	lb/ft²
10	3.42	0.1345	26.82	5.493
11	3.04	0.1196	23.85	4.884
12	2.66	0.1046	20.86	4.272
14	1.90	0.0747	14.89	3.051
16	1.52	0.0598	11.92	2.442
18	1.21	0.0478	9.53	1.952
20	0.91	0.0359	7.16	1.466
22	0.76	0.0299	5.96	1.221
24	0.61	0.0239	4.77	0.976
26	0.45	0.0179	3.57	0.731
28	0.38	0.0149	2.97	0.608

Galvanized steel (Galvanized Sheet Gauge)

Gauge	mm	inches	kg/m²	lb/ft²
10	3.51	0.1382	27.56	5.644
11	3.13	0.1233	24.58	5.035
12	2.75	0.1084	21.61	4.427
14	1.99	0.0785	15.65	3.206
16	1.61	0.0635	12.66	2.593
18	1.31	0.0516	10.29	2.107
20	1.01	0.0396	7.90	1.617
22	0.85	0.0336	6.70	1.372
24	0.70	0.0276	5.50	1.127
26	0.55	0.0217	4.33	0.886
28	0.47	0.0187	3.73	0.764

Aluminium (Brown & Sharpe / AWG)

Gauge	mm	inches	kg/m²	lb/ft²
10	2.59	0.1019	6.99	1.431
11	2.30	0.0907	6.22	1.274
12	2.05	0.0808	5.54	1.135
14	1.63	0.0641	4.40	0.900
16	1.29	0.0508	3.48	0.714
18	1.02	0.0403	2.76	0.566
20	0.81	0.0320	2.19	0.449
22	0.64	0.0253	1.74	0.355
24	0.51	0.0201	1.38	0.282
26	0.40	0.0159	1.09	0.223
28	0.32	0.0126	0.86	0.177

Stainless steel

Gauge	mm	inches	kg/m²	lb/ft²
10	3.57	0.1406	28.21	5.778
11	3.17	0.1250	25.08	5.137
12	2.78	0.1094	21.95	4.496
14	1.98	0.0781	15.67	3.210
16	1.59	0.0625	12.54	2.569
18	1.27	0.0500	10.03	2.055
20	0.95	0.0375	7.52	1.541
22	0.80	0.0313	6.28	1.286
24	0.64	0.0250	5.02	1.027
26	0.48	0.0188	3.77	0.773
28	0.40	0.0156	3.13	0.641

Stainless gauges are the ones most suppliers list; some mills quote slightly different thicknesses, so order by the millimetre or the decimal inch.

How the weights are worked out

Thickness in mm = inches × 25.4. Weight per m² = thickness in m × density: steel and galvanized 7850 kg/m³ (the zinc coating adds a few grams), aluminium 2700 kg/m³, stainless 7900 kg/m³, the same densities as the metal weight calculator. lb/ft² = kg/m² × 2.20462 / 10.7639.

Questions people ask

How thick is 16 gauge steel?: 16 gauge is 0.0598 in, 1.52 mm, in sheet steel (Manufacturers' Standard Gauge). It weighs 11.92 kg per m², 2.44 lb per square foot. In galvanized steel 16 gauge is 1.61 mm, in aluminium 1.29 mm.
Why is the same gauge a different thickness in aluminium?: Gauges are old wire and sheet numbering systems, and each metal kept its own: steel uses the Manufacturers' Standard Gauge, aluminium the Brown & Sharpe (AWG) series. 16 gauge is 1.52 mm in steel but 1.29 mm in aluminium.
Does a higher gauge mean thicker sheet?: No, the opposite: the higher the gauge number, the thinner the sheet. 10 gauge steel is 3.42 mm, 28 gauge is 0.38 mm.

Sheet metal gauge chart