How thin can you get sheet metal? Sheet metal thickness knowledge sharing

Sheet metal is a variety of parts made from thin metal sheets through the sheet metal fabrication process. 

The standard sheet metal thickness is generally between 0.5 and 6 mm. Still, for some applications, we may want the sheet metal to be as thin as possible, so you may wonder how thin can you get sheet metal? Goldconn, a professional sheet metal fabricator, will share the knowledge of sheet metal thickness with you in this article.

Other units of measurement for sheet metal: millimeters, mils, and gauge

Foil, sheet, and plate are almost the same; the only difference is the thickness. Thickness is measured in 3 ways - millimeters, mils, and gauge. Millimeters are the most common unit of thickness measurement we use for sheet metal. In contrast, mils and gauges are only used more often in engineering and manufacturing.

Mils

One mil is equal to one-thousandth of an inch. Since the British often use "mils" as the plural form of a millimeter, this can be a bit confusing, but the distinction is essential.

Gauge

The gauge is another unit used to measure the thickness of sheet metal. Although official standards discourage gauges, they are not that uncommon. The gauge indicates the thickness of metal about its weight per square foot. A higher number of gauges means a smaller thickness.

Since it is related to the weight of the metal, the actual thickness (mm) of the same gauge varies from metal to metal (e.g., 12 mm steel vs. 12 mm aluminum).

Thin sheet metal is easy to form while still providing excellent strength. At a relatively low price, it's perfect for most engineering purposes. That's why we see it everywhere around us.

Standard Measurements of Sheet Metal

Standard measurements apply to sheet sizes and thicknesses. While there are workarounds for achieving large sheet sizes through welding, you can't go beyond thickness tables.

Knowing standard sheet metal dimensions can help you optimize your part layout. We often receive production parts just a little larger than standard sizes. This means more scrap and a higher total cost to the customer.

Also another thing to remember here is the availability of different sheet sizes. While every sheet metal manufacturer almost always has small, medium, and large sheets in stock in their warehouse, oversized sheets may not.

Many may also not have the machines to cut such large sheets. So knowing the manufacturer's capabilities will come in handy here.

Sometimes you can weld two more miniature sheets together, but this is not the best solution, especially when the project's aesthetics are highly valued.

The table above shows the standard thicknesses of sheet metal and sheet metal. As you can see, each metal has its standard.

So what if the size I want is not in the standard thickness table? Of course, we can do sheet metal in non-standard thicknesses and the standard ones. Still, we recommend that you follow these thicknesses because the non-standard ones require finding a suitable material, which is usually very difficult to find.

So for the question "How thin can you get sheet metal?" mentioned at the beginning of the article, the answer is 0.5mm for standard sizes. Still, of course, you can do it even thinner for non-standard ones. Still, as to how thin you can do it, you need to consult the manufacturer to get the answer because there are differences in technology and materials between manufacturers. Because the technology and materials of different manufacturers are different, the non-standard custom sizes of sheet metal available will also be different.

Suppose you are interested in learning more about sheet metal styles and our sheet metal services. In that case, you can learn more through our "Metal Fabrication" and "Sheet Metal Services" pages.