×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Sheet Metal Gauge Tables

Sheet Metal Gauge Tables

Sheet Metal Gauge Tables

(OP)
   I just tried out the sheet metal gauge tables in SolidWorks.  According to the tables, aluminium, 12 gauge, has a thickness of 2.5mm.  According to every other reference I can find, 12 gauge aluminium is .0808" (2.06mm) thick.  

   I am located in Canada.  Is this gauge valid somewhere else?

   It looks I should not use these tables.

                       JHG

RE: Sheet Metal Gauge Tables

Most gage info can be slightly off.  It's best to know who your suppliers are and get their gage tables for design.  Many suppliers are providing material on "the thin side" to save costs.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Sheet Metal Gauge Tables

I think you'd b better served referencing at "gauge standard". The "thin side" would still need to fall within the spec. tolerance I'm sure.

RE: Sheet Metal Gauge Tables

(OP)
   I looked at the websites.

   The moral of this story is that you specify the thickness of your sheet metal parts in inches or millimeters.  Never, never, never call up sheet gauge.

                           JHG

Quote:

The beauty of standards is that there are so many to choose from!

I do not know where this quote originated.  

RE: Sheet Metal Gauge Tables

"Never, never, never call up sheet gauge."  I agree with that! I had forgotten the time a sheet metal worker friend of mine told me the same thing.

Thanks.

RE: Sheet Metal Gauge Tables

What something is and what something should be are two different things in the world of sheet metal.  As MadMango indicated the suppliers do indeed run things on the thin side (because they can).  We had been designing parts at .1385", the nominal thickness of 10 gage galvanized, and there were problems with the parts.  Upon discovering that our vendor supplies this material at .126", the minimum of their range and verified by our measurements, all was made clear.  When we changed the thickness in SWX to .126" and repunched and bent the parts they were perfect.

Moral of the story, design to reality, not theory.  Or, when theory and reality don't match choose reality.

We have not yet modified or created a custom gage table (How easy is this to do?).  We want to do that just to make thickness selection a simple click and pick up the material properties at the same time.  For now we are selecting the xx gage galvanized and then changing the thickness to represent the reality of the situation.  Our life is MUCH better now.

BTW, drawoh is correct that material thickness is supposed to always be specified by its thickness, not its gage.  It is acceptable to also reference the gage, but the thickness must be stated explicitly.  This is even stated in the published gage tables from the material suppliers (at least the ones on my shelf).

- - -Updraft

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources