In general, sheet metal thickness ranges from about 0.15 to 6.3 mm. Industrial manufacturers use laser cutting for machine and electronic parts, notably in the automotive and medical industries. Thin sheet metal used for shearing and splicing tends to be below 6 mm in thickness. Lasers are useful for cutting thin sheet metal and foils because they make clean cuts without extra labor for refinement. The scale system differs for galvanized steel and should not be confused with wire gauges. For stainless steel, a gauge of 10 equals. Gauges for sheet metal tend to range from 7 to 30.īut this form of measurement differs between metal types, depending if they are ferrous or non-ferrous. 135 inches for standard steel, whereas a gauge of 20 has a thickness of. The thickness of sheet metal is expressed by gauge, usually in millimeters or inches, which can be found with a tape measure or gauge tool. The higher the gauge, the thinner the sheet, similar to the way a rating system works. A gauge of 10, for example, has a thickness of. Here’s a deeper look at laser cut thin metal fabrication. Thin metals can be cut with various tools, but the key advantage to laser cutters is that they provide precision without using excessive energy, which cuts production costs. For thicker plates, manufacturers use plasma cutters. A primary reason why fabricators use laser machines is because they are effective at cutting various type of sheet metal, as long as it isn’t too thick.