Annex 1 – Galvanized steel sheet conversion table

Explanation of gauge

The gauge1 designates the thickness of sheet metal or wire.

The gauge depends on:
1. the shape of the metal sheet or wire
2. the type of metal (e.g., raw steel, galvanized steel, stainless steel, aluminium, etc.)

the Gauge (or gage) indicates the thickness of a piece of sheet metal or wire. Different Standards
have been developed to categorize each of these metals and shapes. The gauge size standards were
developed based on the weight per surface (m2 or square feet) of the sheet for a given material
(steel, galvanized steel, aluminium, etc.) and therefore the equivalent thicknesses in mm or inches
differ for each material.
The Manufacturers' Standard Gage provides the thicknesses for standard steel, galvanized steel, and
stainless steel sheets. British Standard Wire Gauge (SWG) and American Wire Gauge (AWG) are
standards for wire only, indicating the diameter of wire. Lastly, a standard exists for Zinc in which a
higher gauge number indicates a thicker sheet. All these standards are specific to the materials and
shape and are all used internationally. However, in each of these standards, that is for each type of
materials or shape the gauges indicated different thicknesses.

! A gauge 26 steel wire is not equivalent to a gauge 26 galvanized steel sheet. In the same way, a
gauge 26 steel sheet is not equivalent to a gauge 26 galvanized steel, nor gauge 26 aluminium sheet
and gauge 26 stainless steel sheet.

As these different gauge standards can be the source of much confusion we recommend to indicate
thickness in mm or inches (according to the locally used measurement units) and add the gauge and
the weight per square meter or square foot as additional reference.

1 Source: Oxford dictionary of construction, surveying and civil engineering

Annexes to Manual:
How to build Safe Roofs with Corrugated
Galvanized Iron (CGI) Sheeting
Annex 1 – Galvanized steel sheet conversion table

CGI sheets conversion table : valid for galvanized steel sheets only!

The table below2 can help to convert gauge indications into the equivalent sheet thickness, in millimetres
and inches, for galvanized steel sheets. The table also provides the weight of the CGI sheets in
kilogram per square meter or pound per square foot.

Thickness Thickness Weight per Weight per surface

Gauge (mm) (inch) surface area area (lb/ft2)
(kg/m2)
16 1.613 0.0635 12.648 2.590
17 1.461 0.0575 11.453 2.346
18 1.311 0.0516 10.278 2.105
19 1.158 0.0456 9.083 1.860
20 1.006 0.0396 7.888 1.615
21 0.930 0.0366 7.290 1.493
22 0.853 0.0336 6.692 1.371
23 0.777 0.0306 6.095 1.248
24 0.701 0.0276 5.497 1.126
25 0.627 0.0247 4.920 1.008
26 0.551 0.0217 4.322 0.885
27 0.513 0.0202 4.023 0.824
28 0.475 0.0187 3.725 0.763
29 0.437 0.0172 3.426 0.702
30 0.399 0.0157 3.127 0.640
31 0.361 0.0142 2.828 0.579
32 0.340 0.0134 2.669 0.547

To verify the thickness of the sheets, it is recommended to use a calliper.  More information
about the quality control of the CGI sheets is provided in Section B of the manual

 The CGI sheets thickness should be between 24 and 29 gauge. The hurricane straps
thickness should be between 16 and 20 gauge.

1 Source: http://www.custompartnet.com/sheet -metal-gauge

Annexes to Manual:
How to build Safe Roofs with Corrugated
Galvanized Iron (CGI) Sheeting