Gauge Sizes: Plugs / Gauges Conversion Chart

Gauge Sizes: Plugs / Gauges Conversion Chart: Gauge Sizes in inches, ears, in mm, needles, wire, piercings, nose rings, iv

A greater number denotes a thinner sheet of metal. Gauge sizes, also known as gauge sizes, are numbers that represent the thickness of a piece of sheet metal. Each gauge size standard has a different equivalent thickness, which is determined by the sheet weight for a particular material.

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The thicknesses of stainless steel, galvanized steel, and ordinary steel are provided by the Manufacturers’ ordinary Gage. The majority of non-ferrous metals, including brass and aluminum, are measured using the Brown and Sharpe gauge, commonly referred to as the American Wire Gage (AWG).

The Birmingham Wire Gage (BWG), which is used for wires, should not be confused with the Birmingham Gage (BG), which is used for a range of metals in the UK. Finally, there is a standard for zinc that states that a thicker sheet is indicated by a greater gauge number.

The equivalent sheet thickness, expressed in inches or millimeters, for a gauge number from the chosen gauge size standard can be found using the chart below. It is also possible to view the weight of the sheet in pounds per square foot and kilograms per square meter.

Wire Gauge Sizes

Wires are available in many gauges, or thicknesses, with each gauge serving a specific function. Craft wire, for instance, is thin enough to allow for bending, shaping, and twisting into jewelry and other crafts. In the advice that follows, industry professionals can choose the appropriate wire gauge for their application by reviewing the definition of wire gauges, their significance, significant factors to take into account, and standard sizes that are available.

What Are Wire Gauges?

A wire’s gauge describes how thick it is. Numbers are assigned to each gauge; lower numbers correspond to thicker wire gauges and higher numbers to thinner wire gauges.

The United States developed the American Wire Gauge (AWG), a standard technique for determining and measuring cable thickness for electrically conducting wire. It is appropriate for defining gauges for solid, round, non-ferrous conducting wires. Industry experts may swiftly and simply ascertain whether a wire is suitable for a certain application by knowing its gauge, since a wire’s thickness influences its electrical qualities (such as resistance and load-carrying capability). Additionally, this information can be shared between several parties, including the manufacturer and the customer.

Considerations for Wire Gauges

Gauge is a crucial design factor to take into account when choosing an electrically conductive wire for a given application. The appropriate gauge, though, is dependent on a number of variables. For instance, thicker wires are needed in electrical circuits with greater amperage ratings in order to support the load without creating an excessive amount of heat accumulation. Wire failure or ignite may arise from the use of wires that are too thin for the designated circuit amperage. To avoid these problems, one first determine the system’s total amperage by figuring out the impacts of the connected load, the expected load, and the circuit length. Then, one must select the proper wire for the system.

A Shotgun’s Gauge

Gauge, a measurement connected to the diameter of the smooth shotgun bore and the size of the shotshell made for that bore, is used to categorize shotguns.

• The most common shotgun gauges are the 10-, 12-, 16-, 20-, and 28-gauges. The shotgun bore increases with decreasing gauge number. The number of lead balls that weigh one pound and have a diameter approximately equal to the bore’s determines the gauge. To weigh one pound, for instance, twelve lead balls the same diameter as a 12-gauge shotgun bore would be required. However, by measuring the interior bore diameter, gauge can now be measured in a manner similar to that of caliber.
• The only shotgun gauge designation that is not followed applies to.410-bore models. The actual bore diameter of the object is 410/1000ths of an inch, or roughly 67½ gauge.
• A shotgun’s gauge only fires shells of the same gauge. For instance, only 12-gauge shells are used in 12-gauge weapons.
• A shotgun’s gauge is typically marked on the back of the barrel, and a shell’s gauge is marked on both the shell and the factory box.

Body Jewelry Sizes

Sizing for body jewelry can be a little challenging at first, but it’s simple once you know how to use the gauge system!

Body jewelry sizes are measured using two primary systems:

• Gauge (“ga” or just “g”)
• Millimeter (“mm”)

(The pronunciation of Gauge rhymes with “mage” or “sage.”)

The gauge system is far more widely used in the US than millimeter measurements. This is how it operates.

GAUGE SIZE CHART

• This is the relationship between diameters in inches and millimeters and gauges:

• 18 gauge = 0.04 inches or 1.0 millimeters
• 16 gauge = 0.05 inches or 1.2 millimeters
• 14 gauge = 1/16-inch or 1.6 millimeters
• 8 gauge = 1/8-inch or 3.2 millimeters
• 2 gauge = 1/4-inch or 6.5 millimeters
• 0 gauge = 5/16-inch or 8.3 millimeters
• 00 gauge = 3/8-inch or 9.3 millimeters

One thing to keep in mind is that, in most cases, larger gauges will be your best option for body jewelry. A very small gauge like an 18 or even 16 is more likely to migrate, causing pain and possibly rejection.¹ As long as it’s properly pierced, a larger gauge will be much more stable.

EAR GAUGE TO MM CONVERSION TABLE

Gauge size standard:   Standard steel  Galvanized steel  Stainless steel  Aluminum  Zinc  Birmingham Gage

	Thickness		Weight Per Area
Gauge	in	mm	lb/ft²	kg/m²
3	0.2391	6.073	9.754	47.624
4	0.2242	5.695	9.146	44.656
5	0.2092	5.314	8.534	41.668
6	0.1943	4.935	7.927	38.701
7	0.1793	4.554	7.315	35.713
8	0.1644	4.176	6.707	32.745
9	0.1495	3.797	6.099	29.777
10	0.1345	3.416	5.487	26.790
11	0.1196	3.038	4.879	23.822
12	0.1046	2.657	4.267	20.834
13	0.0897	2.278	3.659	17.866
14	0.0747	1.897	3.047	14.879
15	0.0673	1.709	2.746	13.405
16	0.0598	1.519	2.440	11.911
17	0.0538	1.367	2.195	10.716
18	0.0478	1.214	1.950	9.521
19	0.0418	1.062	1.705	8.326
20	0.0359	0.912	1.465	7.151
21	0.0329	0.836	1.342	6.553
22	0.0299	0.759	1.220	5.955
23	0.0269	0.683	1.097	5.358
24	0.0239	0.607	0.975	4.760
25	0.0209	0.531	0.853	4.163
26	0.0179	0.455	0.730	3.565
27	0.0164	0.417	0.669	3.267
28	0.0149	0.378	0.608	2.968
29	0.0135	0.343	0.551	2.689
30	0.0120	0.305	0.490	2.390
31	0.0105	0.267	0.428	2.091
32	0.0097	0.246	0.396	1.932
33	0.0090	0.229	0.367	1.793
34	0.0082	0.208	0.335	1.633
35	0.0075	0.191	0.306	1.494
36	0.0067	0.170	0.273	1.335
37	0.0064	0.163	0.261	1.275
38	0.0060	0.152	0.245	1.195

Wire Gauge Size Chart: American Wire Gauge Conversion Chart (AWG)

American wire gauges (AWG) are a standard set of sizes for wire conductors — the smaller the wire gauge, the larger the diameter in inches or millimeters, and vice versa. Refer to this American wire gauge conversion chart to help determine the correct wire size to order.

Need molybdenum, tungsten, tantalum, or niobium wire? Use our size to weight calculator to get a fast quote on your order.

Gauge No.	Inches	Millimeters
7/0	0.651300	16.54
6/0	0.580049	14.73
5/0	0.516549	13.12
4/0	0.460000	11.68
3/0	0.409642	10.40
2/0	0.364797	9.266
1/0	0.324861	8.251
1	0.289297	7.348
2	0.257626	6.544
3	0.229423	5.827
4	0.204307	5.189
5	0.181941	4.621
6	0.162023	4.115
7	0.144285	3.665
8	0.128490	3.264
9	0.114424	2.906
10	0.101897	2.588
11	0.090742	2.305
12	0.080808	2.053
13	0.071962	1.828
14	0.064084	1.628
15	0.057068	1.450
16	0.050821	1.291
17	0.045257	1.150
18	0.040303	1.024
19	0.035891	0.9116
20	0.031961	0.8118
21	0.028462	0.7229
22	0.025347	0.6438
23	0.022572	0.5733
24	0.020101	0.5106
25	0.017900	0.4547
26	0.015941	0.4049
27	0.014196	0.3606
28	0.012641	0.3211
29	0.011258	0.2860
30	0.010025	0.2546
31	0.008928	0.2268
32	0.007950	0.2019
33	0.007080	0.1798
34	0.006305	0.1601
35	0.005615	0.1426
36	0.005000	0.1270
37	0.004453	0.1131
38	0.003965	0.1007
39	0.003531	0.08969
40	0.003145	0.07988
41	0.002800	0.07112
42	0.002494	0.06335
43	0.002221	0.05641
44	0.001978	0.05024
45	0.001761	0.04473
46	0.001568	0.03983
47	0.001397	0.03548
48	0.001244	0.03160
49	0.001108	0.02814
50	0.000986	0.02504
51	0.000878	0.02230
52	0.000782	0.01986
53	0.000697	0.01770
54	0.000620	0.01575
55	0.000552	0.01402
56	0.000492	0.01250
57	0.000438	0.01113
58	0.000390	0.00991
59	0.000347	0.00881
60	0.000309	0.00785

Needle Gauge Chart

When selecting needle gauge sizes, it is vital to keep in mind the volume of the syringe and the dead volume of the needle. For example, it will be very hard to prime a 10 µL syringe if the dead volume in the needle is greater than 10 µL. Refer to the needle gauge chart to choose a needle gauge with an appropriate µL/inch before selecting a needle. Choose the minimum needle length that allows you to carry out your application comfortably.

Note: A smaller I.D. is represented by the “s” on a 22s needle. (inner diameter) of the needle and, for increased durability, a thicker needle wall. A 26 gauge needle, for instance, has an O.D. 0.46 mm (outside diameter) and an I.D. The 26s gauge needle has an O.D. of 0.26 mm. of I.D. and 0.47 mm. of 0.13 millimeters.

Half of the ID is in the 26s. the 26 gauge needle. Furthermore, the 26 gauge has a wall thickness of only 0.10 mm, whereas the 26s gauge has a thickness of 0.18 mm, roughly doubling the difference in wall thickness.

FAQs

How Do Ear Gauge Sizes Work?

Since gauge sizes are essentially backwards—the smaller the number, the greater the size—they seem a little odd at first.

Typically, standard ear piercings weigh either 20g or 18g.

From that point on, gauge sizes increase (or decrease, depending from your point of view) in even numbers. That is, the greatest size after an 18g is 16g, followed by 14g, 12g, and so forth.

The next size up is 00g, which is pronounced “double zero gauge,” until you reach 0g. 00g is roughly equivalent to 3/8 of an inch.

We run out of gauge sizes after 00g, so we switch to fractions of an inch.

After 00g, the sizes increase by one-sixteenth of an inch, but they are decreased fractions; so, we say 1/2″ instead of 8/16″.

(And you undoubtedly believed in school that mastering fractions would be useless!)

Why Are Gauge Sizes Backwards?

The gauge system has been used for hundreds of years, at least since the 1700s, when it was originally developed for measuring the thickness of wire (such as electrical wiring or structural cables).

A heavy wire might be dragged through one hole, whereas a tiny wire might have to be pulled through a dozen holes, getting thinner and thinner every time. That was the custom back then, when wire was typically made thinner by pushing it through smaller and smaller holes.

Since a 10 gauge wire was pulled through 10 holes, it was much thinner than a 1 gauge wire, which was only pulled through one. This is why the larger the number, the smaller and thinner the actual measurement is. The gauge measuring system was developed based on the number of holes the wire was pulled through.

The Trouble with Gauge Sizes

Gauges aren’t a precise, standard measurement when it comes to body jewelry; one 0g pair of plugs can be marginally bigger or smaller than another 0g pair, depending on the brand.

Stretching gauges can be challenging as well because the quantity of the stretch varies. For example, a stretch of 1 millimeter occurs when you stretch from 8g to 6g, but a double jump of 2 millimeters occurs when you stretch from 2g to 0g!

For these two reasons—plus, you don’t have to convert fractions in millimeters—using millimeters rather than gauges and inches while stretching is frequently a smart choice.

You can be certain of the exact size you’re getting because all of our jewelry is marked in both millimeters and gauge sizes. In addition, we provide many in-between sizes that are hard to obtain elsewhere, such as 1g, which is equivalent to 7mm.

Why Is It Important to Know Your Gauge Size?

“Jewelry that is too thin of a gauge could cause your piercing to shrink and may even lead to tearing or cutting of the piercing,” advises Faris. “Jewelry that is too thick might not even go in gently, and if forced, could cause tearing, bleeding, and obviously, pain.” Gauges and gauge sizes are similar, but if you choose the wrong size by accident, you run the risk of causing physical damage to your piercing.

How to Find the Gauge of Your Body Jewelry

If your body piercing gauge size isn’t clear, you can order an online gauge wheel tool, which is a “flat disk with notches cut in it that correspond to gauge sizes,” according to Faris. “You simply slide your jewelry into the notches until you find the one it fits perfectly in,” she says. Most piercers have a standard size they prefer to use for starter jewelry based on the location of the piercing, unless you request something different. On the wheel adjacent to the notch, the size will be printed.”

What are the gauge sizes?

Inches & Millimeters Gauge Conversion Chart:

Gauge	Inches	Millimeters
20G	.032″	0.81mm
18G	.040″	1.0mm
16G	.050″	1.2mm
14G	.064″	1.6mm

What is the size of 1 gauge?

American Wire Gauge Conversion Chart (AWG)

Gauge No.	Inches	Millimeters
1	0.289297	7.348
2	0.257626	6.544
3	0.229423	5.827
4	0.204307	5.189

What size is 16 gauge in MM?

Sheet Steel Gauge Conversion Chart

Gauge No	Inch	Metric
15	0.072″	1.8mm
16	0.064″	1.6mm
17	0.056″	1.4mm
18	0.048″	1.2mm

What is 14 gauge and 16 gauge?

12-gauge is perfect for use in the kitchen, bathroom, outdoor receptacles, and 120-volt ACs supporting 20 amps. 14-gauge is utilized for lamps, light fixtures, and lighting circuits with 15 amps. 16-gauge is suitable for extension cords supporting 13 amps.

Which is bigger 14 or 16-gauge wire?

A thicker wire is denoted by a lower gauge number in the American Wire Gauge (AWG) system, which is widely used to measure wire diameter or thickness. For example, a 14-gauge wire is thicker than a 16-gauge wire.

Which is stronger 14 or 16-gauge wire?

Smaller wire (16 or 18 gauge) might get heated or hot with high power amps; if your stereo is high power, you might want to use 14- or 12-gauge wire for better power handling. The higher the number, the smaller the wire.

Which is better 14 gauge or 16-gauge steel?

Selecting the appropriate gauge

Naturally, thicker steel has a wider bend radius and less flexibility; for instance, a fabricator or supplier would suggest going from 14GA to 16GA sheet in order to reduce weight or tighten the bend radius.

What is 16-gauge for?

16 gauge: Like the 12 gauge, the 16 gauge is a fine all-around shotgun, but its main usage is upland hunting, or using hounds to hunt non-waterfowl game birds. Its popularity has fallen over time, and it is difficult to locate.

What is 20 gauge used for?

When employing lead-free birdshot, 20-gauge shotguns are particularly well-suited for hunting game birds like mallards, quail, and grouse.

What gauge is bigger 16 or 20?

A little-known reason for the steel’s decreasing thickness with gauge (i.e., 16-gauge steel being thicker than 20-gauge steel) is that the gauge measurement method was first developed using a 1′′ thick steel plate as the basis for control measurement.

What’s bigger 12 or 16-gauge?

Shotgun gauges are often 10-gauge, 12-gauge, 16-gauge, 20-gauge, and 28-gauge. The smaller the gauge number, the larger the shotgun bore. Gauge is a metric connected to the diameter of the smooth shotgun bore and the size of the shotshell manufactured for that bore.

Gauge sizes in mm: How much is 12 gauge in mm?

The nominal 18.5 mm (0.73 in) of a 12-gauge shotgun can have a severe overbore of 20 mm (0.79 in) or a tight 18 mm (0.71 in).

Ear gauge sizes in mm: How do I know my ear gauge size?

You may measure the diameter of your earlobe using a simple tape measure at home, and then use that measurement to determine the appropriate size of ear gauge. For instance, if your earlobe measures 0.4 inches in diameter, you will require ear gauges that have a diameter of 1/2 inch.

Gauge sizes chart: What are the gauge sizes in order?

Standard ear piercings typically weigh between 20 and 18 grams. Gauge sizes increase (or decrease, depending on your perspective) in even numbers from that point on. For example, the greatest size after an 18 grams is 16 grams, followed by 14 grams, 12 grams, and so on. When you reach 0 grams, the next size is 00 grams, which is called “double zero gauge.”

Gauge sizes piercing: Which is bigger 16- or 20-gauge piercing?

With the growing popularity of body jewelry such as earrings, many jewelers adopted the American Wire Gauge as their standard for size. The most important thing to keep in mind is that thicker earrings correspond with smaller gauge numbers. Accordingly, a 16gauge earring is thicker than a 20gauge earring.

Wire gauge sizes: What are the 3 types of wires?

The 3 types of wires used in a domestic electric circuit are as follows:

• Live wire.
• Neutral wire.
• Earth wire.

Gauge sizes needle: What are needle gauge sizes?

The size of the needle’s hole is referred to as the gauge, or just “G” for short. The hole gets narrower the higher the gauge.

Gauge sizes in inches: What is 1 gauge in inches?

One gauge has a diameter of 1.669 inches. Given that gauge is the ratio of balls of the same size to pounds.

Ear gauge size chart with pictures: What size gauge is best for ears?

The three most popular gauge sizes are 16gauge, 14 gauge, and 18 gauge. You can use a ruler to measure your jewellery if the sizes differ. Asking your piercer is another technique to find out how big your ear piercing is.

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