How Thick Is Automotive Sheet Metal

Russ nyberg demonstrates making a step in aluminum sheet metal with a bead roller.

How thick is automotive sheet metal. Sheet metal used on the auto body of new vehicles and when aftermarket body work is performed tends to be between 20. The metal sandwiched together on the bottom inside of the rocker panels some of it is 060 and 040 thick so when you re working different panels and braces be aware you have different thickness s of sheet metal. Sheet metal used on older car bodies typically ranges from a gauge of 16 to 18. Sheet metal gauge size chart gauge or gage sizes are numbers that indicate the thickness of a piece of sheet metal with a higher number referring to a thinner sheet.

Once transferred the shape is called a bead presumably due to its resemblance to a welding bead. The equivalent thicknesses differ for each gauge size standard which were developed based on the weight of the sheet for a given material. The metal is pulled through the die and the shape of the die is transferred directly to your sheet. Whether you re working on a classic american car from 1957 or a truck made as recently as 2007 eastwood has sheet metal to help you fix it.

Automotive sheet metal once ran in the range of 18 gauge which was 48 thousandths of an inch thick actually 0 0478 inch. Also the rocker panels are galvanized be aware of the fumes when welding or grinding galvanized fumes are dangerous. This inexpensive tool turns flat sheet into customfabricated. 22 to 24 ga is incredibly thin perhaps the new hsla steel used on modern cars can be that thin but not good old cold rolled steel on a pre 80 s vehicle.

The sheetmetal on both my 56 and 57 chevy is around 040 or 19ga.