Gauges of plates, sheets and wires

TABLE A6. Standard Gauges of Sheets, Plates, and Wires... 

Rolling mills produce two of the more important forms in which steel is sold— rods and sheets. Rods are the source materials for steel wire, construction materials (i.e., rebar and beams), steel coils, and so on. Automobile manufacturers require large shipments of steel sheets wound in large rolls. The rolling mills process hot metal to make these products, which can lead to oxidation of the metal. Ingots of the metal are sent through successively narrower rollers until the desired thickness (or gauge) of the metal is achieved. Successive rollers will produce rods of various shapes and diameters, or sheets that vary from plate thicknesses to thin foils. 

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