What is SWG?

What does SWG mean in relation to the thickness of tube walls??

Eg 2" x 16swg. I know the 2" is the outer diameter.

Standard Wire Gauge. The sizes are readily available from data books or google.

Mike

SWG is Standard Wire Gauge

Strangely, also used as a measure of thickness. [see here]

... and not to be confused with AWG

AWG is American Wire Gauge, and the sizes are [inevitably] different

MichaelG.

Mike beat me to it.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 21/09/2012 19:06:38

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 21/09/2012 19:14:00

The numbers get bigger as the wire gets smaller as the origin of the gauge numbers is the number of dies a wire was drawn though, each smaller than the previous one.

Neil

Great thanks

Wolfie

Try these 2 sites

**LINK**

**LINK**

Loads of conversion tables and info
Bob

Hi Bob,

The table in your first link would appear to not be SWG.

Mike

Mike

I did print off lots of info quite a few years ago and have them in a folder, so do not know what has happened in the interim to the web sites. A lot of the suppliers, Blackgates et all; publish most of this info at the back of there cat's. But note depending on who you talk to or read there data there are differences.

I have built up over the years a nice information library though now retired long ago still can do most of the calc's off the top of my head. I really must get one of my grandsons to scan in all this info and post it to my pic's. If anyone is interested I will do this.
I do think it would help all the people who have just purchased a lathe or mill to not get worried about SWG, BA,BSF, BSP, BSW you name it. but just look at the table, after a while you will say Oh thats the ...

Regards
Bob

As a Brummie I must also add BWG, Birmingham wire gauge, close to SWG, from memory I think some of the numbers coincide.

Bill D

I have amid my notes a complete list of the American BWG

The Stubs Iron Wire Gauge system (also known as the Birmingham Wire Gauge) is used to specify thickness or diameter of metal wire, strip, and tube products. The Stubs system was the first wire gauge recognized as a standard by any country when Great Britain adopted it in 1884; though nearly obsolete, it is the only wire gage recognized in the United States through an Act of Congress.^[1]

The gauge starts at the lowest gauge number of 5Ø or 00000, corresponding to the largest size of 0.500" (12.7mm) to the highest gauge number of 36, corresponding to the smallest size of 0.004" (0.102mm). Size steps between gauges range from 0.001" between high gauge numbers to 0.046" between the two lowest gauge numbers and do not correspond to a particular mathematical pattern, although for the most part the steps get smaller with increasing gauge number.^[1] Concerning wire and fine tubing, the gauge number is used to specify the outside diameter of the product, whereas for larger mechanical tubing the gauge number specifies the wall thickness independent of the overall size of the tube.

In medicine, the Stubs system specifies the outside diameter of hypodermic needles, catheters, and suture wires. It was originally developed in early 19th-century England for use in wire manufacture, and it began appearing in a medical setting in the early 20th century.

Bob