Here is a quick guide to help you determine which thickness of copper sheet best suits the needs of your project. If after reading the descriptions you are still not sure which size copper sheet will work for you, please don't hesitate to contact us via email at info@basiccopper.com, via phone at 252-261-2677, or try our "live chat" feature for immediate assistance!

THICKNESS GUIDE: All of our copper sheets are 99.9% pure copper (premium alloy 110) annealed (dead soft) with a smooth commercial finish (note that our patina copper sheets no longer have a smooth commercial finish and may occasionally come in slighty harder tempers).

1 MIL Copper Sheets (.001 inches thick): This is very thin copper foil. It is approximately 1.5 times thicker than typical household aluminum foil and is easy to cut but also easy to wrinkle. You can tear the 1 mil copper foil sheets with your hands or punch out various shape with paper punchers. The 1 mil is often used in scrapbooking or with other paper crafts and also for electrical, manufacturing and R & D applications.

1.4 MIL Copper Sheets (.0014 inches thick): This is also very thin copper foil and is just slightly thicker than the 1 mil. The 1.4 copper foil sheets are approximately 2 times thicker than household aluminum foil. It will cut easily, and can also be torn by hand. It will also wrinkle to the touch. The 1.4 mil is often used in paper crafts and also for electrical, manufacturing and R & D applications. See a video thickness guide of 1 mil and 1.4 mil below.



3 MIL Copper Sheets (.003 inches thick): This is thin copper foil. It is approximately twice as thick as 1.4 mil and 3.5 times household aluminum. It can be easily cut with scissors, torn by hand, and wrinkles fairly easy. 3 mil is used for various arts and crafts, electrical, and Research and Development applications. See a video thickness guide of 3 mil below.



5 MIL Copper Sheets (.005 inches thick) 36 gauge: The 5 mil copper is approximately 7 - 8 times thicker than typical household aluminum foil. It weighs approximately 3.74 ounces per square foot. Often described as 36 gauge, 5 mil copper is traditional tooling copper foil. It does not tear by hand, but can be easily cut with scissors. It is extremely pliable and will dent with a light touch. It will not hold shape if under pressure. The 5 mil copper sheets and rolls are often used for embossing, repousse, tags, die-cuts and other craft projects as well as for various home improvement projects and construction, electrical, manufacturing and other applications. Some customers also use this thickness for tabletops, backsplashes, bartops, and countertops-however when using 5 mil for these applications, we do strongly recommend attaching the copper to a substrate and applying an epoxy for long term durability. Check out some of our 5 mil patina copper sheets . See a video thickness guide of 5 mil below.



8 MIL Copper Sheets (.008 inches thick) 32 gauge: The 8 mil copper is approximately 11 - 12 times thicker than typical household aluminum foil and 1.5 times thicker than the 5 mil. This is a heavy-duty copper tooling foil. The 8 mil copper can be cut fairly easily with scissors and is still very pliable. It may hold shape a little better than the 5 MIL , but will not bear much weight and will yield to increasing pressure. See a video thickness guide of 8 mil below.



10 MIL Copper Sheets (.010 inches thick) 30 gauge: These copper sheets are approximately 14 times thicker than household aluminum foil and are twice as thick as 5 MIL . Beginning with the 10 mil, the copper is less foil-like in appearance and response to pressure. It is still rather thin as it would take 100 sheets stacked on top of each other to equal an inch, but it is more rigid than the thinner material and at this thickness the copper will begin to hold weight and maintain shape significantly better. The 10 mil copper (also known as 30 gauge) weighs approximately 7.4 ounces per square foot. Despite being more rigid, the 10 mil is still pliable and you can easily create a 90 degree bend with your hands. It can be cut with heavy duty scissors and or a utility knife. The 10 mil responds well to hammering and other texturization applications. 10 mil copper is often used in outdoor projects to protect wood from the elements, such as for flashing, or capping poles or exposed beams in a structure. It is also used for birdhouse roofs and other garden projects. Our 10 mil copper was featured in This Old House magazine (June 2007) as it was used to create an outdoor water feature. It is also used in indoor projects such as creating a copper inset in wooden cabinets or covering furniture (see the photo gallery for examples) and although it is a lighter gauge copper, some customers have chosen this thickness for creating tabletops, bartops, backsplashes and countertops. See a video thickness guide of 10 mil below.



16 MIL Copper Sheets (.016 inches thick)26 gauge: The 16 mil copper sheets are approximately 1.5 times thicker than the 10 MIL . It would take approximately 62.5 sheets of 16 MIL stacked on top of each other to make an inch. Also called 26 gauge, the 16 mil copper weighs approximately 12 ounces per square foot. It is significantly more rigid and less pliable that the thinner material, but will also hold weight and can be bent/ formed into shape by hand or with tools. It is a very durable sheet of copper. It can be cut with tin snips, shears or a utility knife with a heavy duty blade. The 16 mil copper is often used for sculptures, jewelry-making and other arts and crafts projects. Our customers have used the 16 mil for backsplashes, bar tops, countertops, and range hoods as well as roofing projects (see the photo gallery for information about creating a cupola from 16 mil copper) and other outdoor structural projects where the durability of the material outweighs the need for more pliability. See a video thickness guide of 16 mil below.



22 Mil/16 Ounce Copper Sheets (.0216") 24 gauge: 16 ounce copper sheeting is a heavy weight copper sheet often referred to as "roofing copper" or "roofing flashing." It weighs approximately 1 pound per square foot. It's often used for roofing and flashing, various art and craft projects, DIY projects such as backsplashes, countertops and range hoods, electrical applications, research and development and much more. 16 ounce copper can be bent and formed by hand but is very durable. Metals snips are needed to cut this thickness. (Also check our patina copper sheets for a variety of uses including bartops and countertops. It is also used for for various wall hangings and artwork.) See a video thickness guide of 22 mil below.

(Remember that for various home improvement projects, state and local codes vary.)