Number
of Wire
Gauge
American,
or, Brown
& Sharpe
Birming-
ham
Washburn
& Moen
Manufacturing
Company
Trenton
Iron
Company
United
States
Standard
Old English
From Brass
Manufacturers’
Lists
000000 .4600 .46857
00000 .4300.4500.43750
0000.460000.454.3930.4000.40625
000.409640.425.3620.3600.37500
00.364800.380.3310.3300.34375
0.324950.340.3070.3050.31250
1.289300.300.2830.2850.28125
2.257630.284.2630.2650.26563
3.229420.259.2440.2450.25000
4.204310.238.2250.2250.23438
5.181940.220.2070.2050.21875
6.162020.203.1920.1900.20313
7.144280.180.1770.1750.18750
8.128490.165.1620.1600.17188
9.114430.148.1480.1450.15625
10.101890.134.1350.1300.14063
11.090742.120.1200.1175.12500
12.080808.109.1050.1050.10938
13.071961.095.0920.0925.09375
14.064084.083.0800.0800.07813.08300
15.057068.072.0720.0700.07031.07200
16.050820.065.0630.0610.06250.06500
17.045257.058.0540.0525.05625.05800
18.040303.049.0470.0450.05000.04900
19.035390.042.0410.0390.04375.04000
20.031961.035.0350.0340.03750.03500
21.028462.032.0320.0300.03438.03150
22.025347.028.0280.0270.03125.02950
23.022571.025.0250.0240.02813.02700
24.020100.022.0230.0215.02500.02500
25.017900.020.0200.0190.02188.02300
26.015940.018.0180.0180.01875.02150
27.014195.016.0170.0170.01719.01875
28.012641.014.0160.0160.01563.01650
29.011257.013.0150.0150.01406.01550
30.010025.012.0140.0140.01250.01375
31.008928.010.0135.0130.01094.01225
32.007950.009.0130.0120.01016.01125
33.007080.008.0110.0110.00938.01025
34.006304.007.0100.0100.00853.00950
35.005614.005.0095.0090.00781.00900

TABLE II

SIZE AND NUMBER TO THE POUND
OF COMMON CUT NAILS

Trade Term Length
Inches
Gauge Number to
Pound
3d fine1⅛16720
3d flat15 full430
4d flat14 full275
5d flat13 regular 215
6d common2  12 regular150
7d common11 light120
8d common11 regular 96
9d common10 light 72
10d common3  10 regular 64
12d common 9 regular 44
16d common 8 regular 32
20d common4   7 regular 28
30d common 6 regular 18
40d common5   5 regular 14
50d common 4 regular 12
60d common 6   3 regular 10

Fig. 1

5. Wire Nails.—The term wire nail is applied to nails made from drawn wire, or wire rods. Since their introduction some years ago, wire nails have become decidedly popular, and in some localities are used in preference to the old-style cut nails, owing to the fact that there are a greater number to the pound, which makes them cheaper than cut nails at the same price per keg. The size and number of common wire nails to the pound are given in [Table III]. By comparing the columns in Tables [II] and [III] giving the number of nails to the pound for both cut and wire nails, it can be readily seen that the wire nails are greater in number for a given weight than cut nails of the same size. For this reason, the wire nails are used by contractors on cheap work.

Wire nails are more liable to rust than cut or wrought nails, and are consequently not so durable in damp situations; they also have less holding power and more must be used to obtain the same strength.

TABLE III