Definitions of commonly used thickness terms
Gauge: refers to the thickness of the film
Mils: standard term used to measure the thickness of film
in thousands of an inch.
In reference to thickness or gauge, is “mils” the same as millimeters or microns?
No. The gauge or thickness of plastic film is expressed in thousands of an inch, said as “mils”. For example, .005" is said “5 mils”.
These are all different forms of measurement. One millimeter
= .039" or “39 mils” thick.
About how thick is a mil?
A piece of copier paper is about .004" (4 mils) thick.
Typically, what thickness of film does Grafix stock?
Each item is different and should be checked. However, Grafix
usually does not stock film thinner than .001" (1 mil) and
thicker than .020" (20 mil).
Equivalency
Chart
Mils
(thousands of an inch)
Microns
Millimeters
.001"
24
.0254
.002"
50
.0508
.003"
72
.0765
.004"
96
.1016
.005"
120
.127
.007"
168
.1778
.010"
240
.254
.015"
360
.381
.020"
480
.508
Grafix Plastics stocks a wide variety of different kinds of plastic film products, in a variety of thicknesses and finishes. Our Plastic Film Products page outlines all the different types of plastic film that we offer.
Please consult the following links for more information on
plastic film and sheet materials:
