If you’re shopping for aluminum mini blinds you are likely to be confronted with the rather nebulous and confusing choice of different gauges. Read on for some illumination on this puzzling subject.
The term gauge, which is typically represented on a scale from 30 gauge to 8 gauge, is used to measure the thickness of wire or sheet metal, wherein the larger the gauge the smaller the size (diameter or thickness); so it has an inverse relationship. For many people this is well-known.
But hold on, gauge is also used to describe aluminum mini blinds. And, mysteriously, this inverse relationship doesn’t hold true for blinds. In this case the larger the gauge, the thicker the slat size. Whose idea was that?
For aluminum mini blinds, there are three gauge sizes: 6, 8 and 9:
- 6 Gauge is .006″ thickness
- 8 Gauge is .008″ thickness
- 9 Gauge is .009″ thickness
What does this mean for you? If you want the most durable, longest lasting mini blinds that are unlikely to get dented or bent, choose the larger gauge. Of course the higher gauge metal mini blinds are slightly more expensive due to the fact that they use more material. If you want to save money and are less worried about durability, choose 6 gauge.
Hope that helps and happy decorating!
