What Gauge Nail Is Used For Framing

Pneumatic nailers are lightweight, efficient and bulldoze fasteners with a great deal of ease and precision, making them platonic for a diverseness of applications. With a broad variety of options to cull from, picking the best tool and fastener combination can seem like a complicated task.

To remove the guesswork, hither are a few general guidelines to follow and distinctions to consider when choosing a fastening system.

Each nailer and fastener size has its benefits and is best suited for certain jobs. For typical indoor applications, ranking smallest to largest gauge, here are some of the advantages:

23-gauge – For modest painted or stained moldings (typically used to hold materials together while adhesive sets or cures)
21-judge – For minor painted or stained moldings and medium to small casings or chair track (provides similar appearance to 23 guess with 80% holding ability of an 18 gauge)
18-approximate – For medium to small casings, chair rail or low-contour crown molding
16-gauge – For the outer nail on casing (through drywall) and for base trim or other large trim
15-approximate – For the outer blast on casing (through drywall) and for base trim or other large trim , and sturdy install of door jambs, peculiarly heavy, solid-core doors.

Non-structural interior applications such as crown molding, door casings or chair rail offering the almost option in the tools and fasteners you lot apply. For structural fastening such as framing, capsule or metal plate connecting, near fastening systems are dictated by code or architectural specifications. Alternately, the substrate manufacturer may designate specific fasteners for utilise with their product.

Sometimes, plans volition call for a 6d blast where the "d" is a denotation for pennyweight. This is a long holdover from a fourth dimension when nails were sold in quantities of 100 for each size of a nail. Today, the "d" refers to the length of the fastener.

Smash Size	Length
	in.	mm.
2d	i.00	25.4
3d	1.25	31.7
4d	ane.l	38.1
5d	1.75	44.4
6d	2.00	50.8
7d	2.25	57.one
8d	two.50	63.5
9d	two.75	69.8
10d	3.00	76.2
12d	3.25	82.5
16d	iii.50	88.9
20d	4.00	101.6
30d	4.l	114.3

At that place are other times when plans volition call for a 6d Common nail. This is an extra degree of carefulness that includes the diameter of the shank of the smash as opposed to a standard box nail.

The main divergence between mutual nails and box nails is the gauge of the wire used to form the shank. Common nails are made with a heavier-approximate wire, typically about 5/32" thick. They're generally used in house framing, where force is important. Box nails take thinner-approximate shanks—about ane/16" which are best for fastening nonstructural things like trim, shingles, and siding. These thinner gauges are also less likely to split the wood.

Plans may also call for a specific gauge, or diameter. The higher the number, the thinner the nail; the lower the number, the thicker the nail.