16 gauge vs 11 gauge

[lnb001]

Hi there,

Could someone enlighten me about strength differences between 1"x1" 11 gauge square tubing vs 1.25"x1.25" 16 gauge square tubing? Can I expect a significant amount of strength gain with the 11 gauge 1x1?

I am trying to consider cost/time differences as the 16 gauge is readily available minutes from my house and I can haul it myself, whereas 11 gauge will have to be either cut for $20 per cut so I can haul it, or delivered stock length for a fee.

The kart is for my 5 year old and will be used on some light gravel/dirt - nothing crazy.

Thanks,
Lucas

 

[nbaffaro]

11 gauge is going to be close to 1/8" of and inch thick or .125

16 gauge is going to be close to 1/16" of and inch thick or .0625

If you were comparing 1x1 to 1x1 then the 11 gauge would be easily stronger than the 16 gauge

But comparing 1x1 to 1.25x1.25 is a little different. Up to a point the larger the square is the strong it will be. Then on top of that you are comparing different gauges.

It's really not an apples to apples comparison.

$20.00 per cut seems pretty steep! I would hack it in pieces in the parking lot with a hacksaw for that price.

The 1x1 will be stronger but the 1.25 will be strong enough for a kart.

 

[Kartorbust]

Your actually better off going with the 1.25x1.25x11ga over 1x1x11ga. 1.25x1.25x11ga is stronger than 1x1x11ga, it doesn't bend/flex as easily. Plus you could realistically go down to say 14ga and still be perfectly fine as far as strength goes. Rule of thumb is generally you go up a bit in size and you could stay the same or go down in thickness.

 

[lnb001]

Thanks. I came across some previous threads about tradeoff/difference between tube size and gauge. This is something I'd like to learn more on. Are there references that compare strength of various tubing sizes as you go up/down in gauge and/or tubing width?

Lucas

 

[Kartorbust]

This may help. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/206

As well as this one. http://www.atc-mechanical.com/calculators/tube-size-using-structural-properties/