Drywall Screw Gauges
The Gauge refers to the diameter of the drywall screw. In most cases, you will use either #6 or #8 drywall screws.
Note that the diameter of the screw gets larger as the thickness increases. So a #6 drywall screw will be thinner than a #8 screw. While this may seem obvious, many home building materials work in the opposite direction. For example, sandpaper grits with smaller numbers are actually coarser than grits with higher numbers.
Actual sizes of drywall screws:
#6 (0.1380-in.)
#8 (0.1640-inch)
Gauge is often given as the second number after length. For example, a 1 5/8 inch long #6 gauge screw would be specified as “1 5/8 inch x 6″
reporter: lisa
