16 gauge is thicker. The smaller the number the thicker the steel. The 16's aren't as prolific as the 18 and 20 gauge.. HTH : )

Thanks. But is 18 gauge acceptable and strong enough or do you need to have a 16 gauge---they are twice as expensive and I don't want to spend that much money unless it's necessary.

18 gauge is perfectly fine for a kitchen sink. Not to worry!

Consumer Reports did a sink review not long ago and concluded that 18 was just fine. Despite that, we bought a 16. If you find a sink you like and it's an 18, you can be comfortable that it's just fine.

Robbie. it is wrong to think 18 gauge sink is twice as expensive. Check out Kraus sinks or the sinks at galaxytoolsupply. Not only 16 gauge, but comes with sink grid free. Many happy users on this forum. Elkay is an excellent brand, but expensive for what you get. I personally prefer a 16 gauge despite what Consumer Reports says.

The guy who "refreshed" my parents' kitchen (they kept their existing cabs, but added new doors, granite, sink, faucet) supplied an Artisan sink. It's 16 gauge, and I'd have to guess it wasn't pricey. I looked it up for them before they got it and all the reviews were positive.

thanks, everyone. I have to do a total renovation due to damage from hurricane Irene and I'm trying to get the best possible products while staying within the "not enough" insurance allowance.

Be careful about getting a stainless sink made in China. You have to ask where the sink was manufactured. They don't tell you unless you ask. I have seen posts about stainless sinks rusting.

LOVE my S405D sink from Galaxy Tool Supply !!

There is more to stainless sinks and their guage. Look for the metal elements they are built from. Reviews show that the more chromium and nickel, the better the sink. Plus sound deadening added to the underside.

I have an Elkay Lustertone 18 gauge sink that I bought at a good price on Amazon last year. I have no complaints about the quality of the sink or its sound deadening.

How do you find out the amount of chromium and nickel used to make the sink. I don't see it listed on any of the product specs

I haven't checked Kraus but I will now!! Thanks to all of you--this has been so incredibly helpful--I can't even fathom how i would have learned all this without you!!

Here is an article on stainless steel sinks which includes the gauge and metal content info. While trying to find this another article mentioned that most of our sinks are from China. Nickle is becoming short in supply and not unusual to find sinks without. All sellers and the sink info itself should have the metal content listed as 20/10 for a higher grade. I'm not an expert, but when buying my sink the information was explained on the description and became curious. Had never heard of this before in looking at sinks.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sink information

I ordered a Kraus sink last night from Amazon--it was half the price and the specs were as good or better than the others I was looking at. I spent more time on making this decision than almost anything else in my life--and, living in NYC, my kitchen is so much smaller than all the pix I see on this site!

You should also be aware that the gauge is how think the sink blank starts out before it is formed.

The final sink will be thinner than the starting blank since the flat metal is stretched to form the sink.

Add a GD to a thin sink and you can watch the vibration on the surface of the water in the sink when the GD is turned on.

A deeper sink may benefit from a thicker starting blank than a shallow sink would.

are you saying 18 gauge would be better for a deeper sink? now I'm really confused

No, brickeye is saying that a thicker gauge might be better in a deep sink with a garbage disposal. The thicker gauge is 16 - I know, the gauge numbers are confusing. From thinner to thicker is 20-18-16-14, etc.

Our C-Tech-I sink and the similar Ticor sinks that many on this site have used come from China. Both are 18/10 steel which is good type of steel for a sink. Ours is 16 gauge as are many of the Ticor sinks. We haven't had any rust issues and I haven't seen any others post about it with those brands. Ours has been in use for over 5 years.

"We haven't had any rust issues..."

Many years ago I had a customer that complained the stainless sink was rusting.

It was a large and expensive name brand, and I was sort of taken aback.
I went over to look at the problem, and sure enough a light rust film was over a lot of the sink, but not everywhere.

I opened the cabinet to look at the underside of the sink and saw the box of Brillo Soap Pads.

I used some rust removing chemicals (oxalic acid) and told the owner the rust was from the pads.

Their maid had been dutifully scrubbing the sink with the pads.
They are plain steel wool loaded with soap.
Enough of the carbon steel can rub off on a brushed stainless surface from the pads to then cause light surface rust to appear.
After my cleanup and a switch to non-woven pads (3M Scotch Brite type) the problem never appeared again.

I found a great article on sink gauge, I'll post a link below. Summary: the lower the number, the thicker the sink. Thicker sinks are more resistant to dents, vibrate less with a garbage disposal attached and flex less under a full load, especially in large single bowl sinks.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stainless Steel Sink Gauge Explanation

I have 18 gauge in both our homes and in my first home that we sold. No issues at all with less expensive online Amazon ordered 18 gauge stainless sink some no name brand. They have sound pads on the bottom and the bottoms are coated in some substance to help insulate the metal ( I've seen the same stuff under pricier sinks too ). I've used both my sinks in different states for three years and ten years without any issues. I love my single bowl sinks !

I bought an Elkay 2 bowl size 18 gauge for a sink, faucet & disposal remodel over counter..sound padding, very sturdy/stout. Very pleased, disposable doesn't vibrant sink & sound not amplified either (don't get a cheap disposal either! )

Doing a granite counter remodel now, counter guy includes 18 gauge under counter mount sink choice. Shopped @ Home Depot just looking for visual choices..those 2 salesmen that were helping me thought a 22 ga. was thicker..I said whatever. Man... but 18 gauge is very sufficient

Hi! This has all been EXTREMELY helpful. and just to update the site, i believe that the TICOR actually DID go out of business. i wasted a lot of time on their website finding some great sinks, and then all the websites said the sinks were "out of stock". I liked the Krauss sinks recommended above. and i ended up going with "signature hardware", who makes their own plumbing products, and sells all of them, only off of their own proprietary website. I've used them before, and they were good. replaced one item no questions asked. so suggest you try all of these.

My thanks to all of you who have shared your knowledge, I am updating my kitchen sinks and this has been extremely helpful. Take care, NW4Mattie

Thanks everyone....who knew buying a sink could get so complicated!!!

Although this is almost a year later, I want to add my 2 cents. As others said, gauge is only part of the sink quality equation. Sound deadening can make a big difference. The other question is this, do you need a premium sink? Often good enough is good enough. your money might be better spent on something else.

I have spent a GREAT deal of time selecting my sink for a remodel. Kraus is ruled out. Would love a 16 gauge but Kraus is made overseas (China if I remember correctly) and that combined with the price has me skeptical. Just can't do it. Elkay seems pricey for what you get, I'm not sure Lustertone makes that much difference or justifies the price and they are changing their sound deadening materials now. Finally, many, many of their sinks are made in China. From the manufacturers I have called, it is virtually impossible to find a sink that does not have either stainless from overseas and/or is made overseas. Even many of those made in the US and Europe source their stainless from China, Korea, Taiwan, etc.

can anyone who has a 16 gauge sink comment on whether it flexes when you push the bottom of it? i have an 18 gauge sink and it flexes a bit.

I have a 16 guage Kohler Strive and it does not flex at all. It was a bit pricey. In my last house I had an 18 guage Elkay and it did not flex either. If I'd known about Kraus when I built my new home last year, I would have taken a look given that so many here on Houzz are very satisfied with them and the lower price point.

thanks - good info. I was looking at the strive. Also at the kraus. Its hard to know how actually thick the sinks are without good real feedback from owners since i doubt anyone is actually checking the gauges with micrometers. I bet alot of companies fudge their data.

I'd be curious to hear how the Kraus compares to the Strive.

"Can anyone who has a 16 gauge sink comment on whether it flexes when you push the bottom of it? i have an 18 gauge sink and it flexes a bit."

It isn't the gauge of the steel; your sink is improperly mounted. It's probably a double bowl with no stanchion between the bowls and it's probably clipped or blocked in place. A strapped 20 gauge double bowl sink cannot budge as that would defy the laws of physics.

If your sink is flexing, it's leaking. If it's leaking, it's unsanitary, creating bug habitat, and endangering any reinforcement rods in your top.

what you said above is not true at all. I was describing the metal itself flexing. have you never pushed on the metal of a car hood and seen it flex? try to hang with me on what i am actually asking.

James:

I install hundreds of sinks per year. There is no significant difference between an 18 gauge and a 16 gauge sink. My custom sinks are 14 gauge; I won't install a 20.

Home Refinements Julien stainless steel sinks are made in Canada with Canadian steel. The workmanship is excellent and they're a good price for the high quality.

Here's the link to their website: https://www.homerefinements.ca/en/home/

Ive had my 16 gauge Krauss KBU22 32-inch double bowl sink 5 years It is still shiny and beautiful The grids that come with the sink protect from scratches i called Krauss to purchase another set of grids to use while one set is in the dishwasher They gave them to me free! I could never live without sink grids again!!! I've sol my home and am ordering another Krauss KBU 22 for my new home!