Mil vs. gauge

Pool liner thickness: gauge vs. mil

Finding the right liner for your pool is difficult enough without having to decode the thickness of the vinyl. Mil and gauge are both used in liner descriptions, but they do not always mean the same thing.

What it means

Gauge does not work the same way in every industry

Most pool professionals cannot tell you the official difference between vinyl gauge and mil measurements. In industries like wire, shotgun barrels, sheet metal, and hypodermic needles, the thickness or diameter increases as the gauge decreases. For sheet vinyl used in pool liners, and for photographic film, the thickness of the material increases as the gauge increases.

For liner ordering, the practical question is simpler: how thick is the vinyl in standard units? Ameri-Brand researched mil and gauge standards and compiled information from manufacturers across the vinyl industry so the common liner sizes can be compared side by side.

30 mil liner vinyl measured by digital calipers
Digital calipers were used to compare vinyl sample thicknesses.

Thickness comparison

Common liner units compared in inches and millimeters

The values below are average measurements from vinyl samples provided by multiple liner manufacturers and vinyl suppliers. Each common liner thickness listed here is thinner than a dime.

Common vinyl liner mil and gauge comparison
Common liner units Average thickness
Mil Gauge Inches Millimeters
- 30 0.0260 0.6604
- 25 0.0223 0.5652
- 20 0.0185 0.4699
20 - 0.0205 0.5207
25 - 0.0250 0.6350
27 - 0.0270 0.6858
30 - 0.0275 0.6985
40 - 0.0405 1.0287
Dime, for comparison 0.0490 1.2446

Averages are based on multiple measurements taken from vinyl samples provided by multiple liner manufacturers and vinyl suppliers.

Common liner choices

Thickness options you may see while ordering

20 mil floor / 20 mil wall

A common complete-liner choice when the same 20 mil vinyl weight is selected for the wall and floor.

27 or 30 mil floor / 27 or 30 mil wall

A heavier complete-liner choice when the wall and floor are both selected in the heavier vinyl option available for that pattern.

20 mil floor / 27 or 30 mil wall

A split choice with a 20 mil floor and a heavier wall, often used because pool walls receive more wear above the waterline.

Ready to compare liner options?

Choose the liner section that matches your project, then use the quote flow to compare available patterns and thickness choices.