Tin was often used to coat iron and steel sheets to prevent it from rusting. The metals suited for this were lead, copper, zinc, iron and later steel. The process of flattening metal sheets required large rotating iron cylinders which pressed metal pieces into sheets. Water-powered rolling mills replaced the manual process in the late 17th century. Hand-hammered metal sheets have been used since ancient times for architectural purposes.

Sheet metal workers are also known as 'tin bashers' (or 'tin knockers'), a name derived from the hammering of panel seams when installing tin roofs. Historically, an important use of sheet metal was in plate armor worn by cavalry, and sheet metal continues to have many decorative uses, including in horse tack. Sheet metal of iron and other materials with high magnetic permeability, also known as laminated steel cores, has applications in transformers and electric machines. Sheet metal is used in automobile and truck (lorry) bodies, major appliances, airplane fuselages and wings, tinplate for tin cans, roofing for buildings (architecture), and many other applications. For decorative uses, some important sheet metals include silver, gold, and platinum (platinum sheet metal is also utilized as a catalyst). There are many different metals that can be made into sheet metal, such as aluminium, brass, copper, steel, tin, nickel and titanium.

Parts manufactured from sheet metal must maintain a uniform thickness for ideal results. Copper thickness, for example, is measured in ounces, representing the weight of copper contained in an area of one square foot. Gauge differs between ferrous ( iron-based) metals and nonferrous metals such as aluminum or copper. Commonly used steel sheet metal ranges from 30 gauge to about 7 gauge. The larger the gauge number, the thinner the metal. In the U.S., the thickness of sheet metal is commonly specified by a traditional, non-linear measure known as its gauge. In most of the world, sheet metal thickness is consistently specified in millimeters. The coils are formed by running a continuous sheet of metal through a roll slitter. Sheet metal is available in flat pieces or coiled strips. Thicknesses can vary significantly extremely thin sheets are considered foil or leaf, and pieces thicker than 6 mm (0.25 in) are considered plate, such as plate steel, a class of structural steel. Sheet metal is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and it can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes. Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process. Microscopic close-up of mild steel sheet metal

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