Okay, all this gauge talk confuses many people. Here's the quick and simple answer:

"The lower the number, the better."

The reasoning comes from how they make the stainless steel thickness. The gauge number refers to the number of times they've forced the stainless steel sheet to go through a narrow gap. Each subsequent gap is smaller.

Therefore, an 18 gauge stainless steel sheet has gone through 18 gauges. Makes sense, right?

Read on:

Best Value is at 18

The best value is at 18 gauge. I'm going to say it again: buy an 18 gauge stainless steel kitchen sink. You are not going to notice a big difference by getting a 16 gauge kitchen sink. There sinks were made for commercial applications, where they're used 24 hours a day.

Thickness vs. Gauge

How do you know what gauge your sink is? Simple: measure it. Use the table below to see how the gauge corresponds: