Calculator
What your drawer actually weighs, and what the box weighs full
The calculator for your own heaviest drawer, published tool weights, and the loaded-box figure no manufacturer prints.
Show the working
The reference desk: what these numbers actually mean
A gauge is not a unit. A slide rating is per pair, not per slide. A bench height is relative to your elbow. Every conversion on this site is shown here, in full.
Steel gauge is the one that changes purchases. It takes two minutes and it is the reason a 19-gauge box is worth more than a 20-gauge one.
The three conversions that matter: gauge to inches (19 ga is 0.0418 in, 20 ga is 0.0359 in, so 19 is about 16 percent thicker steel), slide rating to working load (published guidance is 70 to 80 percent of the rating, so a 120 lb pair is a 96 lb pair in practice), and your height to bench height (elbow height is roughly 62.5 percent of standing height).
Why this hub exists
Tool storage is described almost entirely in units that sound precise and are not. Gauge is a weight-derived index with uneven steps, so nobody can convert it in their head. Drawer ratings are quoted per pair of slides at full extension, which means half the internet quotes them per drawer and half per slide. Storage volume is published in cubic inches, a unit no human can picture.
None of that is a conspiracy. It is a category that inherited its vocabulary from sheet-metal fabrication and industrial hardware and never translated it for the person buying the box. So that is what this section does: publish the conversion, publish the source, and show the multiplication so you can check it or disagree with a specific step.
The gauge table, in full
| Gauge | Inches | Millimeters | Vs 20 gauge | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 ga | 0.0747 in | 1.90 mm | +108% thicker | Industrial and dealer-truck boxes |
| 16 ga | 0.0598 in | 1.52 mm | +67% thicker | Heavy professional cabinets |
| 17 ga | 0.0538 in | 1.37 mm | +50% thicker | Upper end of consumer heavy duty |
| 18 ga | 0.0478 in | 1.21 mm | +33% thicker | The thickest gauge mainstream brands publish |
| 19 ga | 0.0418 in | 1.06 mm | +16% thicker | Common on 56 in combo sets |
| 20 ga | 0.0359 in | 0.91 mm | reference | The default budget cabinet body |
| 21 ga | 0.0329 in | 0.84 mm | -8% thinner | Thin panels on light cabinets |
| 22 ga | 0.0299 in | 0.76 mm | -17% thinner | Portable boxes and drawer bottoms |
Thicknesses are the Manufacturers' Standard Gauge for sheet steel. The comparison column is computed against 20 gauge, the most common budget tool-box body.
Read the comparison column, because it is the one that changes purchases. Two gauge numbers apart sounds like a rounding difference and it is a third more steel. The full page explains where the standard comes from, including why the numbers get smaller as the metal gets thicker.
Slide ratings, converted to what you can actually load
| Rated per pair | Working load at 80% | What that actually holds | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75 lb | 60 lb | One socket set and not much else | Budget portable boxes |
| 100 lb | 80 lb | A socket set plus a wrench set, with room left | Mainstream chests and cabinets |
| 120 lb | 96 lb | Two socket sets, or one set plus impact sockets | Mid-tier 56 in combo sets |
| 150 lb | 120 lb | Impact sockets and a torque wrench together | The best published figure on consumer cabinets |
| 200 lb | 160 lb | A drawer you can stop thinking about | Professional cabinets |
| 250 lb | 200 lb | Power tools with batteries in | Industrial storage and enclosures |
| 500 lb | 400 lb | Anything you can physically fit in the drawer | Heavy-duty industrial slides |
Ratings are published PER PAIR of slides at full extension. The working column applies the published 80 percent design figure, which is the generous end of the 70-80 percent guidance.
Two things fall out of that table. First, ratings are for the PAIR - a drawer with a 120 lb rating holds 120 lb, not 240. Second, the published design guidance is to run at 70 to 80 percent, which turns most consumer drawers into rather less than the number on the listing. The drawer slides page covers why, and what happens mechanically when you ignore it.
Bench height, from your own body
| Your height | Elbow height | Precision and assembly | General bench work | Heavy work, planing, hammering |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 4 in | 40 in | 43 in | 39 in | 33 in |
| 5 ft 6 in | 41.3 in | 44 in | 40 in | 34 in |
| 5 ft 8 in | 42.5 in | 46 in | 42 in | 36 in |
| 5 ft 10 in | 43.8 in | 47 in | 43 in | 37 in |
| 6 ft 0 in | 45 in | 48 in | 44 in | 38 in |
| 6 ft 2 in | 46.3 in | 49 in | 45 in | 39 in |
| 6 ft 4 in | 47.5 in | 51 in | 47 in | 41 in |
Elbow height is estimated at 62.5 percent of standing height. That coefficient is the one estimate on this page and it is an average, not your body — measure your own elbow if you can, and use the row as a starting point if you cannot.
The elbow coefficient is the one estimate on this site, and it is labeled as an estimate everywhere it appears. It is an average across adults, and your own arm is the better input if you can measure it. The workbench height page has the calculator and the reasoning, including why heavy work wants a bench that feels far too low until you use it.
What this hub deliberately does not do
There are no buy buttons on these pages. Reference content that sells you something has an incentive to reach a particular conclusion, and the whole value of a conversion table is that it does not. The spec pages link into the product hubs where a recommendation is the point, and that is the extent of it.
Where to go from here
- Steel gauge - what the number means and why it is backwards.
- Drawer capacity - the calculator for your own heaviest drawer.
- Drawer slides - ball bearing, full extension, and what a rating covers.
- Workbench height - the calculator, from your own height.
- How boxes are measured - width, depth, and what the number excludes.
- Workbench tops - materials and thickness.
- Casters - load ratings and rolling a loaded box.
Everything in this section
7 pages. Roundups and tools first, then the comparisons, then the guides.
Calculator
Workbench height, worked out from your own body
The elbow-height rule, a table by height and task, a calculator, and the four things that silently change the number.
Reference
Tool box steel gauge, converted into something you can use
Every gauge used in tool storage converted to inches and millimeters, why the numbers run backwards, and what thicker steel actually buys.
Reference
Ball-bearing drawer slides, and what a rating covers
How the mechanism works, why ratings are per pair at full extension, what the capacity tiers mean, and the four stages of failure.
Reference
How tool boxes are measured, and what the number leaves out
What the width figure includes and excludes, the cubic-inch conversion, and the measurements the listing will never give you.
Reference
Workbench tops: thickness first, then material
Why thickness beats material, the five surfaces compared, and the vise-mounting check that is not retrofittable.
Reference
Casters: the component that decides whether the box moves
Load per caster worked out, why diameter is about obstacles rather than weight, and how to move several hundred pounds without tipping it.
Common questions
Is a lower gauge number thicker steel?
Yes. Gauge counts down as thickness goes up, because the standard is derived from weight per square foot rather than from a measurement. 14 gauge is 0.0747 in and 22 gauge is 0.0299 in. The full table and the reason.
Are drawer slide ratings per slide or per pair?
Per pair, at full extension. A drawer described as 100 lb holds 100 lb in total, not 200. Published guidance also recommends designing to 70-80 percent of the rating. The drawer slides page.
How do I convert cubic inches of tool storage to something useful?
Divide by 1,728. A chest published at 15,877 cu in is about 9.2 cu ft; a 56 in combo set at 42,876 cu in is about 24.8 cu ft. Cubic inches is the unit makers publish and cubic feet is the one you can picture. How boxes are measured.