Sheet Thickness

Sheet materials in FRC come in standard thickness increments. These increments strongly affect stiffness, weight, and how parts behave under load.

Common Sheet Thickness Increments

Most sheet materials (aluminum, polycarbonate, plastics) are typically available in:

• 1/16"
• 1/8"
• 3/16"
• 1/4"
• 3/8"
• 1/2"

These standard sizes are what most FRC designs are based on.

How Thickness Affects Strength

1/16"

• Very lightweight
• Low stiffness
• Easily flexes under load
• Best for lightnon-structural covers or non-structurallight panels

1/8"

• Common general-purpose thickness
• BalancedGood balance of stiffness and weight
• GoodWidely used for gussets and light structural plates

3/16"

• Noticeably stiffer than 1/8"
• BetterMuch better resistance to bending and vibration
• Heavier,Used usedwhen forhigher morestructural loadedrigidity structuresis needed

1/4"

• High stiffness and strength
• Strong resistance to impactbending and bendingimpact
• Significant weight increase
• Used for structural or high-load plates

3/8"

• Very rigid
• Used in rarespecialized high-load or specializedmounting applications
• Often heavier than necessary for most FRCrobot robotsmechanisms

1/2"

• Extremely stiff and strong
• Minimal flex even under highheavy loadloads
• Very heavy for robotics use
• Typically only usedreserved for specialty mounts or extreme-load components

KeyWhy StrengthTeams IdeaPocket Parts

Thickness has a non-linear effect on stiffness:

• SmallReduces increasesweight inwithout thicknessfully producereducing largestiffness increaseswhere init rigiditymatters
• AMaintains 1/4"strength platealong isouter significantlyload morepaths resistantwhile removing unnecessary material
• Improves robot performance by lowering overall mass
• Allows designs to bending than a 1/8" plate

This is why most FRC designs stay at:

• 1/8" for light structures
• 3/16" for stronger plates
• Only going thicker when absolutely necessary

Material Interaction

Thickness also depends on material type:

• Aluminum →structurally efficient strength-to-weight
instead
• Polycarbonateof →uniformly remains flexible even when thick
• Plastics → stiffness depends heavily on reinforcement
• Steel → very strong even at thin sectionsoverbuilt

Key Idea

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