Gauge guide: which thickness for which job
From 1 mm to 10 mm, every thickness in our range exists for a specific reason. This is the map.
Gauge is the specification that matters most and gets discussed least. Here is what each thickness in our range is for, and why paying for more is sometimes wrong.
1 mm — prep, not heat
Light, easy to handle, not intended to go on a flame.
Our parath is 1 mm across sizes 32 to 40 — 24 to 32 inches in diameter. It is a kneading and mixing vessel. The job is a wide, rigid, non-reactive surface that one person can pick up and tip, and adding mass would only make it worse.
Use for: atta kneading, marination, bulk mixing, cooling trays.
2 mm — deep vessels
The gauge for tall vessels holding liquid, where heat transfers through the food by convection rather than conduction across the base.
Our jointless patila is a uniform 2 mm through all twelve sizes, 25 to 125 litres. The large sizes are not thinned to save sheet — the 125-litre has the same wall as the 25-litre.
Use for: dal, stock, rice, anything liquid and deep.
3 mm — general-purpose responsive
Enough mass to even out a burner, little enough to heat quickly and stay liftable.
Found on the lighter deep kadai option, the jalebi kadai, the induction kadai, the lagan and the mahi tawa.
Use for: intermittent frying, quick turnaround, anywhere the burner is switched off between jobs.
6 mm — sustained service
Roughly double the thermal mass of 3 mm. Slower to heat, far steadier once there.
The heavier deep kadai option, the entire milk kadai range (6 mm only — there is no lighter version), and all eight sizes of our tawa range.
Use for: continuous frying, milk and khoya reduction, roti counters — anything running for hours without a break.
10 mm — griddle work
Very high thermal mass. Slow to preheat, almost immovable in temperature once hot.
The parantha tawa is 10 mm in all sizes, with a spiral rib on the underside to spread the flame.
Use for: paratha and kulcha counters, where cold stuffed dough lands on the surface every thirty seconds for hours.
The decision in one question
How long is this vessel on the heat at a stretch?
- Minutes at a time, switched off between: lighter gauge. It heats faster and costs less fuel.
- Hours continuously: heavier gauge. Stability matters more than responsiveness.
Buying 6 mm for a pan used in short bursts wastes money and fuel. Buying 3 mm for an all-day station costs you consistency and, eventually, the pan.
Specifying cookware for your kitchen?
Every product on this site publishes its full size chart — gauge, dimensions and weight for every size. If you would rather just describe the job, we will tell you what to order.
