Although not always, thinner rod or gauge tubing usually lighter in weight and not as secure and rigid as those beds with larger tubing of 1″ or greater in diameter.
When referring to thinner gauge iron beds, it has to do more with the top of the head and footboard of the bed……the rod or tubing that goes across the top of the design. Thinner gauge beds usually have 3/8″ solid rod that goes across the top and then meets on the side corner casting. That corner casting will be on top of the 1″ diameter side pole that starts on the floor and goes up the side. This side pole is what gives the bed it’s strength and rigidity. All beds have at least the 1″ diameter side poles.
Thinner gauge beds have a lighter overall look and are good for children’s rooms and rooms where not much visual impact is necessary.
The usual drawback to thinner gauge beds is the degree of “flex” the headboard will have if you like to stack pillows against it to either read in bed or watch TV. Although a thinner gauge headboard certainly won’t break…….the bending will be very disconcerting.
Beds of the thinner gauge also tend to move more when you’re in them.
Thicker gauge beds with the same size tubing going across the top as on the side’s, will always have more rigidity and less “flex”. Movement in the bed will also not effect the stability movement of the bed.
Thicker gauge beds also require larger size castings to effectively tie all the tubing securely together. This obviously creates considerable more weight and thus less movement, once the bed is securely set up.
As I mentioned in the beginning………there’s something to be said for both thinner and thicker gauge beds.
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