Lead Sheets for Shielding, Lining and Building

There is no single number, and anyone who quotes one without seeing your layout is guessing. The required lead equivalence depends on the X-ray tube voltage, the workload, the distance to the wall and who sits on the other side: a corridor, an office or an empty yard. In India, diagnostic X-ray rooms must meet the requirements of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), and the shielding thickness for each wall, door and window comes from the approved room layout or a radiation physicist's calculation.

Once you have that thickness, we can supply plain lead sheet to suit. Doors are usually lined with sheet sandwiched in the door leaf, and walls either with sheet fixed behind board or with lead-lined panels. Joints must overlap; a butt joint in lead shielding leaks radiation.

Lead weighs about 11.34 kg per square metre for every millimetre of thickness. A 2 mm sheet is roughly 22.7 kg/m², and a typical 1 m × 2 m sheet at that thickness is over 45 kg, which matters for handling, wall fixing and door hinges.

In building work, especially on British-style specifications, thickness is given as a code number under BS EN 12588. Code 3 is about 1.32 mm, Code 4 about 1.80 mm, Code 5 about 2.24 mm, rising to Code 8 at about 3.55 mm. The table further down lists the nominal weights. Indian chemical and general lead sheet is covered by IS 405, Part 1 for chemical purposes and Part 2 for other uses.

Lead resists sulphuric acid because it forms an insoluble lead sulphate film that seals the surface. That is why lead has long been used to line sulphuric acid tanks, pickling vats, chromium plating tanks and acid drains. Joints in linings are made by lead burning, a fusion weld with a gas torch and a lead filler strip, not by soldering. It is skilled work, and a good lead burner is worth seeking out.

For chemical service, order sheet to IS 405 Part 1, which controls purity more tightly. Lead is not suitable for nitric acid, acetic acid or strong alkalis. For electroplating shops, our electroplating and finishing industry page covers the related anodes and metals.

Pure, or soft, lead creeps slowly under its own weight, so tall vertical linings and long unsupported spans can sag over the years. Adding antimony, typically a few percent, produces hard or antimonial lead, which is stiffer and stronger and is used for parts that must hold their shape. Lead-antimony alloys are covered in India by IS 1654. More on that alloying element is on our antimony page.

Sound passes easily through light, stiff partitions. A thin layer of lead adds a lot of mass without stiffness, so it is used inside generator enclosures, studio and audiometry room walls, and around noisy pipework. Thin sheet of about 1 mm or less is common for this, often bonded to foam or board. Under heavy machines, lead or lead-faced pads help soak up vibration, though rubber and spring mounts have taken over much of that work.

• Wear gloves when handling sheet and wash hands before eating, drinking or smoking; most lead exposure at work is by swallowing dust from the hands.
• Cutting with snips or a knife makes no fume. Melting, lead burning and hot cutting do, so use extraction and respiratory protection.
• Do not use compressed air or dry sweeping to clean lead dust; vacuum or wet-wipe instead.
• Store and dispose of lead offcuts as scrap metal, not general waste. Scrap lead has good resale value.

Give us the thickness (or lead code, or kg/m²), sheet size or roll width, the quantity in square metres or kilograms, and whether it is for shielding, chemical or building use. Sizes are confirmed at enquiry. Lead sheet from us is backed by a test certificate through a Govt. recognised test house. If you are casting your own parts, see lead ingots instead.