Comprehensive Guide to Sheet Lead: Your Radiation Shielding Solution

architecture - engineering - construction

Comprehensive Guide to Sheet Lead: Your Radiation Shielding Solution

July 23, 2024

Sheet lead is a common, quick and cost-effective method to efficiently shield radiation in dental offices, vet clinics, health clinics, hospitals and other areas. It can also be used for roof flashing and can be laminated to drywall or plywood depending on your needs. Many customers have questions about sheet lead orders and clarifications about what we offer. We’ve gathered all the important information you need to know about sheet lead to help you complete your order below.

About Sheet Lead

What is the difference between a lead roll and lead sheet?

Lead sheets are rolled from 1/32” to 1/8” to save on freight costs by being able to put more lead on a smaller skid. The 1/8” material is quite heavy, so they are put onto 4” coils to make unrolling them easier. The lead in ¼” x 4 x 5 ft is shipped flat due to its weight and thickness.

What are lead strips and discs used for?

When you are shielding from radiation it is mandatory and essential to ensure there is no radiation shine through, or leaking, whatsoever. The ministry of health requests you overlap your sheets by 1”. A strip makes your work easier because you can simply put the lead strip right down the seam where the lead meets. The strip is 2” by the length of your sheet. Typically, 7ft, 8ft, and 10ft long. The strip goes down the seam and overlaps 1” on either side. Strips are also great for getting into the more challenging areas such as around an outlet or a corner. Lead discs will be glued onto the countersunk screw head to again insure there is no way of having a radiation leak. You will always be given enough lead discs based on how many rolls you order. For strips, it is recommended that you order one strip for each sheet of lead.

Is sheet lead heavy?

Sheet lead does start to get heavy after 1/16”. To give you a quick idea of weights simply take how many lbs the sheet weighs per square foot (sft) and multiply that by how many sft are in the sheet. For example, 1/16” x 4 x 10 ft – so 1/16” is approximately 4lbs in weight and there are 40 sft in this sheet, so 4 x 40 = 160 lbs, meaning this sheet will weigh 160 lbs.

What type of lead do you use?

When shielding from radiation it is important to get the right purity level of lead. In Canada ASTM B749 lead which is 99.94% pure is required for the medical and health industry. In the US QQ-L-201f2 or 99.5% pure lead is required. We can provide you with either, but the material that is standard stocked sheet lead is ASTM B749 material.

Do you offer leaded drywall or lead plywood?

Yes, we offer leaded drywall and lead plywood. While this material is not stocked, we can usually turn this material around for you in about 2 weeks depending on volume required and our warehouse schedule. Just ask at the time of quoting and we can give you a better idea. Please note we offer lead drywall in ½” thickness and more commonly in 5/8” thickness and the materials are always fire rated material.

Sheet Lead Sizing

What sizes do you have that are regularly stocked?

Our available stock includes 1/32” (0.8mm) in 4 x 7, 4 x 8 and 4 x 10 ft rolls. 1/16” (1.6mm) in 4 x 7, 4 x 8, and 4 x 10 ft rolls. 1/8” (3.2mm) in 4 x 8 and 4 x 10 ft rolls. We also stock ¼” (6mm) in 4 x 5 ft.

Do you have other thicknesses that you offer outside of your regular stock?

We can get most sizes within 3 weeks from 1/64” up to 2” thickness in the standard sizes. Material can be made longer than 10 ft if you require it, but it will require a minimum order of sheets to run this size. Contact us for more details.

Sheet Lead Pricing

How long can you hold my price?

Lead is constantly changing in price globally daily based on the LME. It can be quite significant due to the demand. We do our best to try to hold pricing for a month, however that may not always be possible so best to ask when you inquire, but your quote validity period will always be noted on your quote.

Sheet Lead Order Information

Do you have a minimum order?

Our minimum order price is $500, unless you have done an order with us within the month, and you need to add 1 or 2 extra rolls to complete a job.

Can you ship to us?

Yes, we can ship with certain restrictions. Sheet lead is usually on a 48” x 56” wood skid and can take a weight of about 2000 lbs. With freight there are important things to know and consider when shipping. If you are receiving drywall or plywood from us, you will be required to have a forklift at the offload point. This is because drywall and plywood come on oversized skids to protect their corners and are also heavy and fragile so a tailgate will not work. The other option is to pick up from us at your own risk or we can sell you the lead rolls to laminate onsite. Tailgate is an extra service but is the most common way to get the material to the ground. A tailgate holds a maximum weight of 1500 lbs so keep this in mind when ordering larger amounts, as you will most likely require more skids. Freight companies will also have an extra charge outside deliveries, appointments, and shipping to more restricted areas such as hospital, military or even residential areas.

How do I know what lead thickness to use for my shielding?

Typically for dental offices you would use 1/32”, for health and vet clinics 1/16” and then hospitals usually 1/8”. The best thing to do in this case is check the physicist or ministry report for the minimum shielding standards required based on the type of radiation you are shielding from. Never guess, as you do not want to risk putting up too little shielding.

Installing Sheet Lead Or Leaded Drywall

For instructions and information on how to install sheet lead, please see our Sheet Lead Installation Guidelines. For instructions on how to put leaded drywall up, download the resource at the bottom of the Lead Lined Drywall page. Remember when calculating your shielding to include an extra 1” overlap to ensure you have 100% coverage of shielding. This prevents any radiation shine through. We also offer lead strips in 2” thickness with lengths of the sheets to make your life easier. Just place the strip where the seams of the sheets meet, and you’ll have 100% coverage.

Ordering Sheet Lead From MarShield

MarShield, a division of Mars Metal, provides the highest quality sheet lead available. Our team can work with you to provide a sheet lead solution that meets all your needs. Our sheet lead information PDF resource can provide even more information about MarShield sheet lead features, options, and ordering. Visit our website to view our MarShield products for all your shielding needs. MarShield is your one stop shop that takes the hassle out of radiation shielding. You are also welcome to contact us directly to get more information or place an order.

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Company: MarsMetal