Dial thickness gauges, also known as manual or analog thickness gauges, find the thickness of flat stock like sheet metal or paper. These gauges are operated with a lever, trigger, or button that opens the jaw by retracting the spindle and then the workpiece will be held between contact points on the spindle and anvil to determine the thickness. The analog dial display will record the measurement by the position of the needle against a graduated scale on the dial face. These thickness gauges are commonly used in machining, engineering, and metal fabrication.