Attention all anal retentive record collectors. I was asked by a friend at work this question and I have no idea and google isnt helping for once. How thick are records 12" or 7".
Thanks
Abe

It really depends, I'm sure there are standards by each company but there are some thin ones and some thick ones...

I once saw a measurement on a 180g 12" I bought but can't remember.
sorry this post usesless.

I'm no expert Abe, but I think varies not only on the company but when the record was pressed. I do know that I love the feel of a 180 gram slab of vinyl in my hands.

There are no real standards for 12". Same with LPs. It really depends on the decade, type, country of origin and label.

180 gram is usually considered thick already for it's quality and also I feel it helps the sound too. I remember a lot of Blue Note reissues advertised as 180 gram so it's considered a premium product.

Example like the old disco LPs from Taiwan and HK were super thin. 12" from the US is thinner on average than the UK for the last 25 years. During the 80's the dance 12" from Australia were so thin it wobbles and bends. Somehow the recording level is a lot lower too but not sure if that is due to the thickness of the vinyl.

The best 12" records are from Japan. I have some 12" which are so thick I have to raise the needle adjustment since the angle scratches the sides of the needle cartridge. It feels so amazing when you take it out, just says QUALITY but sometimes it is a bit awkward when djing due to weight and also flexibility issues (like when you flip sides with one hand).

All I know is sound quality drops with dyed colored vinyl. Printed vinyl like picture discs are a lot better in sound than colored vinyl...maybe again due to thickness (most picture discs are super thick - I assume for collectors market). So if you like to collect these and keep them mint, go buy another when the normal pressing comes out and play on that one.

Wow thanks Kid! Thats actually very informative and helps alot
And thanks to everyone else whos chimed in too.

Maybe my memory is faulty on this, but weren't most picture discs of the mid-to-late '70s actually to "halves" of vinyl with the photo disc in the middle? I remember that the circa '78 picture disc release of "Sargeant Pepper" was very thick, and appeared to be assembled in this way, which would account for extra thickness.

Otherwise as I recall vinyl really did vary greatly in thickness back then. I was really surprised when I found a bunch of old shellac 78 rpms in my grandparents' home ... they were super-thick and heavy, but then, they weren't vinyl.

Some info on picture discs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_disk#Picture_discs

My favorite picture disc was the Joy Division one where Ian mumbled in a high-pitched squeaky voice, surprisingly different from his singing voice, while being interviewed in a noisy restaurant so that you couldn't really hear what he was saying. Totally pointless relic.

I'll have to respectfully disagree with kid:
but I've been told by the people at Erika(vinyl producers here in US and the only ones who still make picture discs as far as i know) that the sound quality of picture discs tends to be the worst of them all. Also that quality between vinyl colors isn't much different than regular. Quality comes down to experience and vinyl quality.
Musicol is well known for producing some of the best quality vinyl here in the US. United pressing out of TN is used quite a bit by small labels as they still do small runs. The quality is average. That's where most of my experiences come from.

Although there is a place in Czech republic that makes some of the thickest vinyl ever. They are called GZ digital and the vinyl colors they make are amazing. Unfortunately all GZ stuff just sounds average at best. Too many people are using them nowadays because of the vinyl looks like as opposed to the sounds. Pirates press out of SF is their official US broker.

I think picture discs are basically laminated pictures, more for novilty than sound quality. I have heard marbled color discs can be pretty bad, and while solid colors are not as high quality as black vinyl, some can be very nice.

having spent 5 years as a record buyer,,
i have to mainly agree with kidclam...

of course,,thickness & quality ranges from company to company,,year made,,etc etc etc...

but as a general rule,,the best quality vinyl is generally made in the UK,,germany & japan..

US made vinyl really varies from company to company....some is great & others really bad,,i think it really depends on the pressing plant & the amount of funding in this case...

australian,,spanish,,brazilian and italian pressings tend to be pretty flimsy...they warp easy if left in the sun & the grooves wear down very fast...

there is no standard thickness,,,but 180g re-presses are usually the heaviest and tend to have some of the best sound...

the heaviest vinyl around are acetate dubplates,,which have amazing sound,,,but their playlife is very limited,,the grooves only last about 50-60 plays...these are usually made for professional dj play only...

yes,,picture disks & coloured are the weakest sound-wise & for durability of the grooves...

of course,,they are more desirable for collecting reasons,,but it is best to get a regular black vinyl pressing if you are just looking to play..

After spinning since I was 15 and playing records from my parents collection since I was 5, I can say that picture discs, in general, are greatly varied in quality. The fact that its thick vinyl makes no difference. I got a Time Unlimited classics record, looked great, sound decent, then my needle wouldn't track in parts of the vinyl, and I have found that on a few picture discs. There is an episode of How Its Made that shows the whole record making process, really cool seeing those hockey puck looking biscuits become discs. You can find it on youtube most likely.

Acetates are freakin' amazing, so great knowing that gem can only be played so many times is so awesome, and even though a crowd doesn't know it, they do, the sound is so warm and changes the mood of a whole room. Also you have to really think about bringing it out for your set because you know it will be gone soon. Nothing like it.

Just out of curiosity did you ask your friend why he wanted to know how thick a record was?

It was one of those water cooler conversations that provoked a firestorm of record nerdery in the office.