British battleship guns are described as progressing through 12, 13.5, 15, 16.5, and 18 inches, while the American sequence uses 12, 14, 16, and 18 inches. The smaller British steps are tied to production machinery and logistics rather than calibre alone. Extra stopping points let designers and industry measure and control successive increases more closely. Gun standards therefore belong to an industrial development system as well as a competition for heavier armament.
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British and American battleship caliber steps
British half-inch caliber increments are contrasted with larger American steps as different ways to manage gun development and the qualitative battleship race.