Classes & Tolerance

Gagemaker tolerance classes per ASME B89.1.5, and the tolerance you surrender to the gauge.

HomeMetrologyHoles & BoresPin & PlugClasses

Gagemaker tolerance by diameter (inch)

Tolerances step up with diameter. Ranges are “above…to”; a boundary size takes the lower row.

Diameter (in)XXXXXXYZZZ
.010–.825.000010.000020.000040.000070.0001.0002
.825–1.510.000015.000030.000060.000090.00012.00024
1.510–2.510.000020.000040.000080.00012.00016.00032
2.510–4.510.000025.000050.0001.00015.0002.0004
4.510–6.510.000033.000065.00013.00019.00025.0005
6.510–9.010.000040.000080.00016.00024.00032.00064
9.010–12.010.000050.0001.0002.0003.0004.0008

Surrendering tolerance

Every gauge is paid for in tolerance. In absolute go/no-go gauging, the GO and NO-GO members each tolerance inward, so the headline surrender is GO + NO-GO = 2× the class tolerance (per-member is half). The coarser the gauge, the larger its cut — and you, not the drawing, cover it.

Worked example — Ø1.2390″ ±.0002

Band = .0004″, diameter in the .825–1.510″ row:

ClassClass tolSurrender (2×)% of bandVerdict
XX.000030.00006015%Tight but usable
X.000060.00012030%Heavy
ZZ.00024.00048120%Impossible

At 15–30% surrender this feature sits at the edge of fixed-limit gauging. If that’s unacceptable, move to variable measurement.