What size is a #28 drill bit?

A #28 drill bit is 0.1405 in in diameter, which is 3.569 mm.

What is the metric equivalent of a #28 drill bit?

The closest metric drill to a #28 drill bit (3.569 mm) is 3.6 mm, which is 3.600 mm — 0.0012 in larger.

What fraction is a #28 drill bit closest to?

A #28 drill bit (0.1405 in) sits closest to the 9/64" fractional drill at 0.1406 in, a difference of 0.0001 in.

Number drill · #28

#28 Drill Bit Size — Decimal Inch, Millimetre and Tap Sizes

https://shopmath.org/drills/number/28 · data verified August 1, 2026

A #28 drill bit is 0.1405 in (3.569 mm) in diameter. The nearest fractional size is 9/64" at 0.1406 in. Diameters are nominal.

Series: Number
Designation: #28
Inch: 0.1405
mm: 3.569
Standard: ANSI/ASME B94.11M

Number Drill · #28 · nominal diameter

0.1405 in

Millimetre: 3.569mm

Nominal diameter. A worn or run-out drill cuts oversize, which leaves less thread in a tapped hole than the table says.

#28 Drill Bit Size in Inches and Millimetres

The nominal diameter of a #28 drill bit. Drill sizes are nominal — a worn drill, run-out or a soft material that closes in behind the cut all move the finished hole.

#28 drill bit — decimal inch and millimetre diameter
Property	Value
Diameter, decimal inch	0.1405 in
Diameter, millimetre	3.569 mm
Cross-sectional area	0.01550 in²

1 in = 25.4 mm exactly, so the two columns are the same value in different units, not two measurements.

Threads a #28 Drill Bit Taps

Every thread in this reference whose tap drill is the #28 drill bit, and the thread engagement it leaves. The engagement asked for and the engagement the drill actually produces are different numbers — that gap is why both columns are here.

Threads tapped with a #28 drill bit, by thread engagement
Thread	Series	Thread % asked for	Thread % this drill leaves
#8-36 UNF	Unified Fine (UNF)	65%	65.1
#8-36 UNF	Unified Fine (UNF)	70%	65.1
#8-32 UNC	Unified Coarse (UNC)	60%	57.9

Values are for cut taps. Rows marked default are the shop-default engagement for that thread.

#28 Drill Bit Equivalents in Every Other Drill Series

The closest size to the #28 drill bit in each of the other three indexes, with the difference in inches. None of them is the same drill — check the difference before substituting one into a tapped hole.

Nearest number, letter, fractional and metric equivalents to a #28 drill bit
Property	Property	Diameter		Property
Drill	Series	in	mm	Difference, in
A	Letter	0.2340	5.944	+0.0935
9/64"	Fractional	0.1406	3.572	+0.0001
3.6 mm	Metric	0.1417	3.600	+0.0012

A positive difference means the equivalent drill is larger, which leaves less thread in a tapped hole. Sizes without a link are stored for the nearest-drill calculation but do not carry their own page.

Drill Sizes Either Side of the #28 Drill Bit

Ordered by diameter across all four indexes, so the next size up may be a letter, a fraction or a metric drill rather than the next one in this series.

Standard drill sizes adjacent to a #28 drill bit, by diameter
Property	Property	Diameter
Drill	Series	in	mm
#29	Number	0.1360	3.454
3.5 mm	Metric	0.1378	3.500
#28	Number	0.1405	3.569
9/64"	Fractional	0.1406	3.572
3.6 mm	Metric	0.1417	3.600

Sources and Method for the #28 Drill Bit Size

Drill diametercompiled

Number/letter: bd_warehouse drill_sizes.csv (Apache-2.0) cross-checked against Wikipedia Drill bit sizes (CC BY-SA 4.0). Fractional: computed 1/64 in steps per ANSI B94.11M. Metric: computed BS 328 increment pattern.

Verified against Wikipedia Drill bit sizes (CC BY-SA 4.0); 31/31 checks passed

Compiled from independent public sources that agree cell-for-cell.

Tap drill usagecomputed+compiled

bd_warehouse drill_sizes.csv (Apache-2.0) + Wikipedia Drill bit sizes (CC BY-SA 4.0); fractional and metric computed from ANSI B94.11M / BS 328 increment patterns

Verified against drills: 31 checks passed across 1 harness(es)

Part computed from the standard's formulas, part compiled from agreeing public sources.

Assumptions

Diameters are nominal. Drill manufacturing tolerance, wear and run-out all cut oversize, and every one of those moves a tapped hole toward less thread than the table says.
Dataset scope: Number sizes #61-#80 are stored but tagged demandTier 'extended' — query-space-map.md Appendix A found the tail thinning in the 60s. Sizes below #80 and metric sizes above 25.0 mm excluded.

Data last verified

August 1, 2026

How this data is built and checked →

How to Cite This #28 Drill Bit Reference

Citation

ShopMath. "#28 Drill Bit Size — Decimal Inch, Millimetre and Tap Sizes." ShopMath, verified August 1, 2026, https://shopmath.org/drills/number/28

BibTeX

@misc{shopmath-drills-number-28,
  title        = {#28 Drill Bit Size — Decimal Inch, Millimetre and Tap Sizes},
  author       = {{ShopMath}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://shopmath.org/drills/number/28}},
  note         = {Data verified 2026-08-01}
}

Permanent URL

https://shopmath.org/drills/number/28

Common Questions About the #28 Drill Bit

What size is a #28 drill bit?: A #28 drill bit is 0.1405 in in diameter, which is 3.569 mm.
What is the metric equivalent of a #28 drill bit?: The closest metric drill to a #28 drill bit (3.569 mm) is 3.6 mm, which is 3.600 mm — 0.0012 in larger.
What fraction is a #28 drill bit closest to?: A #28 drill bit (0.1405 in) sits closest to the 9/64" fractional drill at 0.1406 in, a difference of 0.0001 in.

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