What size is a #55 drill bit?

A #55 drill bit is 0.0520 in in diameter, which is 1.321 mm.

What is the metric equivalent of a #55 drill bit?

The closest metric drill to a #55 drill bit (1.321 mm) is 1.3 mm, which is 1.300 mm — 0.0008 in smaller.

What fraction is a #55 drill bit closest to?

A #55 drill bit (0.0520 in) sits closest to the 3/64" fractional drill at 0.0469 in, a difference of 0.0051 in.

Number drill · #55

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

https://shopmath.org/drills/number/55 · data verified August 1, 2026

A #55 drill bit is 0.0520 in (1.321 mm) in diameter. The nearest fractional size is 3/64" at 0.0469 in. Diameters are nominal.

Series: Number
Designation: #55
Inch: 0.0520
mm: 1.321
Standard: ANSI/ASME B94.11M

Number Drill · #55 · nominal diameter

0.0520 in

Millimetre: 1.321mm

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

#55 Drill Bit Size in Inches and Millimetres

The nominal diameter of a #55 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.

#55 drill bit — decimal inch and millimetre diameter
Property	Value
Diameter, decimal inch	0.0520 in
Diameter, millimetre	1.321 mm
Cross-sectional area	0.00212 in²

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

Threads a #55 Drill Bit Taps

Every thread in this reference whose tap drill is the #55 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 #55 drill bit, by thread engagement
Thread	Series	Thread % asked for	Thread % this drill leaves
#0-80 UNF	Unified Fine (UNF)	50%	49.3
#0-80 UNF	Unified Fine (UNF)	60%	49.3
#0-80 UNF	Unified Fine (UNF)	65%	49.3

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

#55 Drill Bit Equivalents in Every Other Drill Series

The closest size to the #55 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 #55 drill bit
Property	Property	Diameter		Property
Drill	Series	in	mm	Difference, in
A	Letter	0.2340	5.944	+0.1820
3/64"	Fractional	0.0469	1.191	−0.0051
1.3 mm	Metric	0.0512	1.300	−0.0008

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 #55 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 #55 drill bit, by diameter
Property	Property	Diameter
Drill	Series	in	mm
1.25 mm	Metric	0.0492	1.250
1.3 mm	Metric	0.0512	1.300
#55	Number	0.0520	1.321
1.35 mm	Metric	0.0532	1.350
#54	Number	0.0550	1.397

Sources and Method for the #55 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 #55 Drill Bit Reference

Citation

ShopMath. "#55 Drill Bit Size — Decimal Inch, Millimetre and Tap Sizes." ShopMath, verified August 1, 2026, https://shopmath.org/drills/number/55

BibTeX

@misc{shopmath-drills-number-55,
  title        = {#55 Drill Bit Size — Decimal Inch, Millimetre and Tap Sizes},
  author       = {{ShopMath}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://shopmath.org/drills/number/55}},
  note         = {Data verified 2026-08-01}
}

Permanent URL

https://shopmath.org/drills/number/55

Common Questions About the #55 Drill Bit

What size is a #55 drill bit?: A #55 drill bit is 0.0520 in in diameter, which is 1.321 mm.
What is the metric equivalent of a #55 drill bit?: The closest metric drill to a #55 drill bit (1.321 mm) is 1.3 mm, which is 1.300 mm — 0.0008 in smaller.
What fraction is a #55 drill bit closest to?: A #55 drill bit (0.0520 in) sits closest to the 3/64" fractional drill at 0.0469 in, a difference of 0.0051 in.

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