What size is a #9 drill bit?

A #9 drill bit is 0.1960 in in diameter, which is 4.978 mm.

What is the metric equivalent of a #9 drill bit?

The closest metric drill to a #9 drill bit (4.978 mm) is 5 mm, which is 5.000 mm — 0.0008 in larger.

What fraction is a #9 drill bit closest to?

A #9 drill bit (0.1960 in) sits closest to the 13/64" fractional drill at 0.2031 in, a difference of 0.0071 in.

What bolt fits through a #9 drill bit hole?

A hole drilled with a #9 drill bit is the standard normal clearance hole for #8-36 UNF, and a clearance hole for 1 other fastener sizes listed on this page.

Number drill · #9

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

https://shopmath.org/drills/number/9 · data verified August 1, 2026

A #9 drill bit is 0.1960 in (4.978 mm) in diameter. The nearest fractional size is 13/64" at 0.2031 in. Diameters are nominal.

Series: Number
Designation: #9
Inch: 0.1960
mm: 4.978
Standard: ANSI/ASME B94.11M

Number Drill · #9 · nominal diameter

0.1960 in

Millimetre: 4.978mm

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

#9 Drill Bit Size in Inches and Millimetres

The nominal diameter of a #9 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.

#9 drill bit — decimal inch and millimetre diameter
Property	Value
Diameter, decimal inch	0.1960 in
Diameter, millimetre	4.978 mm
Cross-sectional area	0.03017 in²

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

Threads a #9 Drill Bit Taps

Every thread in this reference whose tap drill is the #9 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 #9 drill bit, by thread engagement
Thread	Series	Thread % asked for	Thread % this drill leaves
#12-32 UNEF	Unified Extra Fine (UNEF)	50%	49.3
1/4"-20 UNC	Unified Coarse (UNC)	85%	83.1

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

Fasteners That Pass Through a #9 Drill Bit Hole

A hole drilled with a #9 drill bit is the standard clearance hole for these fasteners — the through-hole the bolt passes freely, not the tapped hole.

Fasteners whose clearance hole is drilled with a #9 drill bit
Fastener	Series	Clearance class
#8-36 UNF	Unified Fine (UNF)	normal
#8-32 UNC	Unified Coarse (UNC)	normal

Clearance classes per ISO 273 (metric) and ASME B18.2.8 (inch): close for located joints, normal for general assembly, loose for slotted or adjustable joints.

#9 Drill Bit Equivalents in Every Other Drill Series

The closest size to the #9 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 #9 drill bit
Property	Property	Diameter		Property
Drill	Series	in	mm	Difference, in
A	Letter	0.2340	5.944	+0.0380
13/64"	Fractional	0.2031	5.159	+0.0071
5 mm	Metric	0.1968	5.000	+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 #9 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 #9 drill bit, by diameter
Property	Property	Diameter
Drill	Series	in	mm
4.9 mm	Metric	0.1929	4.900
#10	Number	0.1935	4.915
#9	Number	0.1960	4.978
5 mm	Metric	0.1968	5.000
#8	Number	0.1990	5.055

Sources and Method for the #9 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 #9 Drill Bit Reference

Citation

ShopMath. "#9 Drill Bit Size — Decimal Inch, Millimetre and Tap Sizes." ShopMath, verified August 1, 2026, https://shopmath.org/drills/number/9

BibTeX

@misc{shopmath-drills-number-9,
  title        = {#9 Drill Bit Size — Decimal Inch, Millimetre and Tap Sizes},
  author       = {{ShopMath}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://shopmath.org/drills/number/9}},
  note         = {Data verified 2026-08-01}
}

Permanent URL

https://shopmath.org/drills/number/9

Common Questions About the #9 Drill Bit

What size is a #9 drill bit?: A #9 drill bit is 0.1960 in in diameter, which is 4.978 mm.
What is the metric equivalent of a #9 drill bit?: The closest metric drill to a #9 drill bit (4.978 mm) is 5 mm, which is 5.000 mm — 0.0008 in larger.
What fraction is a #9 drill bit closest to?: A #9 drill bit (0.1960 in) sits closest to the 13/64" fractional drill at 0.2031 in, a difference of 0.0071 in.
What bolt fits through a #9 drill bit hole?: A hole drilled with a #9 drill bit is the standard normal clearance hole for #8-36 UNF, and a clearance hole for 1 other fastener sizes listed on this page.

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