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ISO 286 · shaft tolerance · IT6

h6 Tolerance — Shaft Limits by Nominal Size

A 25 mm h6 shaft runs 24.987 to 25.000 mm — deviations of -13 to 0 µm on a tolerance band 13 µm wide. The h sets where the band sits (zero deviation — the basic shaft) and IT6 sets how wide it is. Precision basic shaft — zero upper deviation, the reference for locational clearance fits. All values apply at 20 °C.

Feature
shaft
Letter
h
Grade
IT6
Sizes
13
Standard
ISO 286-1:2010

h6 shaft at Ø25 mm · deviation, µm

0 / -13

Max Ø
25.000mm
Min Ø
24.987mm
Band
13µm

Deviations from the 25 mm nominal size, at 20 °C. Every other verified size is in the table below.

Source
ISO 286-1:2010, ISO 286-2:2010
Formula
max Ø = nominal + es min Ø = nominal + ei
Assumptions
Ø25 mm nominal, 18–30 mm size step, plain cylindrical feature, 20 °C. Deviations are tabulated in the standard and compiled here; the limits are those deviations added to the nominal size.
Verified
August 1, 2026

h6 Shaft Limits at Every Verified Nominal Size

Deviations in micrometres and finished limits in millimetres. Every size links to its own page.

h6 shaft tolerance — deviations and limits by nominal size
PropertyDeviation, µmLimits, mmProperty
Nominal ØUpperLowerMinMaxTolerance band, µm
5 mm0-84.9925.0008
6 mm0-85.9926.0008
8 mm0-97.9918.0009
10 mm0-99.99110.0009
12 mm0-1111.98912.00011
16 mm0-1115.98916.00011
20 mm0-1319.98720.00013
25 mm0-1324.98725.00013
30 mm0-1329.98730.00013
40 mm0-1639.98440.00016
50 mm0-1649.98450.00016
80 mm0-1979.98180.00019
100 mm0-2299.978100.00022

Deviations are relative to the nominal size: positive is above it, negative below. Limits assume the ISO 286 reference temperature of 20 °C.

The IT6 Tolerance Grade in h6, Across ISO 286 Size Bands

The number in h6 is the IT grade, and it sets how wide the tolerance band is. The band widens with size — that is the whole point of a graded tolerance system.

IT6 standard tolerance by nominal size band
Nominal size bandTolerance, µmTolerance, mm
over 0 to 3 mm60.006
over 3 to 6 mm80.008
over 6 to 10 mm90.009
over 10 to 18 mm110.011
over 18 to 30 mm130.013
over 30 to 50 mm160.016
over 50 to 80 mm190.019
over 80 to 120 mm220.022
over 120 to 180 mm250.025
over 180 to 250 mm290.029
over 250 to 315 mm320.032
over 315 to 400 mm360.036
over 400 to 500 mm400.040

Bands are open at the bottom and closed at the top: 'over 18 to 30 mm' includes 30 mm and excludes 18 mm.

Fundamental Deviation of the h shaft Tolerance in h6

The letter in h6 sets where the tolerance band sits relative to the nominal size: zero deviation — the basic shaft. The grade then adds the band width to that starting point.

h fundamental deviation

0µm

At every one of the 25 ISO 286 size bands, from 0 to 500 mm.

The h deviation does not change with size — it is the upper limit (es / ES) for every band, so IT6 alone decides how wide the band is. That is what makes h6 the basic shaft: one limit is pinned at the nominal size and the grade opens the other. Sizes are given in the limits table above, and the full band-by-band listing is in this page’s Markdown twin.

Standard Fits That Use the h6 Tolerance

A tolerance on its own is half a fit. These are the standard ISO 286 pairs h6 appears in, with what each one is used for.

Standard ISO 286 fits that use h6
FitTypeBasisWhat it is for
H7/h6clearancehole or shaftLocational clearance. Assembles by hand, no free movement intended.
G7/h6clearanceshaft basisSliding, shaft basis. The h6 shaft is the reference and the hole carries the clearance.
P7/h6interferenceshaft basisLocational interference, shaft basis.
K7/h6transitionshaft basisLocational transition, shaft basis.
N7/h6transitionshaft basisTight transition, shaft basis.

Clearance, transition and interference are properties of the pair, not of either tolerance alone.

Sources and Method for the h6 Tolerance Data

h6 limitscomputed

limits computed from the compiled ISO 286 tables: ISO 286-1 IT grades and ISO 286-2 fundamental deviations, compiled from saucecode/ISO286 (LGPL-2.1) and parkergreene/isofits (MIT), cross-checked cell-for-cell

Verified against parkergreene/isofits ISO 286-2 limit tables (MIT); ISO 286-1 formula harness — 2067 checks passed

Computed from the standard's formulas, then checked against published tables.

IT6 tolerance gradecompiled

ISO 286-1 IT grades and ISO 286-2 fundamental deviations, compiled from saucecode/ISO286 (LGPL-2.1) and parkergreene/isofits (MIT), cross-checked cell-for-cell

Verified against parkergreene/isofits ISO 286-2 limit tables (MIT); ISO 286-1 formula harness — 2067 checks passed. Formula per ISO 286-1 standard tolerance factor and fundamental deviation formulas, used as a validation harness only per docs/research/data-sourcing.md §3.6

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

h fundamental deviationcompiled

ISO 286-1 IT grades and ISO 286-2 fundamental deviations, compiled from saucecode/ISO286 (LGPL-2.1) and parkergreene/isofits (MIT), cross-checked cell-for-cell

Verified against parkergreene/isofits ISO 286-2 limit tables (MIT); ISO 286-1 formula harness — 2067 checks passed

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

Formula

Limits from the deviations, shaft tolerance

max Ø  =  nominal + es
min Ø  =  nominal + ei

  es = upper deviation (µm)
  ei = lower deviation (µm)

The deviations are tabulated in ISO 286-2 and compiled here; the limits are those deviations added to the nominal size, which is why both columns are shown.

Assumptions
  • Values apply at the ISO 286 reference temperature of 20 °C.
  • Limits are for a plain cylindrical feature. A tolerance letter says nothing about surface finish, form or roundness — those need their own callouts.
  • Dataset scope: COMPILED not computed: the ISO 286-1 formula deviates up to 13.26% from the table and is used only as a harness (warn >5%, fail >15%). EXCLUDED: shaft/hole letters s, t, u and the fits H7/s6, H7/t6, H7/u6 — no free source and an undetermined step constant in the formula.
Data last verified
August 1, 2026
How this data is built and checked →

How to Cite This h6 Tolerance Reference

Citation

ShopMath. "h6 Tolerance — Shaft Limits by Nominal Size." ShopMath, verified August 1, 2026, https://shopmath.org/fits/h6

BibTeX

@misc{shopmath-fits-h6,
  title        = {h6 Tolerance — Shaft Limits by Nominal Size},
  author       = {{ShopMath}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://shopmath.org/fits/h6}},
  note         = {Data verified 2026-08-01}
}

Permanent URL

https://shopmath.org/fits/h6

Common Questions About the h6 Tolerance

What is the tolerance of a 25 mm h6 shaft?

A 25 mm h6 shaft runs 24.987 to 25.000 mm — deviations of -13 to 0 µm, a tolerance band 13 µm wide.

What does h6 mean?

h6 is an ISO 286 shaft tolerance. The h sets the fundamental deviation — zero deviation — the basic shaft — and the 6 is the IT6 tolerance grade, which sets how wide the band is. Precision basic shaft — zero upper deviation, the reference for locational clearance fits.

How wide is the IT6 tolerance band?

IT6 is 13 µm wide for nominal sizes over 18 up to 30 mm, and widens with size — the full band table is on this page.

Which fits use h6?

h6 appears in 5 standard ISO 286 fits: H7/h6 (clearance), G7/h6 (clearance), P7/h6 (interference), K7/h6 (transition), N7/h6 (transition).

Is there a h6 page for each nominal size?

Yes — h6 carries a page for each of the thirteen nominal sizes with verified demand, from 5 mm to 100 mm, each with the limits, the IT grades at that size and the fits available there.

Every ISO 286 designation and fit · ISO 286 tolerance chart