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ISO 286 · shaft tolerance · IT6

r6 Tolerance — Shaft Limits by Nominal Size

A 25 mm r6 shaft runs 25.028 to 25.041 mm — deviations of +28 to +41 µm on a tolerance band 13 µm wide. The r sets where the band sits (medium interference) and IT6 sets how wide it is. Medium drive shaft for interference fits that transmit load through the joint. All values apply at 20 °C.

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

r6 shaft at Ø25 mm · deviation, µm

+41 / +28

Max Ø
25.041mm
Min Ø
25.028mm
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

r6 Shaft Limits at Every Verified Nominal Size

Deviations in micrometres and finished limits in millimetres. These are the thirteen nominal sizes with verified demand; the deviation pattern continues across the full ISO 286 size range.

r6 shaft tolerance — deviations and limits by nominal size
PropertyDeviation, µmLimits, mmProperty
Nominal ØUpperLowerMinMaxTolerance band, µm
5 mm+23+155.0155.0238
6 mm+23+156.0156.0238
8 mm+28+198.0198.0289
10 mm+28+1910.01910.0289
12 mm+34+2312.02312.03411
16 mm+34+2316.02316.03411
20 mm+41+2820.02820.04113
25 mm+41+2825.02825.04113
30 mm+41+2830.02830.04113
40 mm+50+3440.03440.05016
50 mm+50+3450.03450.05016
80 mm+62+4380.04380.06219
100 mm+73+51100.051100.07322

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 r6, Across ISO 286 Size Bands

The number in r6 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 r shaft Tolerance in r6

The letter in r6 sets where the tolerance band sits relative to the nominal size: medium interference. The grade then adds the band width to that starting point.

Fundamental deviation of r (shaft) by nominal size band
Nominal size bandFundamental deviation, µmWhich limit it sets
over 3 to 6 mm+15lower (ei / EI)
over 6 to 10 mm+19lower (ei / EI)
over 10 to 18 mm+23lower (ei / EI)
over 18 to 30 mm+28lower (ei / EI)
over 30 to 40 mm+34lower (ei / EI)
over 40 to 50 mm+34lower (ei / EI)
over 50 to 65 mm+41lower (ei / EI)
over 65 to 80 mm+43lower (ei / EI)
over 80 to 100 mm+51lower (ei / EI)
over 100 to 120 mm+54lower (ei / EI)
over 120 to 140 mm+63lower (ei / EI)
over 140 to 160 mm+65lower (ei / EI)
over 160 to 180 mm+68lower (ei / EI)
over 180 to 200 mm+77lower (ei / EI)
over 200 to 225 mm+80lower (ei / EI)
over 225 to 250 mm+84lower (ei / EI)
over 250 to 280 mm+94lower (ei / EI)
over 280 to 315 mm+98lower (ei / EI)
over 315 to 355 mm+108lower (ei / EI)
over 355 to 400 mm+114lower (ei / EI)

The fundamental deviation is the limit nearest the nominal size. For a hole it is the lower limit for letters A–H and the upper limit above that; the other limit follows from the IT grade.

Standard Fits That Use the r6 Tolerance

A tolerance on its own is half a fit. These are the standard ISO 286 pairs r6 appears in, with what each one is used for.

Standard ISO 286 fits that use r6
FitTypeBasisWhat it is for
H7/r6interferencehole basisMedium drive. The joint itself carries load.

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

Sources and Method for the r6 Tolerance Data

r6 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.

r 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 r6 Tolerance Reference

Citation

ShopMath. "r6 Tolerance — Shaft Limits by Nominal Size." ShopMath, verified August 1, 2026, https://shopmath.org/fits/r6

BibTeX

@misc{shopmath-fits-r6,
  title        = {r6 Tolerance — Shaft Limits by Nominal Size},
  author       = {{ShopMath}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://shopmath.org/fits/r6}},
  note         = {Data verified 2026-08-01}
}

Permanent URL

https://shopmath.org/fits/r6

Common Questions About the r6 Tolerance

What is the tolerance of a 25 mm r6 shaft?

A 25 mm r6 shaft runs 25.028 to 25.041 mm — deviations of +28 to +41 µm, a tolerance band 13 µm wide.

What does r6 mean?

r6 is an ISO 286 shaft tolerance. The r sets the fundamental deviation — medium interference — and the 6 is the IT6 tolerance grade, which sets how wide the band is. Medium drive shaft for interference fits that transmit load through the joint.

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 r6?

r6 appears in 1 standard ISO 286 fits: H7/r6 (interference).

Every ISO 286 designation and fit · ISO 286 tolerance chart