Unified Coarse (UNC) · #1-64 UNC
#1-64 UNC Thread — Dimensions, Tap Drill & Clearance
https://shopmath.org/threads/unc/1-64 · data verified August 1, 2026
The tap drill for #1-64 UNC is #53 — 0.0595 in (1.511 mm) — which leaves 66.5% thread engagement with a cut tap. Basic pitch diameter is 0.0629 in (1.598 mm) and basic minor diameter is 0.0561 in (1.425 mm). Tapped-hole figures on this page assume a class 2B thread; drill sizes for 50–85% engagement are in the tap drill table below.
- Series
- Unified Coarse (UNC)
- Designation
- #1-64 UNC
- TPI
- 64
- Standard
- ASME B1.1
Tap drill · 66.5% thread · cut tap
#53
- Drill Ø
- 0.0595in
- Drill Ø
- 1.511mm
- Clearance (normal)
- #43
Assumes 75% thread engagement with a cut tap and a class 2B hole. That drill actually leaves 66.5% thread.
Basic Thread Dimensions for #1-64 UNC
| Property | Inch | Millimetre |
|---|---|---|
| Basic major diameter | 0.0730 | 1.854 |
| Threads per inch | 64 | — |
| Pitch | 0.0156 | 0.397 |
| Basic pitch diameter | 0.0629 | 1.598 |
| Basic minor diameter | 0.0561 | 1.425 |
| External thread root diameter | 0.0544 | 1.382 |
| Sharp V thread height (H) | 0.0135 | 0.343 |
Threads per inch has no millimetre counterpart — metric threads are specified by pitch instead. Basic dimensions are the theoretical values before any tolerance class is applied.
Tap Drill Sizes for #1-64 UNC
Cut taps, from 50% to 85% thread engagement. The shop default is 75% — a #53 drill. Deeper engagement means more holding strength and more torque on the tap.
| Property | Target hole Ø | Nearest standard drill | Property | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thread % | in | mm | Drill | in | mm | Actual thread % |
| 50% | 0.0629 | 1.598 | 1/16 | 0.0625 | 1.587 | 51.7 |
| 60% | 0.0608 | 1.544 | #53 | 0.0595 | 1.511 | 66.5 |
| 65% | 0.0598 | 1.519 | #53 | 0.0595 | 1.511 | 66.5 |
| 70% | 0.0588 | 1.494 | #53 | 0.0595 | 1.511 | 66.5 |
| 75%default | 0.0578 | 1.468 | #53 | 0.0595 | 1.511 | 66.5 |
| 80% | 0.0568 | 1.443 | #54 | 0.0550 | 1.397 | 88.7 |
| 85% | 0.0557 | 1.415 | #54 | 0.0550 | 1.397 | 88.7 |
Target hole Ø is the theoretical hole for the stated engagement. The drill column is the nearest size in the standard number/letter/fractional/metric index, and actual thread % is what that real drill produces — the number that matters at the machine. Values are for cut taps. Tapped-hole figures assume a class 2B hole.
Clearance Hole Sizes for #1-64 UNC
The through-hole a #1-64 UNC fastener passes freely, not the tapped hole.
| Property | Property | Hole Ø | Property | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fit | Drill | in | mm | Use |
| Close | #45 | 0.0827 | 2.101 | Located joints, dowelled assemblies |
| Normal | #43 | 0.0906 | 2.301 | General assembly — the default |
| Loose | #38 | 0.1024 | 2.601 | Slotted or adjustable joints, weldments |
Clearance holes per ISO 273 (metric) and ASME B18.2.8 (inch). The drill column is the nearest standard drill at or above the specified hole diameter.
Thread Class Limits for #1-64 UNC
Manufacturing limits for classes 2B, 3B, 2A, 3A. A gauge reading outside these bands is a reject, not a judgement call.
| Property | Class 2A | Class 3A | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limit | in | mm | in | mm |
| Major Ø max | 0.0724 | 1.839 | 0.0730 | 1.854 |
| Major Ø min | 0.0687 | 1.745 | 0.0693 | 1.760 |
| Pitch Ø max | 0.0623 | 1.582 | 0.0629 | 1.598 |
| Pitch Ø min | 0.0603 | 1.532 | 0.0614 | 1.560 |
| Pitch Ø tolerance | 0.0020 | 0.051 | 0.0015 | 0.038 |
| Minor Ø max | 0.0521 | 1.323 | 0.0527 | 1.339 |
| Minor Ø min | 0.0501 | 1.272 | 0.0512 | 1.300 |
| Allowance | 0.0006 | 0.015 | 0.0000 | 0.000 |
| Property | Class 2B | Class 3B | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limit | in | mm | in | mm |
| Major Ø max | 0.0778 | 1.976 | 0.0772 | 1.961 |
| Major Ø min | 0.0730 | 1.854 | 0.0730 | 1.854 |
| Pitch Ø max | 0.0654 | 1.661 | 0.0648 | 1.646 |
| Pitch Ø min | 0.0629 | 1.598 | 0.0629 | 1.598 |
| Pitch Ø tolerance | 0.0026 | 0.066 | 0.0019 | 0.048 |
| Minor Ø max | 0.0622 | 1.580 | 0.0622 | 1.580 |
| Minor Ø min | 0.0561 | 1.425 | 0.0561 | 1.425 |
| Allowance | 0.0000 | 0.000 | 0.0000 | 0.000 |
Tensile Stress Area of #1-64 UNC
The effective cross-section used to size a #1-64 UNC fastener against a load. Multiply it by the material's allowable stress — the area itself carries no strength assumption.
| Property | in² | mm² |
|---|---|---|
| Tensile stress area | 0.00262 | 1.69 |
The formula this value comes from is in the sources section below.
Sources and Method for #1-64 UNC
- Basic dimensionscomputed
NBS Handbook H28 (1969) Part I §§6-7 (public domain, 17 U.S.C. 105); normative modern reference ASME B1.1; series membership: Series membership: threadlib UIS_thread.csv (BSD-3-Clause); cross-checked against NBS H28 (1969) Part I Table 2.21; clearance holes: ISO 273 (metric) and ASME B18.2.8 (inch) via FreeCAD FeatureHole.cpp (LGPL-2.1+), cross-checked against bd_warehouse clearance_hole_sizes.csv (Apache-2.0)
Verified against NBS H28 (1969) Part I, Table 2.21 (public domain); cross-checked against FreeCAD CAM thread tables (LGPL-2.1+) — 1064 checks passed at 0.0001 in
Computed from the standard's formulas, then checked against published tables.
- Tap drill sizescomputed
Machinery's Handbook %-thread formula (geometry-derived); nearest-standard-drill-to-75% rule verified at 36/39 published chart rows in docs/research/data-sourcing.md §3.4
Verified against Wikipedia Unified Thread Standard, preferred cutting tap drill size columns (CC BY-SA 4.0) — 36/39 published UNC+UNF rows reproduced
Computed from the standard's formulas, then checked against published tables.
- Class limitscomputed
NBS Handbook H28 (1969) Part I §§6-7 (public domain, 17 U.S.C. 105); normative modern reference ASME B1.1
Verified against NBS H28 (1969) Part I, Table 2.21 (public domain); cross-checked against FreeCAD CAM thread tables (LGPL-2.1+) — 1064 checks passed at 0.0001 in
Computed from the standard's formulas, then checked against published tables.
- Formula
Tap drill hole diameter, inch threads
hole Ø = D − (%thread ÷ 100) × (1.29904 ÷ n) D = basic major diameter (in) n = threads per inch
1.29904 = 2 × 0.64952, twice the engaged thread height per side on the 60° Unified profile.
Actual thread engagement of the chosen drill
%thread = (D − drill Ø) × n ÷ 1.29904 × 100
The drill column rounds to a real drill; this is the engagement that drill actually leaves.
Tensile stress area, Unified inch threads
At = 0.7854 × (D − 0.9743 ÷ n)²
ASME B1.1 / NBS H28 form. Reproduces the stored value exactly for this thread.
- Assumptions
- The headline tap drill assumes 75% thread engagement, the general shop default. Every other engagement from 50% to 85% is in the tap drill table — change the assumption and the number moves.
- Tap drill figures are for cut taps. Drill diameters are nominal; a worn or run-out drill cuts oversize and reduces engagement further.
- Tapped-hole figures assume a class 2B internal thread, the general-purpose fit.
- Dataset scope: Le = 1D for UNC/UNF, 9P for UNEF — determined empirically against H28 Table 2.21, resolving data-sourcing.md open item 5. EXCLUDED: form (roll) tap drills, class 1A/1B limits, class 1AR allowances, constant-pitch UN series.
- Data last verified
- August 1, 2026
How to Cite This #1-64 UNC Reference
Citation
ShopMath. "#1-64 UNC Thread — Dimensions, Tap Drill & Clearance." ShopMath, verified August 1, 2026, https://shopmath.org/threads/unc/1-64
BibTeX
@misc{shopmath-threads-unc-1-64,
title = {#1-64 UNC Thread — Dimensions, Tap Drill & Clearance},
author = {{ShopMath}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://shopmath.org/threads/unc/1-64}},
note = {Data verified 2026-08-01}
}Permanent URL
https://shopmath.org/threads/unc/1-64
Common Questions About #1-64 UNC
What is the tap drill size for #1-64 UNC?
- The tap drill for #1-64 UNC is #53 — 0.0595 in (1.511 mm). That leaves 66.5% thread engagement with a cut tap.
What is the pitch diameter of #1-64 UNC?
- The basic pitch diameter of #1-64 UNC is 0.0629 in (1.598 mm). For a class 2B thread it runs 0.0629 in (1.598 mm) to 0.0654 in (1.661 mm).
What is the minor diameter of #1-64 UNC?
- The basic minor diameter of #1-64 UNC is 0.0561 in (1.425 mm). That is the theoretical root of the internal thread, not the drilled hole size — see the tap drill table for the hole to drill.
What is the thread pitch of #1-64 UNC?
- #1-64 UNC has 64 threads per inch, a pitch of 0.0156 in (0.397 mm).
What size clearance hole does a #1-64 UNC fastener need?
- close fit #45 (0.0827 in (2.101 mm)), normal fit #43 (0.0906 in (2.301 mm)), loose fit #38 (0.1024 in (2.601 mm)). The normal fit is the general-assembly default.
What is the tensile stress area of #1-64 UNC?
- The tensile stress area of #1-64 UNC is 0.00262 in² (1.69 mm²). Multiply it by the fastener material's allowable stress to get a load.