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Metric/InchComparisons
METRICFASTENERS
ByGuyAvellon
Likeitornot,Metricsisheretostayandwewillsoonbeconvertingeverythingovertometrics.
ThomasJeffersonwasinitiatingthereforminhisdayandwehavebeensayingthemetricsare
comingsince1975.Exceptfortheautomotiveindustry,nothingelsehaschanged.
TheU.S.isthelastcountryintheworldtonotbeexclusiveusersofthemetricsystemineverything.
Wehavebeenusingthemetricsystemfordecadesinpharmaceuticals,photography,chemical
industry,opticsandevensparkplugs.
Asaunitoflengthmeasurement,everythingisbasedonthemeter,withashiftinthedecimalpointto
theleftorrightdependinguponwhetherthevaluegoesupordown.
So,ifameteris1.00,atenthofameterisadecimeterat0.1m,acentimeter(cm)isonehundredthof
ameterat0.01mandamillimeter(mm),oronethousandthofameteris0.001m.Therefore,
1,000mm=100cm=1m.Thenumbersstaythesame,onlythedecimalpointshifts.Thisisactually
likecountingchange.Goinglarger,thenextunitis1,000expressedasakilometer(km),or1,000m.
Aninterestingfactthatoccurswithmetricunitsallunitsofweight,lengthandvolumearerelated.A
cubewhichmeasures10cmoneachsidehasanareaof1,000cc(cubiccentimeters).Ifthecubewas
filledwithwater,itwouldhold1liter(1l,or1,000mlformilliliter)andweigh1,000g(grams)or1
kg(kilogram).
MetricStandards
Untilafewdecadesago,therewasnoagreementtostandardsregardingmetricfastenersfromFrance,
Italy,Germany,EnglandorJapan.TheDIN(DeutscheIndustriesNorman)devisedthemostcomplete
standardsofanycountry,buttherewasstillaneedforunification.TheISO(InternationalStandards
Organization)wasformed.
TheDINstandardshavebeenmodifiedtofollowISOrecommendations.TheUnitedStates
coordinatestheireffortswithISOthroughANSI,theAmericanNationalStandardsInstitute.Although
therearestillsomeslightdifferences.
FastenerDesignation
First,whenorderingoridentifyingthedimensionsofametricfastener,allmetricfastenersare
precededbythecapitalizedletterM.Then,similartohowinchseriesfastenersareidentified,the
diameterislistedwiththethreadpitch,lengthandpropertyclass.Forexample:M12x1.5x50,10.9
HexCapScrew.Thistellsusthediameteris12mm,thethreadpitchis1.5mmandthelengthis
50mm.Thepropertyclassisa10.9.
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ThreadPitch
Usersmustbeawarethattherearethreetypesofthreadpitchesavailable:theStandardthread,which
issimilartotheUNCtheFinethread,similartotheUNFandtheJapanesethreadwhichisin
betweenbutisusedonlyontheM10andM12fasteners.ForexampleanM10fastenercanhavea
threadpitchof1.0mm,1.25mmand1.50mm.
Identificationisextremelyimportantbecausemanymetricsizesareveryclosetotheinchseriesthat
thenutorfastenermaybestartedbutadditionaltighteningmayresultinthreadstripping.For
example,a28fastenerhasadiameterof0.250comparedwithanM6whichmeasures0.236.
Thedifferenceis0.014.ThethreadpitchontheM6is1.0whichisroughlyequivalentto25.6
threadsperinchVsthe28TPIfortheinchfastener.Notmuchdifferenceandeasytoconfuse.
Thefollowingchartcitesotherexampleswhichillustratethepotentialdangerofmixinganinchwitha
metricfastener.Theresultantassemblywillproduceclamploadsfrom25to60%lessthanexpected,
providingthethreadshaventstrippedorhavebeguntostrip,inwhichcasetheloadswillbecloseto
100%lost.
InchThreadsvs.MetricThreads
InchBolts MetricNuts
10/32
M5x0.8
1/428
M7x1.0
5/1618
M8x1.0
3/816
M10x1.5
7/1614 M12x1.75
1/213
M14x2
3/410
M20x2.5
3/416
M20x1.5
MetricBolts InchNuts
M12x1.25
1/220
M18x2.5
3/410
M18x1.5
3/416
M24x3
18
M24x2
112
PropertyClasses
MetricfastenerstrengthsarenamedPropertyClass,notGrade.Evenso,thePropertyClassesare
roughlyequivalenttotheSAEGradesystem.Thefollowingprovidessomeexamples.
MetricGrades
PropertyClass SAEGrade
4.6
Grade1
4.8
Grade1
4.8
Grade2
8.8
Grade5
9.8
9%Stronger
10.9
Grade8

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11.9
12.9

NONE
ASTMA574

TheeasiestwaytotellametricfastenersPropertyClassisbylookingatthefastenerforanumeric
designation.Thesedecimalnumberswillbemarkedonthehexheadoronthetoporsideofasocket
headfastener.
Thefastenerswillhavethedecimalpointdesignation,nutswillnot.Forexample,a10.9fasteners
matchingnutwillhavethemarkingof10,not10.9.
TheUSautomotiveindustrydevelopedthe9.8becausethereweresomesizesofthe8.8fastenerthat
wouldnotprovidethesamestrengthasanSAEGrade5.Itwasacombinationoffastenerstrengthand
headdimensiongeometryforstressdistribution.
Oneofthelargestareasofconfusionlieswiththepropertyclass8.8designation.Manyhaveconfused
thisfortheequivalentoftheSAEGrade8.Thetensilestrengthdifferencebetween120ksiand150
ksicanbecatastrophicinacriticalapplication.
Anotherparttolookcloselyatforproperidentificationisthemetricsocketheadcapscrew.Unlike
theUSsocketheadproducts,whichcomeinonlyonestrengthgradeof180ksiuptoand170ksi
over,metricsocketheadproductscomeinthreepropertyclasses8.8,10.9and12.9.Sobevery
awareofthiswhenrepairingEuropeanmachinery,sotheproperstrengthofsocketproductisreplaced
withthesametypeaswasdesignedbythefactory.
ThreadLength
TheDIN931andDIN960areessentiallythesameastheISOrequirementforthreadlengthtwo
diametersplus6mmforfastenersupto125mminlength.
WiththeDIN933andDIN961,however,thefastenerisfullythreadedtotheheadregardlessof
length.
WrenchSizes
Manymechanicshavecomplainedaboutthefactthattheyhavehadtousetwowrenchestotightenthe
headandnutofthesamesizedfastener.Fortunately,thisonlyoccursinacoupleofsizes.Itisduetoa
basicdisagreementbetweenDINandISO.Thewidthacrosstheflats(WAF)ofDINfastenersis1mm
largerontheM10,M12andM14,whileitis2mmsmallerontheM22.
BothtypesareavailableandsoldintheUS.Soitdependswhatspecificationthemanufactureuses
andwhodistributesthem.Acompanybuyingfromseveraldistributorsmayendupwithdifferent
sizednutsandboltheadsinthesamestoragebin.
MetricWrenchSizes
NUT DIN934 ISO
M10 17mm 16mm
M12 19mm 18mm
M14 22mm 21mm
M22 32mm 34mm
MetricTorque
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MetrictorqueisexpressedasaNewtonmeter(Nm).TheNewtonisacommonlyusedtermin
physicsforforce,namedafterthescientistSirIsaacNewton.ANewtonequals0.2248poundsof
force.Shiftingthedecimalpointthreeplacestotheright,wehaveakiloNewton(KN)or224.81
pounds.
FastenerStrength
Wehavelearnedwhatthedifferentpropertyclassdesignationsare,buthowdotheyrelate?Insteadof
usingpoundspersquareinch(psi),metricterminologyusesthetermPascalforitsunitofstrength.
Sincetheseunitsbecomenumericallylarge,theyuseaprefixMegatoformMegaPascalorMPa.
Therefore,1MPaisequalto145psi.
MPax145=psi
Psix0.0069=MPa
Itisalsointerestingtonotethatthepropertyclassnumbersactuallyrelatetothestrengthofthe
fastener.Forexamplean8.8fastenerhasthestrengthof830MPaandthe10.9is1040MPa.The
metricdesignationnumberisactuallyitstensilestrength.
Itshouldalsobenotedherethatwhiletherearestillnutsonthemarketwithan8onitforusewith
the8.8fastener,ASTMA563Misonlyrecognizingthepropertyclass9nutforusewiththe8.8and
9.8fasteners.Naturally,ithasaminimumproofloadstressof900MPa.

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