Measures: Need to Know for Getting Useful Parts

Measures describe the ideal lengths and the max. allowed deviation before the part becomes useless.

A multitude of different measurement and toleration systems exist (we simplify the handling).

Ignoring measures will result in parts that ‘look’ correct but are useless (e.g., 2 parts will not fit together). We provide a short description of what you need to know for getting useful parts.

There are probably as many ways to define Measures as there are drafters. We do our best to interpret as many as possible and return them to you in a consistent way. Below, table gives you a brief overview of the most common measure systems. This solely provides an overview of the most frequently used measure systems. We manage the complexity for you and return the same response, independently of which measure system the drafter chose.

 

Method 1 (mainly European)

DIN 406-11 defines two methods for annotating simple measures. In Method 1, the measure labels are following the two main reading directions: (i) bottom up and (ii) from left to right. This method is mainly used in European countries.

Werk24 Explains Technical Drawing European Measure in Knowledge Base for Product Owners

Method 2 (mainly US-American)

Method 2 allows the drafter to draw all labels parallel to the title block. This is mainly used in the United States of America.

Werk24 Explains Technical Drawing US Measure in Knowledge Base for Product Owners

Diameter  

Diameter Measures can be annotated with only one measure arrow and can be located at the inside or outside of the element. We look at the drawing and find the most likely interpretation for you. 

Werk24 Explains Technical Drawing Diameter Measure in Knowledge Base for Product Owners

Spherical Diameter

The symbol 'SØ' is used to denote the diameter of a spherical surface. For example, if a spherical surface is labeled as 'SØ30', it means that its diameter is 30 millimeters.

Werk24 Explains Technical Drawing Spherical Diameter Measure in Knowledge Base for Product Owners

Chain measures  

Chain measures can improve the readability of the drawings by using the same measure line for adjacent measures. 

Werk24 Explains Technical Drawing Chain Measures in Knowledge Base for Product Owners

Ascending measures  

The ascending dimensioning system is typically chosen when the number of measures increases further, and space becomes a problem. The system works similar to a measuring tape by defining an origin and annotating the distance of a whole range of points from this origin. 

Werk24 Explains Technical Drawing Ascending Measures in Knowledge Base for Product Owners

Angle Dimension 

The Angular Dimension is used to show angles between two edges. It is shown by a circular dimension arc which has its centre at the vertex of the angle.  

Werk24 Explains Technical Drawing Angle Dimension Measure in Knowledge Base for Product Owners

Chamfer Dimension 

The Chamfer dimension is used to annotate the chamfers given on the edges of the part. It has two important features, the width and the angle of the chamfer. For special case of 45° chamfer the symbol ´C´ is used along with the width of the chamfer.  

Werk24 Explains Technical Drawing Chamfer Dimension Measure in Knowledge Base for Product Owners