ISO Metric Thread System.

ISO refers to the International Organization for Standardization,

a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (for example, the American
National Standards Institute is the ISO national body representing the United States) that
develops standards on a very wide variety of subjects.
The basic profile of ISO metric threads is specified in ISO 68 and shown in Fig. 2. The
basic profile of this thread is very similar to that of the Unified thread, and as previously
discussed, H is the height of a sharp V-thread, P is the pitch, D and d are the basic major
diameters, D2 and d2 are the basic pitch diameters, and D1 and d1 are the basic minor diameters.
Here also, capital letters designate the internal thread dimensions (D, D2, D1), and
lowercase letters designate the external thread dimensions (d, d2, d1). This metric thread is
discussed in detail in the section METRIC SCREW THREADS starting on page 1783.
Fig. 2. ISO 68 Basic Profile

Definitions of Screw Threads

The following definitions are based on American National Standard ANSI/ASME
B1.7M-1984 (R2001) Nomenclature, Definitions, and Letter Symbols for Screw
Threads, and refer to both straight and taper threads.
Actual Size: An actual size is a measured size.
Allowance: An allowance is the prescribed difference between the design (maximum
material) size and the basic size. It is numerically equal to the absolute value of the ISO
term fundamental deviation.
Axis of Thread: Thread axis is coincident with the axis of its pitch cylinder or cone.
Basic Profile of Thread: The basic profile of a thread is the cyclical outline, in an axial
plane, of the permanently established boundary between the provinces of the external and
internal threads. All deviations are with respect to this boundary.
Basic Size: The basic size is that size from which the limits of size are derived by the
application of allowances and tolerances.
Bilateral Tolerance: This is a tolerance in which variation is permitted in both directions
from the specified dimension.
Black Crest Thread: This is a thread whose crest displays an unfinished cast, rolled, or
forged surface.
Blunt Start Thread: Blunt start designates the removal of the incomplete thread at the
starting end of the thread. This is a feature of threaded parts that are repeatedly assembled
58

P4
P2
P8
H8
H4
P2

38

H
H

Axis of screw thread

External threads
Internal threads

D, d
D2, d2
D1, d1

6030
P = 0.866025404P
0.125H = 0.108253175P 0.250H = 0.216506351P 0.375H = 0.324759526P 0.625H = 0.5