British Standard Whitworth

British Standard Whitworth (BSW) is an imperial-unit-based screw thread standard, devised and
specified by Joseph Whitworth in 1841 and later adopted as a British Standard. It was the world's first
national screw thread standard, and is the basis for many other standards, such as BSF, BSP, BSCon, and
BSCopper.

Contents
History
Thread form
List of thread sizes
Spanner (Wrench) size
List of hex head sizes
Comparison with other standards
Current usage
Historical misuse
In popular culture
See also
References
Bibliography

History
The Whitworth thread was the world's first national screw thread standard,[1] devised and specified by
Joseph Whitworth in 1841. Until then, the only standardization was what little had been done by individual
people and companies, with some companies' in-house standards spreading a bit within their industries.
Whitworth's new standard specified a 55° thread angle and a thread depth of 0.640327p and a radius of
0.137329p, where p is the pitch. The thread pitch increases with diameter in steps specified on a chart.

The Whitworth thread system was later to be adopted as a British Standard to become British Standard
Whitworth (BSW). An example of the use of the Whitworth thread are the Royal Navy's Crimean War
gunboats. These are the first instance of mass-production techniques being applied to marine engineering,
as the following quotation from the obituary from The Times of 24 January 1887 for Sir Joseph Whitworth
(1803–1887) shows:

The Crimean War began, and Sir Charles Napier demanded of the Admiralty 120 gunboats,
each with engines of 60 horsepower, for the campaign of 1855 in the Baltic. There were just
ninety days in which to meet this requisition, and, short as the time was, the building of the
gunboats presented no difficulty. It was otherwise however with the engines, and the
Admiralty were in despair. Suddenly, by a flash of the mechanical genius which was inherent
 in him, the late Mr John Penn solved the difficulty, and solved it quite easily. He had a pair of
engines on hand of the exact size. He took them to pieces and he distributed the parts among
the best machine shops in the country, telling each to make ninety sets exactly in all respects to
the sample. The orders were executed with unfailing regularity, and he actually completed
ninety sets of engines of 60 horsepower in ninety days – a feat which made the great
Continental Powers stare with wonder, and which was possible only because the Whitworth
standards of measurement and of accuracy and finish were by that time thoroughly recognised
and established throughout the country.

An original example of the gunboat type engine was raised from the wreck of the SS Xantho by the
Western Australian Museum. On disassembly, all its threads were shown to be of the Whitworth type.[2]

With the adoption of BSW by British railway companies, many of which had previously used their own
standards both for threads and for bolt head and nut profiles, and the growing need generally for
standardisation in manufacturing specifications, it came to dominate British manufacturing.

In the US, BSW was replaced when steel bolts replaced iron, but was still being used for some aluminium
parts as late as the 1960s and 1970s when metric-based standards replaced the Imperial ones.

American Unified Coarse (UNC) was originally based on almost the same Imperial fractions. The Unified
thread angle is 60° and has flattened crests (Whitworth crests are rounded). From 1 ⁄4 in up to 11 ⁄2 in, thread
pitch is the same in both systems except that the thread pitch for the 1 ⁄2 in bolt is 12 threads per inch (tpi) in
BSW versus 13 tpi in the UNC.

Thread form
The form of a Whitworth thread is based on a fundamental triangle
with an angle of 55° at each peak and valley. The sides are at a
flank angle of Θ = 27.5° perpendicular to the axis. Thus, if the
thread pitch is p, the height of the fundamental triangle is H =
p/(2tanΘ) = 0.96049106p. However, the top and bottom 1 ⁄6 of
each of these triangles is cut off, so the actual depth of thread (the
difference between major and minor diameters) is 2 ⁄3 of that value,
or h = p/(3tanΘ) = 0.64032738p. The peaks are further reduced by Whitworth thread form
rounding them with a 2×(90° − Θ) = 180° − 55° = 125° circular
arc. This arc has a height of e = Hsin Θ/6 = 0.073917569p
(leaving a straight flank depth of h − 2e = 0.49249224p) and a radius of r = e/(1 − sin Θ) = 0.13732908p.

List of thread sizes

Below is the historical thread size table, not to be confused with G threads, which are actually in use as
British Standard Pipe . For example a G½ (half inch) is 20.955mm in diameter.[3]
 Whitworth thread sizes[4][5][6]
Major Thread Thread Minor 75% tap
diameter density pitch diameter drill size
(in) (mm) (in−1) (mm) (in) (mm) (in) (mm)
1⁄ 1.588 60 0.423 0.0412 1.046 #56 1.2
16
3⁄ 2.381 48 0.529 0.0671 1.704 #49 1.9
32
1⁄ 3.175 40 0.635 0.0930 2.362 #39 2.6
8
5⁄ 3.969 32 0.794 0.1162 2.951 #30 3.2
32
3⁄ 4.763 24 1.058 0.1341 3.406 #26 3.7
16
7⁄ 5.556 24 1.058 0.1654 4.201 #16 4.5
32
1⁄ 6.350 20 1.270 0.1860 4.724 #9 5.1
4
5⁄ 7.938 18 1.411 0.2414 6.132 F 6.6
16
3⁄ 9.525 16 1.588 0.2950 7.493 5⁄ 8.0
8 16
7⁄ 11.113 14 1.814 0.3460 8.788 U 9.4
16
1⁄ 12.700 12 2.117 0.3933 9.990 27⁄ 10.7
2 64
9⁄ 14.288 12 2.117 0.4558 11.577 31⁄ 12.3
16 64
5⁄ 15.875 11 2.309 0.5086 12.918 17⁄ 13.7
8 32
11⁄ 17.463 11 2.309 0.5711 14.506 19⁄ 15.2
16 32
3⁄ 19.050 10 2.540 0.6219 15.796 21⁄ 16.6
4 32
13⁄ 20.638 10 2.540 0.6844 17.384 23⁄ 18.2
16 32
7⁄ 22.225 9 2.822 0.7327 18.611 49⁄ 19.5
8 64
15⁄ 23.813 9 2.822 0.7952 20.198 53⁄ 21.1
16 64

1 25.400 8 3.175 0.8399 21.333 7⁄ 22.3

8

11⁄8 28.575 7 3.629 0.9420 23.927 63⁄

64 25.1
11⁄4 31.750 7 3.629 1.0670 27.102 17⁄64 28.3
13⁄8 34.925 6 4.233 1.1616 29.505 17⁄32 30.9
11⁄2 38.100 6 4.233 1.2866 32.680 15⁄16 34.0
15⁄8 41.275 5 5.080 1.3689 34.770 17⁄16 36.4
13⁄4 44.450 5 5.080 1.4939 37.945 19⁄16 39.6
17⁄8 47.625 41⁄2 5.644 1.5904 40.396 15⁄8 42.2
2 50.800 41⁄2 5.644 1.7154 43.571 13⁄4 45.4
21⁄8 53.975 41⁄2 5.644 1.8404 46.746 17⁄8 48.6
21⁄4 57.150 4 6.350 1.9298 49.017 2 51.1
23⁄8 60.325 4 6.350 2.0548 52.192 21⁄8 54.2
21⁄2 63.500 4 6.350 2.1798 55.367 21⁄4 57.4
25⁄8 66.675 4 6.350 2.3048 58.542 23⁄8 60.6
23⁄4 69.850 31⁄2 7.257 2.3841 60.556 21⁄2 62.9
27⁄8 73.025 31⁄2 7.257 2.5091 63.731 25⁄8 66.1
3 76.200 31⁄2 7.257 2.6341 66.906 23⁄4 69.2
 31⁄4 82.550 31⁄4 7.815 2.8560 72.542 3 75.0
31⁄2 88.900 31⁄4 7.815 3.1060 78.892 31⁄4 81.4
33⁄4 95.250 3 8.467 3.3231 84.407 33⁄8 87.1
4 101.600 3 8.467 3.5731 90.757 35⁄8 93.5
41⁄4 107.950 27⁄8 8.835 3.8046 96.637 37⁄8 99.5
41⁄2 114.300 27⁄8 8.835 4.0546 102.987 41⁄8 105.8
43⁄4 120.650 23⁄4 9.236 4.2843 108.821 43⁄8 111.8
5 127.000 23⁄4 9.236 4.5343 115.171 45⁄8 118.1
51⁄4 133.350 25⁄8 9.676 4.7621 120.957 47⁄8 124.1
51⁄2 139.700 25⁄8 9.676 5.0121 127.307 51⁄8 130.4
53⁄4 146.050 21⁄2 10.160 5.2377 133.038 53⁄8 136.3
6 152.400 21⁄2 10.160 5.4877 139.388 55⁄8 142.6

Spanner (Wrench) size

To simplify matters, the term hexagon is used in this section to denote either bolt head or nut.

Whitworth and BSF spanner markings refer to the bolt diameter, rather than the distance across the flats of
the hexagon (A/F) as in other standards. Confusion can arise because each Whitworth hexagon was
originally one size larger than that of the corresponding BSF fastener. This leads to instances where for
example, a spanner marked 7 ⁄16 BSF is the same size as one marked 3 ⁄8 W. In both cases the spanner jaw
width of 0.710 in, the width across the hexagon flat, is the same.

Certain branches of industry used Whitworth fasteners with a smaller hexagon (identical to BSF of the
same bolt diameter) under the designation "AutoWhit" or Auto-Whit [7] and this series was formalised by
the British Engineering Standards Association in 1929 as standard No. 193, with the 'original' series being
No. 190 and the BSF series No. 191.[8]

During World War II the smaller size hexagon was adopted more widely to save metal[9] and this usage
persisted thereafter. Thus it is today common to encounter a Whitworth hexagon which does not fit the
nominally correct spanner and following the previous example, a more modern spanner may be marked
7 ⁄ BS to indicate that they have a jaw size of 0.710 in and designed to take either the (later) 7 ⁄
16 16 BSW or
7 ⁄ BSF hexagon.[10][11][12]
16

Whitworth fasteners with the larger hexagons to BS 190 are now often colloquially referred to as 'pre-war'
size, even though that is not strictly correct.

List of hex head sizes

 Hex head sizes
Size BS 190 BS 1083 DIN
(in) (in) (mm) (in) (mm) (mm)
1⁄ 0.338 8.6 — — —
8
3⁄ 0.445 11.3 — — —
16
1⁄ 0.525 13.3 0.445 11.3 11
4
5⁄ 0.600 15.2 0.525 13.3 14
16
3⁄ 0.710 18.0 0.600 15.2 17
8
7⁄ 0.820 20.8 0.710 18.0 19
16
1⁄ 0.920 23.4 0.820 20.8 22
2
9⁄ 1.010 25.7 0.920 23.4 —
16
5⁄ 1.100 27.9 1.010 25.7 27
8
3⁄ 1.300 33.0 1.200 30.5 32
4
7⁄ 1.480 37.6 1.300 33.0 36 Two spanners, both nominal size
8
5⁄ in, with a diagram superimposed
1 1.670 42.4 1.480 37.6 41 8
to show the logic that allows them
11⁄8 1.860 47.2 1.670 42.4 — both to be nominal size 5⁄8 in when
11⁄4 2.050 52.1 1.860 47.2 — their actual sizes are clearly different
(across-flats distance vs screw
11⁄2 2.410 61.2 2.220 56.4 — diameter). The across-flats definition
13⁄4 2.760 70.1 2.580 65.5 — is the common standard today, and
has been for many decades. The
2 3.150 80.0 2.760 70.1 — larger spanner in this photo is from
the 1920s or earlier. Its face was
polished to allow the size stamp to
Comparison with other standards show well in the photograph. This
example is American, but it
The British Standard Fine (BSF) standard has the same thread illustrates the way that spanners for
angle as the BSW, but has a finer thread pitch and smaller thread Whitworth fasteners were typically
depth. This is more like the modern "mechanical" screw and was labelled.
used for fine machinery and for steel bolts.

The British Standard Cycle (BSC) standard which replaced the Cycle Engineers' Institute (CEI) standard
was used on British bicycles and motorcycles. It uses a thread angle of 60° compared to the Whitworth 55°
and very fine thread pitches.

The British Association screw thread (BA) standard is sometimes classed with the Whitworth standard
fasteners because it is often found in the same machinery as the Whitworth standard. However it is actually
a metric based standard that uses a 47.5° thread angle and has its own set of head sizes. BA threads have
diameters of 6 mm (0BA) and smaller, and were and still are particularly used in precision machinery.

The Whitworth 55° angle remains commonly used today worldwide in form of the 15 British standard pipe
threads defined in ISO 7, which are commonly used in water supply, cooling, pneumatics, and hydraulic
systems. These threads are designated by a number between 1/16 and 6 that originates from the nominal
internal diameter (i/d) in inches of a steel pipe for which these threads were designed. These pipe thread
designations do not refer to any thread diameter.

Other threads that used the Whitworth 55° angle include Brass Threads, British Standard Conduit
(BSCon), Model Engineers' (ME), and British Standard Copper (BSCopper).
Current usage
The standard tripod mount on all SLR cameras and, where fitted, on compact cameras, and therefore on all
tripods and monopods, is 1/4 Inch Whitworth. Larger format cameras use 3/8 inch Whitworth with tripod
adaptors from 1/4 inch Whitworth if necessary.

The widely used (except in the US) British Standard Pipe thread, as defined by the ISO 228 standard
(formerly BS-2779), uses Whitworth standard thread form. Even in the United States, personal computer
liquid cooling components use the G1 ⁄4 thread from this series.

The Leica Thread-Mount used on rangefinder cameras and on many enlarging lenses is 117 ⁄32 in by 26
turns-per-inch Whitworth, an artifact of this having been developed by a German company specializing in
microscopes and thus equipped with tooling capable of handling threads in inches and in Whitworth.

The 5 ⁄32 in Whitworth threads have been the standard Meccano thread for many years and it is still the
thread in use by the French Meccano Company.

Stage lighting suspension bolts are most commonly 3 ⁄8 in and 1 ⁄2 in BSW. Companies that initially
converted to metric threads have converted back, after complaints that the finer metric threads increased the
time and difficulty of setup, which often takes place at the top of a ladder or scaffold.

Fixings for garden gates traditionally used Whitworth carriage bolts, and these are still the standard supplied
in UK and Australia.

Historical misuse
British Morris and MG engines from 1923 to 1955 were built using metric threads but with bolt heads and
nuts dimensioned for Whitworth spanners and sockets.[13] In 1919, Morris Motors took over the French
Hotchkiss engine works which had moved to Coventry during the First World War. The Hotchkiss machine
tools were of metric thread but metric spanners were not readily available in Britain at the time, so fasteners
were made with metric thread but Whitworth heads.[14]

In popular culture
In the 2011 movie Cars 2 by Disney / Pixar, the vital clue to the discovery of the villain, Sir Miles Axlerod,
is that he uses Whitworth bolts. Although Axlerod does not precisely resemble any real car (whereas
numerous other characters are closely modelled on real cars), he seems most closely to match the original
Range Rover Classic. In reality, early model Range Rovers used parts with imperial dimensions, although
the photograph of the villain's engine is virtually identical to the later 3.5 litre single plenum Rover V8 (A
design purchased from GM's Buick).

See also
Other thread standards:

British Association screw threads (BA)

British standard brass thread
British Standard Cycle
British standard fine thread (BSF)
British Standard Pipe (BSP)
 ISO metric screw thread
Unified Thread Standard (UTS, including UNC, UNF, UNS and UNEF)

References
1. Gilbert, K. R., & Galloway, D. F., 1978, "Machine Tools". In C. Singer, et al., (Eds.), 'A history
of technology. Oxford, Clarendon Press & Lee, S. (Ed.), 1900, Dictionary of national
biography, Vol LXI. Smith Elder, London
2. McCarthy, M., and Garcia, R., 2004, "Screw Threads on the SS Xantho: A Case of
Standardisation in 19th Century Britain". The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology,
33. (1): 54–66.
3. Pipe Thread size Chart[1] (https://www.traskinstrumentation.com/pdf/app_notes/Pipe_Threa
d_size_chart.pdf)
4. Joseph Whitworth, 1841, A Paper on an Uniform System of Screw Threads (https://en.wikiso
urce.org/wiki/Miscellaneous_Papers_on_Mechanical_Subjects/A_Paper_on_an_Uniform_
System_of_Screw_Threads)
5. Joseph Whitworth, 1857, A Paper on Standard Decimal Measures of Length (https://en.wikis
ource.org/wiki/Miscellaneous_Papers_on_Mechanical_Subjects/A_Paper_on_Standard_D
ecimal_Measures_of_Length)
6. British Standards Institution. Parallel screw threads of Whitworth form – Requirements.
ISBN 978-0-580-57923-3. BS 84:2007.
7. Machinery's Screw Thread Book. 11th Edition 1941
8. Commercial Motor Magazine, 2 April 1929
9. WAR EMERGENCY STANDARD SPECIFICATION FOR BLACK BOLTS AND NUTS. B.S.
916–1940.
10. Whitworth / BSF Hex Sizes, Old & New Standards (http://www.oldengine.org/members/diese
l/Tables/WhitAF.htm) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20080517112837/http://www.old
engine.org/members/diesel/Tables/WhitAF.htm) 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
11. Whitworth / BSF to AF (SAE) and metric sizes (http://www.baconsdozen.co.uk/tools/conversi
on%20charts.htm)
12. Additional information and spanner jaw size table (http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/~psc/spanne
r_jaw.html)
13. Wood, J. (1977) (50 m)˜ The restoration and preservation of vintage & classic cars", Yeovil :
Haynes, ISBN 0-85429-186-5
14. Harvey, Chris (1977) (50 m)˜ The Immortal T Series, Oxford Illustrated Press, ISBN 0-
902280-46-5

Bibliography
Oberg, E., Jones, F.D., Hussain, M., McCauley, C.J., Ryffel, H.H. and Heald, R.M. (2008)
Machinery's handbook : a reference book for the mechanical engineer, designer,
manufacturing engineer, draftsman, toolmaker, and machinist, 28th Ed., New York : Industrial
Press, ISBN 978-0-8311-2800-5, p. 1858–1860

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=British_Standard_Whitworth&oldid=1058198075"

This page was last edited on 2 December 2021, at 01:48 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using
this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.