Complete Guide to Surface

Finish Symbols, Charts, RA,

RZ, Measurements, and
Callouts
Definition of Surface Finish
Before we get on with Surface Finish Symbols, let’s understand how Surface Finish is
defined. Engineering prints call out a great many things in their attempt to make sure
the part that gets made matches the designer’s intent. Aside from dimensions and
tolerances, another important callout is Surface Finish.
Surface Finish is a measure of the overall texture of a surface that is characterized by
the lay, surface roughness, and waviness of the surface. Surface Finish when it is
intended to include all three characteristics is often called Surface Texture to avoid
confusion, since machinists often refer to Surface Roughness as Surface Finish.
Another term, analagous to Surface Texture, is Surface Topology.
This diagram gives an idea of how to think of the relationship of Waviness, Lay, and
Roughness:

The relationship of Waviness, Lay, and Roughness…

Lay
The Lay is the direction of the predominant surface pattern, and is usually determined
by the production method used to process the surface. Here are some typical Lay
patterns:

Surface Finish Lay Patterns…

Surface Roughness
Surface roughness is a measure of finely spaced surface irregularities. Surface
roughness is usually what machinists refer to when talking about “surface finish.” When
talking about all three characteristics, they may use the term “Surface Texture” more
properly.
Waviness
Surface Roughness speaks to fine detail imperfections, but there may also be much
coarser irregularities. For example, a surface may be warped or deflected from the
ideal.

Surface Finish and Product

Function
How do product designers decide what surface finishes to require, and how should CNC
machinists think about surface finishes?
There are a variety of considerations, and they may even vary for different stages in the
manufacture of a particular part. For example, we may have a surface finish
requirement on a casting that ensures the finish (think of it as the deviations of the
surface of the casting from an ideal) is good enough that the allowance made for extra
material that will be machined off in a future step is sufficent. If the casting is too
imperfect, the trough of an imperfection may be below the expected machined surface
of that future step.
Another important consideration is friction. Reducing surface roughness typically
reduces friction which can be critical to reducing wear and increasing efficiency of
sliding parts.
The required surface finishes are very much determined by the function and use of the
component. Ship’s propellors start out with fairly high surface finish standards but in
actual use they erode pretty quickly. Optical and especially components used with X-
Rays have some of the finest surface finish requirements achievable.
The goal of the designer is to specify surface finishes that are as coarse as possible but
will still function within the part’s desired operating parameters. The goal of the
machinist is to achieve surface finishes on parts that are as good as those required by
the designer, but not better as that results in the cheapest to manufacture parts. It’s
important for designer and manufacturer to agree on exactly which parameters (Ra, Rz,
etc..) are to be used for inspecting and parts acceptance. While there are commonly
accepted conversions between these, actually using the same parameters for the
inspection that the designer used with the design always yields the best results.

Surface Finishes for Various

Manufacturing Processes
Surface Finishes vary tremendously by the manufacturing process used to achieve
them. A flame cut plate edge has a radically different surface finish than a ground
surface, for example. Choosing a process that’s capable of achieving the desired
surface finish is the first step in figuring out how to manufacture a part that requires a
particular finish. Sometimes, more than one process must be overlaid to achieve the
desired result cost-effectively.
Here’s a chart table showing the relative surface finish roughness of various
manufacturing processes:
 Relative Surface Finish Roughness of Manufacturing Processes…
For more on manufacturing processes and the cost of maintaining tight tolerances and
surface finishes, see our article:
[ The high cost of tight tolerances ]
Measuring and Inspecting
Surface Finish
Measurement implies characterizing something as a number–something that’s very
important to CNC’ers.
There are a number of different characteristics we might measure with respect to
Surface Finish. Two of the most important are the height of the roughness peaks and
their separation, often referred to as “Ra” and “D”:

Ra and D are two important surface finish parameters…

The Surface Finish Units we would use for parameters like Ra would be either micro-
inches (English or Imperial) or micrometers (Metric). Our chart of surface finishes by
manufacturing process (see above) gives both.
When we try to measure a surface finish, the methods fall into three categories:
– Profiling Techniques: Here a high resolution probe is used to measure the surface.
Think of a sensitivity more in line with a phonograph needle than a typical CNC Probe.
– Area Techniques: With an area technique, a finite area is measured and this
provides a statistical average of the peaks and valleys. Examples of area techniques
include optical scattering, ultrasonic scattering, and capacitance probes. Area
techniques are easier to automate and faster to execute, but profiling techniques are
often more accurate.
– Microscopy Techniques: These techniques are usually more qualitative because
they rely on measurement of contrast to provide information about peaks and valleys.
Instrumenets used to measure Surface Roughness using these various techniques are
called Profilometers.
 Pocket Profilometer…
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Surface Finish Units From

RA To RZ
Ra – Average Roughness
Ra is also known as Arithmetic Average (AA) or Center Line Average (CLA). It is the
average roughness in the area between the roughness profile and its mean line.
Graphically, Ra is the area between the roughness profile and its centerline divided by
the evaluation length. The evaluation length is normally five sample lengths where each
sample length is equal to one cutoff length.
Ra is by far the most commonly used Surface Finish parameter. One reason it is so
common is that it is fairly easy to take the absolute value of a signal and integrate the
signal using analog electronics, so Ra could be measured by instruments that contain
no digital circuits.
Ra, while common, is not sufficient to completely characterize the roughness of a
surface. Depending on the application, surfaces with the same Ra can perform quite
differently. Here are 4 surfaces with the same Ra and quite different shapes:

All four surfaces have the same Ra but quite different shapes…
To distinguish these differences, more parameters are needed.
Rmax – Vertical distance from highest peak to lowest valley
Rmax is particularly sensitive to anomalies such as scratches and burrs that may not be
obvious from measures such as Ra that rely on averages.
Rz – Preferred by many Europeans
Rz is often preferred to Ra in Europe and particularly Germany. Instead of measuring
from centerline like Ra, Rz measures the average of the 5 largest peak to valley
differences within five sampling lengths. While Ra is relatively insensitive to a few
extremes, Rz is quite sensitive since it is the extremes it is designed to measure.
Surface Roughness Grades: “N” Numbers
Here is a chart table showing how Roughness Grade Numbers convert to Ra numbers:

Roughness Grade Numbers and Ra Measures…

Surface Roughness of Abrasive Grits and Sandpaper
One approach to Surface Finish is to use abrasives or sand the surface. This chart
converts from abrasive grit to Surface Finish Ra values:

Surface Finish Math and

Equations
To Calculate Equation Notes

Average
Roughness in
micro-meters
Ra = CLA = (M1 + M2 + M3 + M4) / 4
or micro-
Ra Where:
inches. Ra is
M1, M2, … Mn are measure values
the arithmetic
mean deviation
of the profile

Mean height of
Rc   profile
irregularities

Kurtosis of the
Rku  
profile
 Maximum
Rmax   roughness
depth

Material Ration
Rmr  
of the profile

Max profile
Rp Rp = MAX( M1, M2, M3, … )
peak height

Root mean
square
Rq Rq = RMS
deviation of the
profile

Skewness of
Rsk  
the profile

Max height of
Rt  
the profile

Max Profile
Rv Rv = MIN( M1, M2, M3, … )
Valley Depth

Max height of
Ry  
the profile

Rz = Ra x 7.2
Avg Max height
Rz This is a very ROUGH estimate and
of the profile
not an exact conversion!

Roughness
Rz ISO  
Height

Average max
RPM   profile peak
height
 RMS = SQRT( (M1^2 + M2^2 + M3^2 Root Mean
RMS
+ M4^2) / 4 ) Square

     

     

Center Line
CLA CLA = Ra
Average

Length
Cut-Off Length   required for
sample

New ISO
N N = Ra (um) x 40 (Grade) Scale
Numbers

Surface Finish Symbols,

Callouts, and Standards
In the United States, surface finish is usually specified using the ASME Y14.36M
standard. The rest of the world commonly uses International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) 1302.
Callouts and symbols used for different surface finishes can be slightly different, so we’ll
look at a couple.
ISO Surface Finish Symbols and Callouts
ANSI Surface Finish and Callouts
Surface Finish Symbols and Callout Example
GD&T Surface Finish
GD&T specifies parameters like Flatness, but these are not really surface finish. To
specify surface finish use either the ISO or ANSI symbols.

Surface Finish Cheat Sheet

A super handy Surface Finish “Cheat Sheet”:
Factors Affecting Surface
Finish
There are many factors that affect surface finish, with the biggest being the
manufacturing process (see table above). For machining processes, such as milling,
turning, and grinding, factors such as cutting tool selection, machine tool condition,
toolpath parameters, feeds, speeds, tool deflection, cut width (stepover), cut depth,
coolant, and vibration are just a few of the many.
Tips and Examples:
– When Face Milling, use a cutting tool with a lead angle other than 90 degrees. A 45
degree lead angle facemill will produce a finer finish.
– Use inserts with a larger radius. A toroidal cutter or copy mill can often leave a better
finish than other insert geometries.
– Unless the insert height on your face mill can be individually adjusted, a fly cutter
often leaves the best surface finish.

Feeds and Speeds and Surface

Finish
In general, adjust feeds and speeds for a lower chip load at the same rpms for a better
finish. Take a finish pass that’s relatively light as well. Make sure as you’re doing this to
avoid rubbing, which is very hard on tool life.
Our G-Wizard Calculator software has a handy “Tortoise-Hare” slider that makes it easy
to dial in proper feeds and speeds for a finishing pass:

G-Wizard’s Tortoise-Hare slider for dialing in your finish…

G-Wizard will also warn you if rubbing is a risk, which will help you avoid that problem.
Ballnose Scallops and 3D
Profiling Surface Finish
If you’re 3D Profiling, each pass of the ballnosed cutter leaves a “scallop” in the surface
of the material. Our G-Wizard Calculator software has a special Mini-Calc that will help
you adjust for a scallop height that delivers the required surface finish:

Ballnose Surface Finish Calculator…

Enter the maximum scallop height and G-Wizard will tell you the resulting RA and RMS
surface finish as well as calculate the stepover. BTW, if you want to know how to pick
optimal stepovers and tool diameters for 3D Profiling, we’ve got an article on that too!

Surface Finish While Turning

Turning is very similar to 3D profiling in that the stepover, in this case determined by the
feedrate while turning, results in scallops that match the shape of the turning insert. We
use this to good effect when turning threads, but if we want a smooth shaft, we’ll have a
surface finish requirement that must be met. That will determine feedrate and insert
nose radius we can use for the job. G-Wizard has a nice calculator for that too:
 Surface Finish Turning Calculator…

Surface Roughness
Conversion Chart Tables –
Metric and Imperial
          Cut-off Length

Ra (µm) Ra (µinches) RMS Rt N in mm

0.025 1 1.1 0.3 1 0.003 0.08

0.05 2 2.2 0.5 2 0.01 0.25

0.1 4 4.4 0.8 3 0.01 0.25

0.2 8 8.8 1.2 4 0.01 0.25

0.4 16 17.6 2 5 0.01 0.25

0.8 32 32.5 4 6 0.03 0.8

 1.6 63 64.3 8 7 0.03 0.8

3.2 125 137.5 13 8 0.1 2.5

6.3 250 275 25 9 0.1 2.5

12.5 500 550 50 10 0.1 2.5

25 1000 1100 100 11 0.3 8

50 2000 2200 200 12 0.3 8

 
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SPI Mold Finishes

Learn more about the Injection molding surface finishes, in the main article here.

Finish SPI* standard Finishing Method Typical surface roughness Ra (μm)

Super High Glossy finish A-1 Grade #3, 6000 Grit Diamond Buff 0.012 to 0.025

High Glossy finish A-2 Grade #6, 3000 Grit Diamond Buff 0.025 to 0.05

Normal Glossy finish A-3 Grade #15, 1200 Grit Diamond Buff 0.05 to 0.10

Fine Semi-glossy finish B-1 600 Grit Paper 0.05 to 0.10

Medium Semi-glossy finish B-2 400 Grit Paper 0.10 to 0.15

Normal Semi-glossy finish B-3 320 Grit Paper 0.28 to 0.32

Fine Matte finish C-1 600 Grit Stone 0.35 to 0.40

Medium Matte finish C-2 400 Grit Stone 0.45 to 0.55

Normal Matte finish C-3 320 Grit Stone 0.63 to 0.70

Satin Textured finish D-1 Dry Blast Glass Bead #11 0.80 to 1.00

Dull Textured finish D-2 Dry Blast #240 Oxide 1.00 to 2.80

Rough Textured finish D-3 Dry Blast #24 Oxide 3.20 to 18.0

As machined - Finished to the machinist's discretion 3.20 (with visible machining marks)

Material recommendations

Not every mold finish produces the same results with every material. Use the tables below as guidelines to select the right mold
finish/material combination for your application.

Glossy finish

Material A-1 A-2 A-3

ABS Average Average Good

Polypropylene (PP) Not recommended Average Average

Polystyrene (PS) Average Average Good

HDPE Not recommended Average Average

Nylon Average Average Good

Polycarbonate (PC) Average Good Excellent

Polyurethane (TPU) Not recommended Not recommended Not recommended

Acrylic Excellent Excellent Excellent

Semi-glossy finish

Material B-1 B-2 B-3

ABS Good Good Excellent

Polypropylene (PP) Good Good Excellent

Polystyrene (PS) Excellent Excellent Excellent

HDPE Good Good Excellent

Nylon Good Excellent Excellent

Polycarbonate (PC) Good Good Average

Polyurethane (TPU) Not recommended Average Average

Acrylic Good Good Good

Matte finish

Material C-1 C-2 C-3

ABS Excellent Excellent Excellent

Polypropylene (PP) Excellent Excellent Excellent

Polystyrene (PS) Excellent Excellent Excellent

HDPE Excellent Excellent Excellent

Nylon Excellent Excellent Excellent

Polycarbonate (PC) Average Not recommended Not recommended

Polyurethane (TPU) Good Good Good

Acrylic Good Good Good

Textured finish

Material D-1 D-2 D-3

ABS Excellent Excellent Good

Polypropylene (PP) Excellent Excellent Excellent

Polystyrene (PS) Excellent Excellent Good

HDPE Excellent Excellent Excellent

Nylon Excellent Excellent Good

Polycarbonate (PC) Excellent Not recommended Not recommended

Polyurethane (TPU) Excellent Excellent Good

Acrylic Average Average Average