Standard Unhardened Ground Dowel Pins (ANSI/ASME B18.8.2)
Unhardened ground dowel pins per ANSI/ASME B18.8.2, 1/16 to 1 in: pin diameter max/min, chamfer length, suggested hole diameter and minimum double shear load in carbon steel and brass — the machinable, cut-to-length dowel series.
Specifications
Where a hardened dowel pin is a finished precision item, the unhardened ground series is the one a machine shop can machine in place — the collected table gives the working geometry across 1/16 to 1 in: pin diameter held between a max a couple of ten-thousandths under nominal (0.2470 at 1/4) and a min 0.0005 below it, a chamfer that steps with size (0.025 max at the small end, 0.040 from 5/16, 0.055 from 5/8, 0.070 at 7/8 and 1 in), and a suggested hole diameter running 0.0003-0.0015 under the pin min — these pins press in with interference set by the hole (0.2462/0.2447 max/min at 1/4). The double shear ladder quantifies the capacity trade for going unhardened: 6,120 lb minimum in carbon steel at 1/4, 24,720 at 1/2, 99,460 at 1 in, with brass at roughly 62% of the steel figures throughout (3,810 / 15,450 / 62,160). Unhardened means the pin yields rather than shatters under overload and can be staked, filed or cut to length in place — the price is that the double shear figures are minimums for a soft pin and wear/deflection behave differently than the hardened series (a separate registry identity).
| Standard / series | ANSI/ASME B18.8.2 standard unhardened ground dowel pins, nominal 1/16 (0.0625) to 1 (1.0000) in |
|---|---|
| Pin diameter A | Max/min: 0.0600/0.0595 at 1/16; 0.1223/0.1218 at 1/8; 0.2470/0.2465 at 1/4; 0.4964/0.4959 at 1/2; 0.9952/0.9947 at 1 in |
| Chamfer length C | Max/min: 0.025/0.005 through 1/4; 0.040/0.020 from 5/16 to 1/2; 0.055/0.035 from 5/8 to 3/4; 0.070/0.050 at 7/8 and 1 in |
| Suggested hole dia. | Max/min: 0.0595/0.0580 at 1/16; 0.1217/0.1202 at 1/8; 0.2462/0.2447 at 1/4; 0.4954/0.4939 at 1/2; 0.9938/0.9923 at 1 in — press-fit interference by design |
| Double shear load (min) | Carbon steel: 350 lb (1/16) / 1,490 (1/8) / 6,120 (1/4) / 24,720 (1/2) / 99,460 (1); brass: 220 / 930 / 3,810 / 15,450 / 62,160 — minimums as printed |
| Not tabulated | Lengths, hardness, finish, the hardened B18.8.2 series (separate registry identity) — per RFQ |
Materials
- The series exists to be machinable: low-carbon steel ground unhardened, with brass as the table's second material for soft-jaw, non-marring or bearing-surface applications. The shear ladders are minimums for those two materials only — stainless or alloy versions of the same geometry do not inherit the carbon steel figures. Specify material, length and any staking or finish requirement on the RFQ; the collected page carries diameters, chamfers, holes and shear loads only
Ordering & documentation
Documents
Shipments are backed by Mill Test Certificate (MTC), Dimensional Report, Salt Spray Test Report on request, with full batch traceability from raw material to finished product. Quality management follows the owner-confirmed compliance list: ISO 9001:2015, RoHS, REACH. Exact document sets are confirmed on the order.
Quotation
- The fastener family (Standard Unhardened Ground Dowel Pins (ANSI/ASME B18.8.2)) plus the standard designation from your drawing — DIN / ISO / JIS / ASTM / ANSI, or a drawing for custom parts.
- Size (diameter and length), thread type (metric or inch), property class or grade, and coating or finish.
- Quantity per size and your target delivery date.
- Destination country, and any required documents (for example a mill test certificate) so the quote includes them.
Sample & supply
Minimum order quantities and lead times for this family are confirmed at quotation — send your sizes, grades and quantities on the RFQ and the quote will carry a firm schedule. Sample availability is confirmed with the quotation.
Storage & shipping
Parts are packed for export and shipped factory-direct to buyers in Europe, Asia, the Americas and the Middle East. Store fasteners dry and protected until installation, and keep coated parts in their packaging until use; specific packing and preservation requirements can be stated on the order and confirmed at quotation.
Frequently asked questions
When does an unhardened ground dowel pin beat a hardened one — and what does the shear table say about the cost?
When the pin must be adjusted, cut, or sacrificed. Unhardened pins can be filed to flush, staked at the ends, machined into a sub-assembly after pressing, and they fail by bending rather than by cracking — which matters where a hardened pin shattering inside a housing is the expensive outcome. The collected shear ladder prices that choice: 24,720 lb minimum double shear at 1/2 in carbon steel, against roughly 62% of that in brass, and materially below what a hardened pin of the same size carries (the hardened series is its own identity with its own table). In practice: hardened for location in production tooling and repeated shear cycling, unhardened where the pin is a fitting, alignment or serviceable-shear element. Order by nominal size and material, drill to the suggested hole band, and do not mix the two series' capacity figures.
The suggested hole is smaller than the pin — how does an interference fit work here?
That is the design. At 1/4 in the pin min is 0.2465 in and the hole band is 0.2447-0.2462 in, so the smallest pin is still up to about a thousandth larger than the largest hole — a light press fit that holds the pin by friction without needing the full interference a hardened pin takes. The unhardened material tolerates the press: it swages slightly at the leading edge instead of galling or cracking, which is why the chamfer length grows with diameter (0.040 at 5/16, 0.070 at 1 in) — the chamfer starts the swage. Reaming to size rather than drilling matters at the small sizes where the whole band is under a thousandth wide; and once pressed, the joint is not meant to come apart cleanly — plan for the pin to be drilled out if the assembly is ever serviced.
Request a Quote
Get factory-direct pricing from the manufacturer.
What to include in your inquiry
- ✓ Standard and property class (e.g. DIN 912, ISO 4762, class 8.8) — or a drawing for custom parts.
- ✓ Sizes, lengths and thread type (metric or inch).
- ✓ Quantity per size and your target delivery date.
- ✓ Destination country, plus any coating or finish requirement.
- ✓ Any documents you need with the shipment (e.g. mill test certificate) so the quote includes them.
- ✓ Your inquiry goes straight to the factory team by email and gets a reply within 24 hours.
- ✓ Factory-direct pricing
- ✓ Standard and custom specifications
- ✓ Factory-direct export to buyers in Europe, Asia, the Americas and the Middle East
- ✓ Full fastener family support