Tolerance Stacks
Tolerance Stacks
Tolerance analysis is the general term for all activities related to the study of accumulated
variation in mechanical parts and assemblies, and may be used on other types of systems
subject to accumulated variation, such as mechanical and electrical systems.
Tolerance stacks, tolerance stackups or tolerance stack-ups are terms used to describe the
problem-solving process in mechanical engineering of calculating the effects of the
accumulated variation that is allowed by specified dimensions and tolerances. Typically these
dimensions and tolerances are specified on an engineering drawing. Arithmetic tolerance
stackups use the worst-case maximum or minimum values of dimensions and tolerances to
calculate the maximum and minimum distance (clearance or interference) between two
features or parts. Statistical tolerance stackups evaluate the maximum and minimum values
based on the absolute arithmetic calculation combined with some method for establishing
likelihood of obtaining the maximum and minimum values, such as Root Sum Square (RSS)
or Monte-Carlo methods.
While no official engineering standard covers the process or format of tolerance analysis,
tolerance analysis and tolerance stackups are essential components of good product design.
Tolerance stackups should be used as part of the mechanical design process, both as a
predictive tool and as a problem-solving tool. The methods used to conduct a tolerance
stackup depend somewhat upon the engineering dimensioning and tolerancing standards that
are referenced in the engineering documentation, such as ASME Y14.5, ASME Y14.41, or
the relevant ISO dimensioning and tolerancing standards. Understanding the tolerances,
concepts, and boundaries created by these standards is vital to performing accurate
calculations.