Fundamentals of Geometric

Dimensioning & Tolerancing

What is GD&T
• It is compilation of symbols and rules that efficiently
describe and control dimensioning & tolerancing for
all drawings (castings, machined components, etc.).
• GD&T is a means of dimensioning & tolerancing a
drawing which considers the function of the part and
how this part functions with related parts.
▫ This allows a drawing to contain a more defined feature
more accurately, without increasing tolerances
The Simplest Part in the World

• They sent this drawing of a pin to two suppliers:

▫ Supplier A / Supplier B
• All of the pins from Supplier A fit into their mating parts.
• Some of the pins from Supplier B would not fit into their mating parts.
• The pins that did not fit were inspected and found to be within their size tolerance.
WHY DON’T THEY FIT?
 The Problem with the Simplest Part in the World

• The local size was within tolerance, but a deviation form

kept them from fitting inside their mating parts.
• GD&T has increased in practice in last 15 years
because of ISO 9000.
▫ ISO 9000 requires not only that something be required, but how it is to
be controlled.
▫ For example, how round does a round feature have to be?
Standards
• Geometric tolerances – ASME Y14.5
Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing
• Uses standard, international symbols to describe parts in a language that is
clearly understood by any manufacturer.
• This simple drawing shows many of the symbols that define the
characteristics of a workpiece and eliminates the need for traditional
handwritten notes.
“OLD” Drawing without GD&T.
“NEW” Drawing with GD&T.
Limit Tolerancing vs. Geometric Tolerancing
Limit Tolerancing vs. Geometric Tolerancing
• When Should GD&T be Used :
▫ When part features are critical to function or interchangeability.
▫ When functional gauging techniques are desirable.
▫ When datum references are desirable.
▫ When computerization techniques are desirable.
▫ When standard interpretation or tolerance is not already implied.

• Why Should GD&T be Used:

▫ A simple and efficient method for describing the tolerancing mandated by the designer of the
part.
▫ Provides for maximum producibility of parts.
▫ Insures that design tolerance requirements are specifically stated and carried out.
▫ Adapts to, and assists, computerization techniques.
▫ Ensure interchangeability of mating parts at assembly.
▫ Provides uniformity and convenience in drawing.
Terminology Review
• Maximum Material Condition (MMC): The condition where a size
feature contains the maximum amount of material within the stated limits
of size. I.e., largest shaft and smallest hole.
• Least Material Condition (LMC): The condition where a size feature
contains the least amount of material within the stated limits of size. I.e.,
smallest shaft and largest hole.
• Tolerance: Difference between MMC and LMC limits of a single
dimension.
• Allowance: Difference between the MMC of two mating parts. (Minimum
clearance and maximum interference)
• Basic Dimension: Nominal dimension from which tolerances are derived.
Terminology Review
Terminology Review
• Limit Tolerance: When a dimension has a high and
low limit stated
▫ 1.250/1.150 is a limit tolerance.
• Plus- Minus Tolerance: The nominal or target value
of the dimension is given first, followed by a plus-
minus expression of tolerance.
▫ 32 0.004 is a plus-minus tolerance
Terminology Review
• Unilateral Tolerance: Where allowable variation is
only in one direction and zero in the other.
• Unequal Bilateral Tolerance: Where the allowable
variation is from the target value and the variation is
not the same in both directions.
Terminology Review
• Bilateral Tolerance: A tolerance that allows the
dimension to vary in both the plus and minus
directions.
• Equal Bilateral Tolerance: Variation from the
nominal is the same in both directions.
Material Conditions
• MMC (Maximum Metal Condition)
• LMC (Least Metal Condition)
• RFS (Regardless of Feature Size)
Limits of Size
SIZE DIMENSION

WHAT DOES
THIS MEAN?

2.007
2.003
 A variation in form is
Limits of Size allowed between the least
material condition (LMC)
and the maximum material
condition (MMC).
SIZE DIMENSION
ENVELOPE PRINCIPLE

MMC
(2.007)

LMC
(2.003)

ENVELOPE OF SIZE
Limits of Size
ENVELOPE PRINCIPLE

LMC
CLEARANCE

MMC
ALLOWANCE
 Limits of Size
ØMMC
ØLMC

The actual size of the feature at any cross section must be within the
size boundary.
 Limits of Size

No portion of the feature may be outside a perfect form barrier at maximum material
condition (MMC).
Limits of Size
GEOMETRIC DIMENSIONING TOLERANCE ZONES

PARALLEL LINES PARALLEL LINES PARALLEL LINES

PARALLEL PLANES PARALLEL PLANES PARALLEL PLANES

PARALLEL PLANES PARALLEL PLANES CYLINDER ZONE

Other Factors I.e., Parallel Line Tolerance Zones
Datum Reference Frame (DRF)
• In order to manufacture and/or inspect a part to a
drawing , the three (3) plane concept is necessary.
• Three (3) mutually perpendicular (exactly 90° to each
other) and perfect planes need to be created to
measure from.
• In GD&T this is called Datum Reference Frame
whereas in mathematics it is the Cartesian coordinate
system
Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Features & Datums
Datum Feature VS Datum Plane
Datum Feature VS Datum Axis
 Feature Control Frame

The first compartment contains the type of geometric characteristic such as true
position, profile, orientation, etc.
The second compartment contains the tolerance (where applicable the tolerance is
preceded by a diameter symbol and followed by a material condition symbol).
The remaining compartments contain the datum planes or axis in the proper
sequence (primary datum is the first letter).
Feature Control Frame
FORM TOLERANCE
Form Tolerances
• Form Tolerances are used to establish the overall shape
of a feature or surface
• These symbols never reference datums – they are not
held relative to any other feature
• Form is automatically controlled by Rule 1
▫ A designer should only use form tolerances as a refinement
for function
Straightness
• Relative to Datum: No
• MMC or LMC applicable: Yes – Axis Straightness
Drawing Callout: Surface Roughness
Straightness - Surface
• Two Parallel Lines on either side of a surface line
where the surface must lie
Straightness
• The boxed symbols can be read
"the top and bottom of the cylinder must lie between
two parallel planes 0.02 apart".
Straightness
• Additional figures showing three actual part
conditions that would meet this tolerance. 
Straightness – Surface - Gauging
• A part is constrained and a gauge measures along a
straight line. In this example the height variance is
measured to see how flat or straight the line is along
this surface.
Straightness - Axis
• A cylindrical boundary around the true central axis of
the part, where the derived midpoint axis of the part
must fit into.
Straightness – Axis – Gauging
• To gauge axis straightness effectively, MMC is commonly called out. To ensure that a part or
feature is axially straight, a cylinder gauge is used to determine if the part fits in its total
envelope at MMC. This is both a control of the diameter and of the axial straightness. The ID
of the cylinder gauge represents the maximum virtual condition of the part.
• Gauge Cylinder ID = Max Ø part (MMC) + Straightness Tolerance
Flatness
• A common symbol that refers to how flat a surface is 
regardless of any other datum’s or features.
• Relative to Datum: No
• MMC or LMC applicable: Yes – New in 2009

Drawing Callout
Flatness
• Two Sets of Parallel Planes where the entire
referenced surface must lie.
Flatness - When Used
• When you want to constrain the amount of waviness or
variation in a surface without tightening the dimensional
tolerance of said surface.
• Commonly used on a fixture that must mate flush with another
part without wobbling, but where orientation is not important.
Flatness - Example
• If you want to make sure that a tabletop is perfectly flat, if you
did not have a flatness callout, you would have to constrain
the height of the table very tightly to make sure that the entire
surface is straight. With flatness, you can allow the table to be
flat without constraining the tabletop thickness very tight.
Flatness - Example

Table without GDT: Keeping the table flat without GD&T

Flatness - Example

Table with GDT: Keeping the table flat without GD&T

Circularity
• Relative to Datum: No
• MMC or LMC applicable: No

Drawing Callout
Circularity – Tolerance Zone
• Two concentric circles, one inner and one outer, in
which all the points within the circular surface must
fall into. The tolerance zone lies on a plane that is
perpendicular to the central axis of the circular
feature.
Circularity – Gauging
• Circularity is measured by constraining a part,
rotating it around the central axis while a height
gauge records the variation of the surface. The height
gauge must have total variation less than the
tolerance amount.
Cylindricity
• Relative to Datum: No
• MMC or LMC applicable: No
Drawing Callout
Cylindricity
• Cylindricity is a 3-Dimensional tolerance that
controls the overall form of a cylindrical feature to
ensure that it is round enough and straight enough
along its axis.
Cylindricity – Tolerance Zone
• Two concentric cylinders that run the entire length of
the feature – one inner and one outer, in which all the
points on the entire surface of the cylindrical feature
must fall into.
Cylindricity – Gauging
• Cylindricity is measured by constraining a part on its
axis, and rotating it around while a height gauge
records the variation of the surface in several
locations along the length. The height gauge must
have total variation less than the tolerance amount.
ORIENTATION
Parallelism 
• Parallelism actually has two different functions in
GD&T depending which reference feature is called out.
▫ The normal form or Surface Parallelism is a tolerance
that controls parallelism between two surfaces or features.
▫ The surface form is controlled similar to flatness with two
parallel planes acting as its tolerance zone. Axis
Parallelism is a tolerance that controls how parallel a
specific parts central axis needs to be to a datum plane or
axis. 
Parallelism 
• Relative to Datum: Yes
• MMC or LMC applicable: Yes
GD&T Drawing Callout
Parallelism 
• Two parallel planes or lines which are oriented
parallel to the datum feature or surface.
• All points that are on the referenced feature must in
the tolerance zone.
Parallelism 
• Like flatness, a gauge is run across the reference
surface or feature. However unlike flatness, the part
is constrained against a granite block or flat plane
that acts as the datum surface where it is measured.
Parallelism 
Perpendicularity
• Relative to Datum: Yes
• MMC or LMC applicable: Yes
Perpendicularity - Surface Perpendicularity
Perpendicularity - Axis Perpendicularity
Perpendicularity - Tolerance Zone
• Surface
▫ The planes are held perpendicular to the datum, but only
ensure that the entire feature falls into the tolerance zone.
Perpendicularity - Tolerance Zone
• Axis
▫ A cylinder surrounding a referenced theoretical axis which
is directly perpendicular to the datum feature. The tolerance
zone is the diameter of this symbol in which the central axis
of the measured feature must lie.
Perpendicularity - Gauging
• Surface
▫ Perpendicularity is measured using a height gauge,
similar to flatness, however the gauge (or part) is
locked to a 90° datum to measure how perpendicular
the surface is. The entire surface has to be measured if
it is a flat feature.
Perpendicularity - Gauging
• Axis
▫ To ensure that a part or feature is axially perpendicular, Maximum
material condition is most often called out on axis perpendicularity to
allow easy measurement with a gauge.
Perpendicularity - Example
• Surface
▫ To ensure that a part or feature is axially perpendicular, Maximum
material condition is most often called out on axis perpendicularity to
allow easy measurement with a gauge.
Perpendicularity - Example
Perpendicularity - Example
• AXIS
Angularity
• Relative to Datum: Yes
• MMC or LMC applicable: Yes (Uncommon)

Drawing Callout
Angularity

Angularity does not directly control the angle of the referenced surface; it controls the
envelope (like flatness) that the entire surface can lie.
Angularity – Gauging

Angularity is measured by constraining a part, usually with a sine bar, tilted to the reference
angle, so that the reference surface is now parallel to the granite slab.
Angularity - Example
LOCATION
True Position
• Relative to Datum:Yes
• MMC or LMC applicable: Yes (common)
GD&T Drawing Callout
True Position
• True position is defined as the total permissible
variation that a feature can have from its “true” position.
• Depending on how it is called out, true position can
mean several different things.
• It can be used with Max Material Condition(MMC),
Least Material Condition (LMC), projected tolerances,
and tangent planes.
• It may apply to everything from points to axes to planes
to entire features.  
True Position
• GD&T Tolerance Zone
True Position
• GD&T Tolerance Zone
True Position
• Gauging / Measurement
Concentricity
• Relative to Datum: Yes
• MMC or LMC applicable: No
Drawing Callout
Concentricity
• GD&T Tolerance Zone:
Concentricity
• Gauging / Measurement
Concentricity
• Gauging / Measurement
Concentricity
• Example
Symmetry
• Relative to Datum: Yes
• MMC or LMC applicable: No
Drawing Callout
Symmetry
• GD&T Symmetry is a 3-Dimensional tolerance that is used to ensure
that two features on a part are uniform across a datum plane.
• An established “true” central plane is established from the datum and
for the symmetry to be in tolerance, the median distance between the
every point on the two surface features need to fall near that central
plane.
• Each set of points on the reference features would have a midpoint that
is right between the two.
• If you take all the midpoints of the entire surface, this must lie within
the tolerance zone to be in specification.   
Symmetry is not a very common GD&T callout since it has very limited
functional uses (centering location is done with Position) and the
verification and measurement of symmetry can be difficult
Symmetry
• Tolerance Zone
Symmetry
• Gauging / Measurement
Symmetry
• Example
Symmetry
• Example
RUNOUT

PROFILE
Runout
• Relative to Datum: Yes
• MMC or LMC applicable: No
Drawing Callout
Runout
• Runout is how much one given reference feature or
features vary with respect to another datum when the
part is rotated 360° around the datum axis.
• It is essentially a control of a circular feature, and
how much variation it has with the rotational axis.
• Runout can be called out on any feature that is rotated
about an axis.
• It is essentially how much “wobble” occurs in the one
part feature when referenced to another.
Runout
• GD&T Tolerance Zone
Runout
• Gauging / Measurement
Runout
• Example
Total Runout
• Relative to Datum: Yes
• MMC or LMC applicable: No
Drawing Callout
Total Runout
• Total Runout is how much one entire feature or surface
varies with respect to a datum when the part is rotated 360°
around the datum axis.
• Total runout controls both the amount of variation in the
surface as the part is rotated, but the amount of variation in
the axial dimension.
• Both radial variation and axial variation are measured and
held within the tolerance.
• Total Runout is usually called on a part that is rotated about
an axis where the entire surface is critical to be in spec.
Total Runout
• Tolerance Zone
Total Runout
• Gauging / Measurement
Total Runout
• Example
Profile of a line
• Relative to Datum: Optional
• MMC or LMC applicable: No
Drawing Callout
Profile of a line
• GD&T Tolerance Zone:
Profile of a line
• Gauging / Measurement
Profile of a line
• Gauging / Measurement
Profile of a Surface
• Relative to Datum: Optional
• MMC or LMC applicable: No

Drawing Callout
Profile of a Surface
GD&T Tolerance Zone
Profile of a Surface
Gauging / Measurement
Profile of a Surface
Gauging / Measurement