Audience: Metrology techs and engineers who review and report dimensional requirements.
Printable one-page sheet
The one-page printable GD&T sheet is available as a standalone download below. Print and post it at your lab wall or bench station.
Common controls and what to check
- Position: Verify true position relative to datums with the stated material condition.
- Flatness: Confirm surface variation stays within two parallel planes.
- Perpendicularity: Check orientation to datum axis or plane.
- Parallelism: Verify target surfaces or axes remain parallel to datum references.
- Circularity: Validate each circular element without datum dependency.
- Cylindricity: Evaluate full form of the cylindrical feature through length.
- Profile of a surface: Confirm total surface zone against nominal geometry.
- Runout: Measure variation while rotating relative to datum axis.
- Total runout: Evaluate cumulative variation over the full rotating surface.
Bench formulas used most often
- Plus/minus limits: Lower limit = nominal minus tolerance, upper limit = nominal plus tolerance.
- Bilateral tolerance width: Total zone = upper limit minus lower limit.
- MMC for hole: MMC = smallest allowed diameter.
- MMC for shaft: MMC = largest allowed diameter.
- Bonus tolerance: Bonus = actual size minus MMC for hole, MMC minus actual size for shaft.
- True position distance: Position error = 2 times the radial offset from true location.
Tips that prevent repeat errors
- Confirm datum precedence before selecting setup and fixturing.
- Capture units and decimal precision in the FAI workbook before data entry.
- Mark unclear callouts early and resolve with engineering before final report export.
- Use one characteristic numbering method from drawing through Excel output.
This is an operational quick reference, not a substitute for your internal quality procedures or customer flowdown requirements.