At One Place

5/8"-11 UNC thread

5/8"-11 UNC tap drill
17/32"
Clearance hole 16.67 mm · 23.81 mm hex

5/8"-11 UNC is a coarse Unified inch thread with a 15.875 mm (0.625") major diameter and 11 threads per inch (2.309 mm pitch). Tap it with a 17/32" drill; drill 16.67 mm to pass a bolt through.

The numbers

Designation
5/8"-11 UNC
Major diameter
15.875 mm / 0.625"
Minor diameter
13.375 mm
Pitch
11 threads per inch (2.309 mm pitch)
Tap drill (75% thread)
17/32" — 13.49 mm
Clearance hole (close fit)
16.67 mm / 0.656"
Hex across flats
23.81 mm

How to measure what you have

  1. Measure across the thread crests with calipers. A used 5/8"-11 UNC reads a little under 15.875 mm — the crests are truncated by the standard, then worn and plated, so anything from about 15.5 mm up is consistent with this size.
  2. Count the threads crossing one inch. This one gives 11.
  3. A thread pitch gauge settles it in seconds and costs very little. Guessing between a coarse and a fine thread of the same diameter is the usual way a thread gets stripped.

Tightening torque

Typical torque
163–223 N·m
120.2–164.5 lb·ft

Plain steel property class 8.8 or SAE grade 5, dry threads, tightened to about 65% of yield. Lubricated threads reach the same preload at 20-30% less torque. Where the manufacturer publishes a figure — spark plugs, wheel nuts, cylinder heads — use theirs.

Where this size turns up

  • Concrete anchor bolts and holding-down studs
  • Trailer hitch balls and towing hardware
  • Heavy machinery mounting

Other threads at this diameter

Same diameter, different pitch. Forcing the wrong one strips the thread in a turn or two.
Thread Pitch Tap drill Clearance
5/8"-18 UNF 18 tpi 37/64" 16.67 mm
5/8"-27 UNS 27 tpi 15 mm 16.67 mm

Common questions

What size drill for an 5/8"-11 UNC tap?
17/32" (13.49 mm), which gives about 75% thread engagement.
What clearance hole for 5/8"-11 UNC?
16.67 mm for a close fit — enough to pass the bolt without slop.
What spanner fits 5/8"-11 UNC?
23.81 mm across the flats on a standard hex head.

Related pages

Sources

  1. Official vendor product documentation — At One Place
  2. Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked