Insert Designation Code Builder

 

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Interactive reference

Insert Designation Code Builder

Every carbide insert has a code — like CNMG 432 or SEKN 42AFTN — built from the ANSI/ISO standard. Use the builder below to assemble or decode a code position by position, or jump straight to a reference table.

How the code reads

Click any position below, or use the builder, to jump to its definitions.

Turning—e.g., CNMG 432

CShape
NClearance Angle
MTolerance
GGroove / Hole
4Size (IC)
3Thickness
2Radius

Milling—e.g., SEKN 42AFTN

SShape
EClearance Angle
KTolerance
NGroove / Hole
4Size (IC)
2Thickness
AWiper Lead Angle
FWiper Clearance
TEdge Preparation
NCutting Direction

Code Builder

Pick a value for each position and watch the full insert code assemble live.

— — — — — — —

Shape

Code Description Diagram Nose Angle
A 85° Parallelogram A shape 85°
B 82° Parallelogram B shape 82°
C 80° Diamond C shape 80°
D 55° Diamond D shape 55°
E 75° Diamond E shape 75°
H Hexagon H shape 120°
K 55° Parallelogram K shape 55°
L Rectangle L shape 90°
M 86° Diamond M shape 86°
N 55° Parallelogram N shape 55°
O Octagon O shape 135°
P Pentagon P shape 108°
R Round R shape Full radius
S Square S shape 90°
T Triangle T shape 60°
V 35° Diamond V shape 35°
W Trigon W shape 80°
X Sp. Parallelogram X shape 85°

Not sure which shape fits your job? See our Choosing Insert Shape guide.

Clearance / Relief Angle

Code Angle Diagram
N 0° N clearance
A 3° A clearance
B 5° B clearance
C 7° C clearance
P 11° P clearance
D 15° D clearance
E 20° E clearance
F 25° F clearance
G 30° G clearance

Tolerance

Code Corner (in) Thickness (in) IC (in) Corner (mm) Thickness (mm) IC (mm)
A .0002" .001" .001" .005mm .025mm .025mm
C .0005" .001" .001" .013mm .025mm .025mm
E .001" .001" .001" .025mm .025mm .025mm
F .0002" .001" .0005" .005mm .025mm .013mm
G .001" .005" .001" .025mm .13mm .025mm
H .0005" .001" .0005" .013mm .025mm .013mm
J .002" .001" .002-.005" .005mm .025mm .05-.13mm
K .0005" .001" .002-.005" .013mm .025mm .05-.13mm
L .001" .001" .002-.005" .025mm .025mm .05-.13mm
M .002-.005" .005" .002-.005" .05-.13mm .13mm .05-.15mm
U .005-.012" .005" .005-.010" .06-.25mm .13mm .08-.25mm

Hole / Chipbreaker

Code Hole Hole Shape Chipbreaker Type
Null No None
A Yes Cylindrical None
B Yes 70-90° double countersink None
D Yes Cylindrical None
E No None
F No Double-sided
G Yes Cylindrical Double-sided
H Yes 70-90° single countersink Single-sided
M Yes Cylindrical, or dbl countersink Single-sided
N No None
P Yes Cylindrical Hi-double positive
Q Yes 40-60° double countersink None
R No Single-sided
S Yes Cylindrical Hi-double positive
T Yes 40-60° double countersink Single-sided
U Yes 40-60° double countersink Double-sided
W Yes 40-60° double countersink None
Z Yes Cylindrical Double-sided hi-double positive

Size (Inscribed Circle)

ANSI code, IC size, and the matching ISO code by shape letter.

ANSI Decimal (in) Fractional (in) C D R S T V W
0.5 .0625" 1/16"
1.2 (5) .15625" 5/32" S4 4mm 3mm 3mm 6mm
1.5 (6) .1875" 3/16" 4mm 5mm 4mm 4mm 8mm 8mm S3
1.8 (7) .21875" 7/32" 5mm 6mm 5mm 5mm 9mm 9mm 3mm
2 .25" 1/4" 6mm 7mm 6mm 6mm 11mm 11mm 4mm
2.5 .3125" 5/16" 8mm 9mm 7mm 7mm 13mm 13mm 5mm
3 .375" 3/8" 9mm 11mm 9mm 9mm 16mm 16mm 6mm
3.5 .4375" 7/16" 11mm 13mm 11mm 11mm 19mm 19mm 7mm
4 .5" 1/2" 12mm 15mm 12mm 12mm 22mm 22mm 8mm
4.5 .5625" 9/16" 14mm 17mm 14mm 14mm 24mm 24mm 9mm
5 .625" 5/8" 16mm 19mm 15mm 15mm 27mm 27mm 10mm
5.5 .6875" 11/16" 17mm 21mm 17mm 17mm 30mm 30mm 11mm
6 .75" 3/4" 19mm 23mm 19mm 19mm 33mm 33mm 13mm
6.5 .8125" 13/16"
7 .875" 7/8" 22mm 27mm 22mm 22mm 38mm 38mm 15mm
8 1" 1" 25mm 31mm 25mm 25mm 44mm 44mm 17mm
10 1.25" 1-1/4" 32mm 38mm 31mm 31mm 54mm 54mm 21mm
— 1.26" — 32mm

Thickness

ANSI ISO Decimal Fractional Millimeter
.5 (1) - 0.03125" 1/32" 0.79mm
.6 T0 0.040" 1/25" 1.00mm
1 (2) 01 0.0625" 1/16" 1.59mm
1.2 T1 0.078" 5/64" 1.98mm
1.5 (3) 02 0.094" 3/32" 2.38mm
— T2 0.109" 7/64" 2.78mm
2 03 0.125" 1/8" 3.18mm
2.5 T3 0.156" 5/32" 3.97mm
3 04 0.187" 3/16" 4.76mm
— 05 0.219" 7/32" 5.56mm
4 06 0.25" 1/4" 6.35mm
5 07 0.313" 5/16" 7.9mm
6 09 0.375" 3/8" 9.53mm
8 — 0.5" 1/2" 12.7mm

Radius

ANSI ISO Decimal Fractional Millimeter
Null Null Wiper flat
V M0 0 0 0
0.2 00 0.004" 0.1mm
X — 0.004" 0.1mm
0 00 0.004" 0.2mm
0.5 — 0.008" 0.2mm
Y — 0.008" 0.2mm
1 04 0.016" 1/64" 0.4mm
— 05 0.020" 0.5mm
2 08 0.031" 1/32" 0.8mm
— 10 0.040" 1.02mm
3 12 0.047" 3/64" 1.2mm
4 16 0.062" 1/16" 1.6mm
5 20 0.078" 5/64" 2mm
6 24 0.094" 3/32" 2.4mm
7 29 0.109" 7/64" 2.9mm
8 32 0.125" 1/8" 3.2mm

Wiper Lead Angle

Milling inserts only.

Code Angle
A 45°
D 60°
K 60°
E 75°
L 75°
P 0°
S 75°

Wiper Clearance Angle

Milling inserts only.

Code Angle
C 7°
D 15°
E 20°
F 25-26°
G 30°
N 0°
P 11°

Cutting Edge Preparation

Milling inserts only.

Code Edge Preparation
F Sharp
E Honed
T T-Land
S Honed T-Land
X Special chamfer

Cutting Direction

Milling inserts only — indicates whether the insert is designed for right-hand, left-hand, or neutral (either direction) milling.

Code Direction
R Right hand
L Left hand
N Neutral (either direction)

Ready to shop inserts? Browse our full catalog, or get help picking a shape first.

Shop FM Carbide Inserts Shop Canela Turning Inserts Choosing Insert Shape →
Reference: ANSI B212.4 / ISO 1832 indexable insert designation system.

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