Countersink Diameter and Cutting Depth
Dialing a Z-depth when the print calls a diameter.
Example
You enter
- Finished countersink diameter D_cs (in) 0.5
- Included angle (deg) 82
- Pilot / through-hole diameter (in) 0.25
You get
- Plunge depth below surface 0.1438 in
Details, formula, and sources
The print gives the finished countersink diameter, but the machine is set to a plunge depth, Z = (D_cs - d_hole) / (2 tan(angle/2)). A 0.500 in countersink, 82 deg inch head, 0.250 in pilot hole needs 0.1438 in of plunge; the same diameter with a 60 deg tool needs 0.2165 in -- a shallower angle drives the tool half again as deep, so the angle callout matters as much as the diameter. 82 deg (inch flat-head) and 90 deg (metric) are NOT interchangeable -- mismatched screw and sink never seat flush, and a few thousandths of over-plunge sits a flat-head proud or buried. A setup aid; the tool geometry and the fastener callout govern.
Z = (D_cs - d_hole) / (2 x tan(angle/2)); Z_full = D_cs / (2 x tan(angle/2)).
Countersink diameter-to-depth relation (Machinery's Handbook countersinking; 82 deg inch and 90 deg metric flat-head standards), first-principles trigonometry, by name; the tool geometry and the fastener callout govern.
The countersink diameter-to-depth relation is first-principles cone trigonometry; the diameter, angle, and pilot hole come from the print and the tool.
Estimate. AHJ and licensed professional govern.
Field names used by the API: countersink_dia_in, included_angle_deg, pilot_hole_dia_in, z_in
- Diameter to depth the machine is set to a depth to produce the diameter the print calls outMachinery's Handbook
- Angle standard 82 deg inch flat-head and 90 deg metric are not interchangeableflat-head fastener standards
- Angle drives depth a shallower included angle plunges deeper for the same diametercone geometry