1/16" drill bit size
0.0625 in
1.59 mm · fractional drill
| Inches | 0.0625 in |
| Millimetres | 1.59 mm |
| Nearest metric drill | 1.6 mm |
| System | Fractional (64ths) |
What 1/16" means
1/16" is a fractional drill, stepping in 64ths of an inch. Fractional sizes are the coarsest of the three systems, which is why a fractional set alone cannot hit most tapping sizes and why number and letter drills exist at all.
The same hole in the other systems
Three drill systems overlap across this range and a workshop rarely has all three. The nearest bit of each other kind to 1/16":
| System | Nearest size | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| number | #52 — 0.0635 in | 0.001 in larger |
| letter | A — 0.234 in | 0.1715 in larger |
| metric | 1.6 mm | 0.013 mm larger |
One of those is within three thousandths of an inch, which is inside the tolerance of most hand-held work — substitute it and nobody will know.
What gets drilled at 0.0625 inches
This is circuit-board and small-pin range — component leads, header pins, the holes a hobbyist drills in perfboard. It is also where the smallest machine-screw taps live, so a drill here is as likely to be preparing a thread as clearing a wire.
Either side of it
| Drill | Inches | Millimetres |
|---|---|---|
| #55 | 0.052 in | 1.32 mm |
| #54 | 0.055 in | 1.4 mm |
| #53 | 0.0595 in | 1.51 mm |
| 1/16" | 0.0625 in | 1.59 mm |
| #52 | 0.0635 in | 1.61 mm |
| #51 | 0.067 in | 1.7 mm |
| #50 | 0.07 in | 1.78 mm |
Frequently asked questions
What size is a 1/16" drill bit?
0.0625 inches, which is 1.59 mm. Fractional drills step in 64ths of an inch, which is the coarsest of the three systems and the one most home sets contain.
What is a 1/16" drill bit in mm?
1.59 mm. A metric index will offer 1.6 mm as the nearest stocked size, which is near enough identical.
Is 1/16" a tapping drill size?
Not for any of the unified threads on this site. It sits between the sizes the standard taps call for, so it is a clearance or pilot drill rather than a tapping one.
What is the next size up from 1/16"?
#52 at 0.0635 inches — 0.001 inches larger. Below it is #53 at 0.0595.
Other sizes
- #52 drill bit — 0.0635 in, 1.61 mm
- #51 drill bit — 0.067 in, 1.7 mm
- #50 drill bit — 0.07 in, 1.78 mm
- #49 drill bit — 0.073 in, 1.85 mm
- #48 drill bit — 0.076 in, 1.93 mm
- 5/64" drill bit — 0.0781 in, 1.98 mm
- #47 drill bit — 0.0785 in, 1.99 mm
- #46 drill bit — 0.081 in, 2.06 mm