V drill bit size
0.377 in
9.58 mm · letter drill
| Inches | 0.377 in |
| Millimetres | 9.58 mm |
| Nearest metric drill | 9.6 mm |
| System | Letter (A to Z) |
What V means
A bit marked V is a letter drill. Letters run A to Z and get larger as they advance, covering 0.234 to 0.413 inches — the gap between the largest number drill and the point where fractional sizes become fine enough to be useful.
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 V:
| System | Nearest size | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| number | #1 — 0.228 in | 0.149 in smaller |
| fractional | 3/8" — 0.375 in | 0.002 in smaller |
| metric | 9.6 mm | 0.024 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 0.377 inches
Clearance holes for bolts up to about half an inch, and tapping drills for the larger unified threads. Above a quarter inch a hand drill starts to want two hands and a slower speed, and the bit wants a pilot hole.
Either side of it
| Drill | Inches | Millimetres |
|---|---|---|
| 23/64" | 0.3594 in | 9.13 mm |
| U | 0.368 in | 9.35 mm |
| 3/8" | 0.375 in | 9.52 mm |
| V | 0.377 in | 9.58 mm |
| W | 0.386 in | 9.8 mm |
| 25/64" | 0.3906 in | 9.92 mm |
| X | 0.397 in | 10.08 mm |
Frequently asked questions
What size is a V drill bit?
0.377 inches, which is 9.58 mm. Letter drills run A to Z and get larger as the letter advances, filling the gap between the largest number drill and the fractional sizes.
What is a V drill bit in mm?
9.58 mm. A metric index will offer 9.6 mm as the nearest stocked size, which is 0.024 mm larger — enough to matter when tapping and not enough to matter for a clearance hole.
Is V 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 V?
W at 0.386 inches — 0.009 inches larger. Below it is 3/8" at 0.375.
Other sizes
- W drill bit — 0.386 in, 9.8 mm
- 25/64" drill bit — 0.3906 in, 9.92 mm
- X drill bit — 0.397 in, 10.08 mm
- Y drill bit — 0.404 in, 10.26 mm
- 13/32" drill bit — 0.4063 in, 10.32 mm
- Z drill bit — 0.413 in, 10.49 mm
- 27/64" drill bit — 0.4219 in, 10.72 mm
- 7/16" drill bit — 0.4375 in, 11.11 mm