3D Printing Tolerances

The following tolerances work for me and may differ from yours due to printer calibration, filament type, printing settings, etc. You can use these as a guide, but make sure to use values that work for you!

All of these tolerances are measured from wall to wall. To have a tolerance on both sides, double the offset amount.

.25 mm or wider

I use a tolerance of .2 mm when I want parts that will move frequently and smoothly. A wide tolerance allows space for lubrication/grease. I use tolerances this wide for sliding parts and loose gears.

.15 mm

 I use .15 mm for gear meshing, and items that should move together. This is my go to tolerance for designing parts.

.10 mm to .05 mm

These tolerances are used for press fits. If I need to press fit something that will be removed later I typically use .10 mm, because it is slightly easier to get off later. I use .05 mm when I want things to be near permanent. It can also be helpful to heat filament up briefly to make it softer to press fit, if it really won’t go in.