Tap Drill Size Chart

M18 x 1 Tap Drill Size

Tap drill

17 mm 0.6693 in

Use a 17 mm drill (0.6693 in) for 77.0% thread.

The drill size for a M18 x 1 tap is 17 mm (0.6693 in). If you are wondering what size drill bit a M18 x 1 tap needs, that is the one: it leaves 77.0% of thread, which is the figure standard tap and drill charts are built around. Below are the other holes you might want for this size - a larger drill for tough material, the form-tap hole, and the clearance holes for the bolt that goes in.

Every drill for M18 x 1

Tap drills and clearance drills for M18 x 1 (Metric fine, 1 mm pitch). Percent of thread is the figure stored for each drill, which reproduces from the major diameter and pitch of M18 x 1.
Use Drill Decimal in mm % thread
Standard tap drill Cut tap, general use (D - P) 17 mm 0.6693 17.00 77.0%
Inch substitute Closest inch drill if you have no metric set 43/64″ 0.6719 17.07 71.9%
Hard material Stainless, tool steel, anything that fights the tap 17.2 mm 0.6772 17.20 61.6%
Form (roll) tap Theoretical 17.56 mm - starting point, check your tap maker's chart 17.6 mm 0.6929 17.60 —

Clearance holes for a M18 x 1 bolt

A clearance hole is not tapped. It is the hole in the part the bolt passes through, so it is always larger than the thread.

Clearance holes for M18 x 1 per ISO 273. Clearance depends on the bolt diameter alone, so every M18 thread shares these figures.
Fit Hole mm Hole in
Fine 19.00 0.748
Medium 20.00 0.7874
Coarse 21.00 0.8268

M18 x 1 dimensions

Nominal dimensions for M18 x 1. The basic internal minor diameter is the hole a 100% thread would start from, which is why no tap drill is ever that small.
Dimension Inch mm
Major diameter 0.7087 18.00
Basic internal minor diameter 0.666 16.92
Pitch 0.0394 1.00
Thread designation M18 x 1

What the hole looks like

Cross-section of a M18 x 1 tapped hole, drawn to scale The drilled hole is 17 mm, 0.6693 inches or 17.00 millimetres across. The tap cuts outward from that wall to the major diameter of 0.7087 inches. A 100 percent thread would reach in to the basic minor diameter of 0.666 inches, shown as a dashed line; the difference is why this drill gives 77.0% of thread. major 18 mm drill 17 mm · 17 mm dashed = 100% thread at 16.92 mm
M18 x 1 in section, to scale. The accent line is the thread the tap cuts from a 17 mm hole; the dashed line is where the crest would sit at 100% thread. The gap between them is the 23.0% of thread this drill leaves behind.

Work out a different hole for M18 x 1

Pre-filled with M18 x 1. Change the material, the tap type, or which drills you actually own, and it picks the closest real drill and tells you the percent of thread you end up with. The tables above are the published figures and do not depend on this.

The general-purpose target

Tap type
Drills you have

Best drill you have, cut tap, 70% target

17.1 mm0.6732 in69.3% thread

Theoretical hole 17.09 mm

One size down, deeper thread43/64″ 0.6719 in · 71.9%

One size up, easier tapping17.2 mm 0.6772 in · 61.6%

For comparison, the published chart drill for M18 x 1 is 17 mm at 77.0% thread.

Notes on M18 x 1

Finest pitch at this diameter
M18 x 1 is the finest of the standard pitches at 18 mm. Fine threads suit thin walls and joints that see vibration, but the hole size matters more: the window between a weak thread and a broken tap is narrower than on M18 x 2.5.
Not the same as M18 x 2.5
M18 x 2.5 and M18 x 1 share a 18 mm major diameter but not a pitch, and they take different drills: 15.5 mm for M18 x 2.5, 17 mm for M18 x 1. The taps and the fasteners are not interchangeable.
What the standard drill gives you
17 mm leaves 77.0% of thread (D - P). That is in the normal 65-80% band most shop charts aim for.
Stainless, tool steel and other tough material
17.2 mm opens the hole to 61.6% engagement. Less material for the tap to cut means less torque and less heat, at the cost of some thread depth.
Using a form (roll) tap
A form tap displaces metal instead of cutting it, so it needs a larger hole: 17.6 mm, against a theoretical 17.56 mm. Treat that as a starting point and check your tap maker's chart.
Closest inch size
3/4-10 is the nearest inch thread by diameter (19.05 mm against 18 mm). It is a planning reference only. The two are not interchangeable: the pitches differ, and a bolt from one will not run into a hole tapped for the other.

Related sizes

Same diameter, different pitch

Next size up and down

Closest inch size

3/4-10 21/32″ · 0.6562 in · 16.67 mm · 72.2% 19.05 mm major against 18 mm

Not interchangeable. 3/4-10 is the nearest size by diameter, nothing more. The pitches differ, so a 3/4-10 fastener will not run into a M18 x 1 hole and forcing one will strip both.

Guides for tapping M18 x 1

Longer reads on the decisions behind the numbers above.

All guides →

M18 x 1 tap drill: common questions

What size drill bit do I need for a M18 x 1 tap?
A 17 mm drill, 0.6693 in. That leaves 77.0% of thread, which is the standard chart figure for M18 x 1.
What is the drill size for a M18 x 1 tap in inches?
The 17 mm tap drill measures 0.6693 in. If you only have inch drills, 43/64 in (0.6719 in) is the closest, giving 71.9% thread.
What drill should I use for M18 x 1 in stainless steel?
Use 17.2 mm instead of 17 mm. It leaves 61.6% of thread rather than 77.0%, so there is less material for the tap to cut and less chance of snapping it.
Is M18 x 1 the same as M18 x 2.5?
No. Both are 18 mm threads, but the pitch differs, so the drills differ: 17 mm for M18 x 1 and 15.5 mm for M18 x 2.5. The taps and the fasteners are not interchangeable.
What is the clearance hole for an M18 x 1 bolt?
For a medium fit, 20 mm per ISO 273. A clearance hole is not tapped; the bolt passes straight through it.
A 4 × 6 in card with the drills for this size.