Tap Drill Size Chart

M48 x 3 Tap Drill Size

Tap drill

45 mm 1.7717 in

Use a 45 mm drill (1.7717 in) for 77.0% thread.

Fine thread M48 x 2? Use 46 mm. (1.811 in, 77.0% thread)

The drill size for a M48 x 3 tap is 45 mm (1.7717 in). If you are wondering what size drill bit a M48 x 3 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 M48 x 3

Tap drills and clearance drills for M48 x 3 (Metric fine, 3 mm pitch). Percent of thread is the figure stored for each drill, which reproduces from the major diameter and pitch of M48 x 3.
Use Drill Decimal in mm % thread
Standard tap drill Cut tap, general use (D - P) 45 mm 1.7717 45.00 77.0%
Inch substitute Closest inch drill if you have no metric set 1-49/64″ 1.7656 44.85 80.9%
Hard material Stainless, tool steel, anything that fights the tap 45.5 mm 1.7913 45.50 64.2%
Form (roll) tap Theoretical 46.67 mm - starting point, check your tap maker's chart 46.5 mm 1.8307 46.50 —

Clearance holes for a M48 x 3 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 M48 x 3 per ISO 273. Clearance depends on the bolt diameter alone, so every M48 thread shares these figures.
Fit Hole mm Hole in
Fine 50.00 1.9685
Medium 52.00 2.0472
Coarse 56.00 2.2047

M48 x 3 dimensions

Nominal dimensions for M48 x 3. 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 1.8898 48.00
Basic internal minor diameter 1.7619 44.75
Pitch 0.1181 3.00
Thread designation M48 x 3

What the hole looks like

Cross-section of a M48 x 3 tapped hole, drawn to scale The drilled hole is 45 mm, 1.7717 inches or 45.00 millimetres across. The tap cuts outward from that wall to the major diameter of 1.8898 inches. A 100 percent thread would reach in to the basic minor diameter of 1.7619 inches, shown as a dashed line; the difference is why this drill gives 77.0% of thread. major 48 mm drill 45 mm · 45 mm dashed = 100% thread at 44.75 mm
M48 x 3 in section, to scale. The accent line is the thread the tap cuts from a 45 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 M48 x 3

Pre-filled with M48 x 3. 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

1-25/32″1.7812 in45.24 mm70.7% thread

Theoretical hole 45.27 mm

One size down, deeper thread45 mm 1.7717 in · 77.0%

One size up, easier tapping45.5 mm 1.7913 in · 64.2%

For comparison, the published chart drill for M48 x 3 is 45 mm at 77.0% thread.

Notes on M48 x 3

Middle pitch at this diameter
At 48 mm the data holds 3 pitches: M48 x 5, M48 x 3, M48 x 2. M48 x 3 sits between M48 x 5 and M48 x 2.
Not the same as M48 x 5
M48 x 5 and M48 x 3 share a 48 mm major diameter but not a pitch, and they take different drills: 43 mm for M48 x 5, 45 mm for M48 x 3. The taps and the fasteners are not interchangeable.
What the standard drill gives you
45 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
45.5 mm opens the hole to 64.2% 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: 46.5 mm, against a theoretical 46.67 mm. Treat that as a starting point and check your tap maker's chart.
This size is usually bored, not drilled
At 48 mm, holes this big are normally bored or thread-milled rather than drilled and tapped. The 45 mm figure is here so the numbers are complete and so you can check a hole you already have; on a machine you would single-point or thread-mill the thread and bore the hole to size.
Closest inch size
1-1/2-6 is the nearest inch thread by diameter (38.1 mm against 48 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

1-1/2-6 1-11/32″ · 1.3438 in · 34.13 mm · 72.1% 38.1 mm major against 48 mm

Not interchangeable. 1-1/2-6 is the nearest size by diameter, nothing more. The pitches differ, so a 1-1/2-6 fastener will not run into a M48 x 3 hole and forcing one will strip both.

Guides for tapping M48 x 3

Longer reads on the decisions behind the numbers above.

All guides →

M48 x 3 tap drill: common questions

What size drill bit do I need for a M48 x 3 tap?
A 45 mm drill, 1.7717 in. That leaves 77.0% of thread, which is the standard chart figure for M48 x 3.
What is the drill size for a M48 x 3 tap in inches?
The 45 mm tap drill measures 1.7717 in. If you only have inch drills, 1-49/64 in (1.7656 in) is the closest, giving 80.9% thread.
What drill should I use for M48 x 3 in stainless steel?
Use 45.5 mm instead of 45 mm. It leaves 64.2% of thread rather than 77.0%, so there is less material for the tap to cut and less chance of snapping it.
Is M48 x 3 the same as M48 x 2?
No. Both are 48 mm threads, but the pitch differs, so the drills differ: 45 mm for M48 x 3 and 46 mm for M48 x 2. The taps and the fasteners are not interchangeable.
What is the clearance hole for an M48 x 3 bolt?
For a medium fit, 52 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.