What is the tap drill size for M36x4?

32 mm at about 75% thread engagement. It is found by taking major diameter − pitch (36 − 4 = 32.000 mm) and selecting the nearest standard metric drill.

What is the pitch diameter of M36x4?

33.402 mm. This is the diameter at which thread and groove widths are equal and is the dimension that controls assembly — a thread can meet its major and minor limits and still not fit if the pitch diameter is wrong.

What is the tensile stress area of M36x4?

816.72 mm², per ISO 898-1. It is calculated from the pitch diameter and the minor diameter rather than the nominal 36 mm, because the nominal diameter overstates the load-bearing section by roughly a third.

Are the dimensions on this page toleranced?

No. These are basic dimensions — the theoretical profile before any allowance is applied. For a threaded assembly, specify the tolerance class (6g/6H is the normal commercial fit) and use the limit dimensions from ISO 965.

M36x4 Thread Dimensions

Dimensions for the M36x4 Metric Coarse Threads (ISO 261) thread — pitch, pitch diameter, external and internal minor diameters, tap drill and tensile stress area.

Data verified 2026-09-29 · based on ISO 261:1998

Quick Answer

M36x4 has a pitch of 4 mm, a basic pitch diameter of 33.402 mm and a tap drill size of 32 mm at about 75% thread engagement.

Thread Calculator

Major diameter (inch)

Threads per inch

Basic Dimensions

Dimension	Symbol	Inch	Millimetre
Major diameter (external) #	`d`	36	36
Pitch diameter (basic) #	`d2`	33.402	33.402
Minor diameter, external thread #	`d1`	31.093	31.093
Minor diameter, internal thread #	`D1`	31.670	31.670
Pitch #	`P`	4.000	4.000
Thread height, external #	`h`	2.454	2.454
Thread height, internal #	`hn`	2.165	2.165
Crest flat #	`f`	0.500	0.500
Tensile stress area #	`As`	816.721	816.72²

Tap Drill Size

For a M36x4 thread at approximately 75% thread engagement, the tap drill is 32 mm (32 in / 32 mm).

Pilot diameter is computed as major diameter − pitch = 36 − 4 = 32.000 in, then rounded to the nearest standard drill in the number, letter or fractional series. Increasing engagement above 75% raises tapping torque sharply and risks tap breakage; decreasing it weakens the thread. See the tap drill size chart for the full series.

How to Read the Designation

M36x4 gives the nominal major diameter and the pitch directly in millimetres: 36 mm diameter and 4 mm pitch. This is the Metric Coarse Threads (ISO 261) series.

Writing the pitch explicitly distinguishes this size from the other pitches available at the same diameter. An unqualified M36 would mean the coarse pitch for that diameter.

Tolerance Class

The dimensions on this page are the basic profile — no tolerance class allowance is applied. Production metric threads are specified by a tolerance class such as 6g (external) or 6H (internal), which is the normal commercial fit and the default when none is stated.

Coarser classes (8g, 7H) ease assembly and tolerate plating; finer classes (4h, 5H) are used where a precise fit is needed. The basic dimensions below are the reference from which those limits are derived.

← M30x3.5 All METRIC-COARSE sizes M42x4.5 →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the tap drill size for M36x4?: 32 mm at about 75% thread engagement. It is found by taking major diameter − pitch (36 − 4 = 32.000 mm) and selecting the nearest standard metric drill.
What is the pitch diameter of M36x4?: 33.402 mm. This is the diameter at which thread and groove widths are equal and is the dimension that controls assembly — a thread can meet its major and minor limits and still not fit if the pitch diameter is wrong.
What is the tensile stress area of M36x4?: 816.72 mm², per ISO 898-1. It is calculated from the pitch diameter and the minor diameter rather than the nominal 36 mm, because the nominal diameter overstates the load-bearing section by roughly a third.
Are the dimensions on this page toleranced?: No. These are basic dimensions — the theoretical profile before any allowance is applied. For a threaded assembly, specify the tolerance class (6g/6H is the normal commercial fit) and use the limit dimensions from ISO 965.

Value Sources

Each data column on this page is tied to the source it came from. The numbers in square brackets correspond to the table headers above.

#	Source	Type	Revision / method
[1]	Basic dimensions computed from the ISO 68-1 basic profile	derived	H = √3/2 × P. Pitch diameter d2 = d − 0.75H. External minor diameter d1 = d − 2(0.61343P). Internal minor diameter D1 = d − 2(0.54127P). Tensile stress area As = π/4 × (d − 0.9382P)² per ISO 898-1.
[2]	Standard metric twist drill series	standard	n/a — industry standard series — source
[3]	ISO 261 — ISO general purpose metric screw threads — General plan	standard	ISO 261:1998 — source
[4]	ISO 68-1 — ISO general purpose screw threads — Basic profile	standard	ISO 68-1:2023 — source
[5]	ISO 898-1 — Mechanical properties of fasteners, Part 1: Bolts, screws and studs	standard	ISO 898-1:2013

Data Sources

Standard	Revision	What it covers on this page
ISO 261 — General plan for metric screw threads	ISO 261:1998	the nominal diameter and pitch of this size
ISO 68-1 — Basic profile	ISO 68-1:2023	the thread form geometry from which every dimension here is computed
ISO 898-1 — Mechanical properties of fasteners	ISO 898-1:2013	the tensile stress area formula

Cross-checked against:

Tensile stress area verified at build time against ISO 898-1 reference values for the coarse series
Basic pitch and minor diameters verified against ISO 724 tabulated values

Derived values — the following values on this page are calculated, not taken directly from the standard:

Value	How it is derived
Pitch diameter, minor diameters, thread heights, tensile stress area	Computed from the ISO 68-1 basic profile and the ISO 898-1 stress-area formula — see the Value Sources table above.

Basic dimensions only, with no tolerance class allowance. Specify a class (6g/6H is standard) for a threaded assembly and use ISO 965 limit dimensions.

Accuracy and use. The values on this page are compiled from the published standards and cross-checked sources listed above. Where values are derived, the derivation is stated. No warranty, express or implied, is made as to the accuracy or completeness of this information, and no liability is accepted for any loss or damage arising from its use. Engineering reference data is provided for guidance in preliminary work — before a value is used for design, fabrication or acceptance testing, verify it against the current revision of the governing standard and against your own inspection. The user assumes all risk and responsibility in connection with the use of this information.

Cite This Page

Every value on this page is traceable to the sources listed above. If you use the data in a document, paper or report, cite it as:

Plain text

Engineering Reference. "M36x4 Thread Dimensions." https://refmanual.com/threads/metric-coarse/m36x4/ (accessed 2026-09-29). Data from ISO 261 — General plan for metric screw threads, ISO 261:1998.

BibTeX

@misc{m36x4,
  title        = {M36x4 Thread Dimensions},
  author       = {{Engineering Reference}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://refmanual.com/threads/metric-coarse/m36x4/}},
  note         = {Accessed: 2026-09-29},
  source       = {ISO 261 — General plan for metric screw threads, ISO 261:1998}
}

RIS (EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley)

TY  - ELEC
TI  - M36x4 Thread Dimensions
AU  - Engineering Reference
PB  - Engineering Reference
UR  - https://refmanual.com/threads/metric-coarse/m36x4/
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026-09-29
N1  - Source: ISO 261 — General plan for metric screw threads, ISO 261:1998
ER  -

Each row in the tables above also has a permanent link — hover a row and use the # link to cite a single value rather than the whole page.