Quality & Metrology worked example

Bilateral Tolerance with total bilateral tolerance band of 0.1 mm: a worked example

Suppose total bilateral tolerance band falls to 0.1 mm. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Net a bilateral tolerance band against the variation and measurement error that consume it to see the remaining tolerance margin.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Total bilateral tolerance band: 0.1 mm (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 0.2)
  • Tolerance consumed by process variation: 0.08 mm (held at the documented default)
  • Tolerance consumed by measurement error: 0.03 mm (held at the documented default)
  • Tolerance consumed by fit or alignment: 0.02 mm (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Tolerance consumed = process variation + measurement error + fit or alignment.
  • Remaining tolerance margin works out to 0 units at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Tolerance consumed works out to 0.13 value at these inputs.
  • Total bilateral tolerance band works out to 0.1 value at these inputs.
  • Utilization works out to 0 % at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where total bilateral tolerance band sits at 0.2 mm and the headline result is 0.07 units, this scenario comes in 100% below the baseline at 0 units.
  • It sums the tolerance allocated to process variation, measurement error, and fit or alignment, then subtracts that from the total bilateral tolerance band to report the remaining margin and utilization. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Remaining tolerance margin: 0 units (headline result)
  • Tolerance consumed: 0.13 value
  • Total bilateral tolerance band: 0.1 value
  • Utilization: 0 %

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Bilateral Tolerance calculator, set total bilateral tolerance band to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.