Quality & Metrology worked example

Tolerance Stackup with feature 1 tolerance of 0.05 mm: a worked example

Suppose feature 1 tolerance falls to 0.05 mm. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Add the individual feature tolerances in an assembly to estimate the worst-case tolerance stackup.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Feature 1 tolerance: 0.05 mm (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 0.1)
  • Feature 2 tolerance: 0.08 mm (held at the documented default)
  • Feature 3 tolerance: 0.05 mm (held at the documented default)
  • Feature 4 tolerance: 0.03 mm (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Worst-case tolerance stackup = feature 1 tolerance + feature 2 tolerance + feature 3 tolerance + feature 4 tolerance.
  • Worst-case tolerance stackup works out to 0.21 units at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Element 1 works out to 0.05 units at these inputs.
  • Element 2 works out to 0.08 units at these inputs.
  • Element 3 + 4 works out to 0.08 units at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where feature 1 tolerance sits at 0.1 mm and the headline result is 0.26 units, this scenario comes in 19.23% below the baseline at 0.21 units.
  • It sums up to four individual feature tolerances into a worst-case dimensional stackup and reports the average tolerance per contributor. 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

  • Worst-case tolerance stackup: 0.21 units (headline result)
  • Element 1: 0.05 units
  • Element 2: 0.08 units
  • Element 3 + 4: 0.08 units

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Tolerance Stackup calculator, set feature 1 tolerance to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.