Reading the dial caliper is an easy task, and it involves the combination of the figures shown on the dial and values indicated on the main beam scale. Here’s how to read a dial caliper.

  1. Start by identifying the 6 Main Parts of the Dial Caliper. A dial caliper has inner faces used in measuring the inner size of an object.
  • The exterior faces are essential in measuring objects that fit between them. The reference edge keeps track of bigger increments of measurement.
  • The pointer and the dial help to identify the size of an object and can measure up to ten-thousandth inch size. The caliper blade measures the depth of an item.
  1. With that done, close the caliper to ensure that no light can be seen along the jaws. Make sure you wash the caliper thoroughly, and if you see a metal burr on the jaws of the caliper, be sure to file it off.
  • While the clamp is still closed, lessen the bezel nut then twist the outer part of the bezel until the dial caliper’s needle is positioned to zero. After that, tighten the nut.
  • The dial caliper is always set to zero when you want to come up with accurate measurements.
  1. Then clean the section you want to measure as this can affect the measurement accuracy.
  2. Choose the jaw side that you want to use (whether outside or inside), depending on what you want to measure. The inner part of the caliper is designed to measure holes and gaps while the outer side is vital in measuring width, length, and thickness.
  3. After that, open the jaws of the caliper wide then measure the part. There must be a snug feel while closing the jaws, and the part can move in and out of the jaws without any complications. Then strengthen the lock screw to support the position on your caliper.
  4. Before you come up with the measurements, start by finding out the meaning of the marks. Every single mark equals 0. 1 or 1/10, and every ten marks are the same as 2.5 cm or 1 inch. On the dial caliper, the figure that the needle points must be expressed in thousandths. Therefore, you should multiply any figure you get by .001.
  6. As you take a closer look at the caliper, you’ll see a straight edge towards the left side of the dial indicator.
  • Please make sure you start by finding out how many inches the straight line exceeded then check the number of tenths that the straight line passed then write it down.
  1. Afterward, check on the dial indicator, then pick the figure beneath the needle then multiply by .001. After that, please write it down.
  2. Carefully add all numbers and make sure that the decimal places are written correctly.
  • You can also measure and read the measurements of an item with the interior faces. Place the item you want to measure in-between the faces of the dial caliper. After that, using a reference edge, look at the size of the object.
  • While measuring the depth of an item, increase the blade until it hits the bottom side of the part you target to measure. After that, read the measurements on the dial caliper using the pointer and the reference edge to get the right measurement.
  • When measuring the step length of an object, use the interior measuring faces. Position the measuring face on the bottom side of an object then measure its step length. Make use of the inner face then use a dial and reference edge and the pointer to read the measurements.

Note: A dial caliper measures only 6 inches and can’t measure any object with a length that exceeds that.

While using the dial caliper, never forget to zero in the dial caliper as this can result in incorrect readings. Also, please avoid using the outside faces base to measure an object that makes it inaccurate. Always remember to tighten the dial if you want accurate readings.

How to Read a Dial Caliper in Millimetres

  • Start by checking the main scale while taking your measurements, make sure you first read the figures written on the main scale. This is the number close to the left side of the reference edge, and it’s in millimetres when using a metric dial caliper. Each increment on the scale is 1 mm.
  • After that, look at the dial indicator. Read the values displayed on the dial indicator. Most metric dials have increment that is equal to 0, 02 mm.
  • With that done, add the two figures together. For instance, when the caliper reads 14.53 (14 mm will be displayed on the beam scale), + .43 will be displayed on the dial scale, giving a sum of 14.53.

That’s how you can read a dial caliper. It’s merely an essential and handheld tool that has unrivaled accuracy levels. Sometimes mastering the tool can be a hard, but it makes all measuring activities intuitive and easy.

How do you read a dial caliper easy?

How do you read a dial caliper mm?

When taking measurements, you should first read the value on the main scale. This will be the number immediately to the left of the reference edge. On a metric dial caliper, this will be given in millimetres (mm). Each increment on the scale is equal to 1mm.

How do you read a caliper?

How do you use a dial caliper?

How do you read a dial caliper in inches?

How accurate is a dial caliper?

Dial calipers measure internal, external, depth, and step dimensions to an accuracy of 0.001″ up to a 12″ range.

When would you use a micrometer instead of a caliper?

Calipers are precision instruments used to measure physical dimensions, often inside measurements, outside measurements, or depths. Micrometers are similar, but are often configured for more specific measurement types, such as only measuring outside dimensions or only inside dimensions.

Are dial calipers more accurate than digital?

Digital caliper has a greater resolution than vernier and dial calipers. On the market, typical digital caliper resolution is 0.0005″ and its accuracy is ±0.001″.

What can a dial caliper measure?

A dial caliper is a handy and versatile measuring tool. It can measure I.D, O.D, Step and depth. Clean the measuring faces before and after measurement. Close the jaws and check that the indicator points to “0” on the dial face.

What is the basic measuring device on a dial caliper?

Dial caliper

In this instrument, a small, precise rack and pinion drives a pointer on a circular dial, allowing direct reading without the need to read a vernier scale. Typically, the pointer rotates once every inch, tenth of an inch, or 1 millimeter.

What are the four types of dial caliper measurements?

Your caliper can take four kinds of readings: outside, inside, depth, and step.

What are the 3 things a caliper measures?

Calipers are used to take precise measurements of the inside, outside, depth and step measurements of objects.

What are the three four main caliper measurement?

In fact, it’s a precise measuring device that can measure diameter, thickness, depth and take compound measurements. There are three main types which are set out below.

What is the most common type of caliper?

Most popular are:
  • Vernier Caliper.
  • Inside Caliper.
  • Outside Caliper.
  • Divider Caliper.
  • Dial Caliper.
  • Digital Caliper.
  • Oddleg Caliper.
  • Micrometer Caliper.

Which type of caliper is the easiest to use?

Dial calipers

This kind of calipers are relatively easy to use: they have a lined dial that shows the measurement, so that all you have to do is adding the slide measurement to have the exact and final measurement.

What is the formula of vernier caliper?

The Vernier caliper least counts formula is calculated by dividing the smallest reading of the main scale with the total number of divisions of the vernier scale.LC of vernier caliper is the difference between one smallest reading of the main scale and one smallest reading of vernier scale which is 0.1 mm 0r 0.01 cm.

What two types of calipers are there?

There are 8 different types of caliper available today. These include: inside caliper, outside caliper, divider caliper, oddleg caliper, micrometer caliper, Vernier caliper, dial caliper, and digital caliper. Inside calipers are used, as the name implies, to measure the interior of a part.