Steel Sheet Metal Bend Radius Chart

The bend radius of a sheet metal design will be based on the wall thickness of the part and the tooling that is available in house.

Steel sheet metal bend radius chart.

A section view of a typical punch and die set used to create sheet metal bends. The bend allowance and bend deduction are two measures that relate the bent length of a piece of sheet metal to the flat length. We go beyond the general rules of sheet metal bending as our customers want tight bend radii for sheet metal parts. The gauge inside radius die opening and minimum flange length are all interconnected through different equations and relationships the air bend force.

You described a rough rule to find a steel s minimum bend radius. Use the minimum bend dimension values in the charts below for your minimum closeness of cutout to a bend. I can now see that the minimum flange length is 8 5 mm for such a bend so i have to keep it in mind when designing. It is possible to choose other bends if you require but additional lead time and tooling charges may apply.

The bend radius you select may not be available if the geometry of the part will not allow us to bend with the specific tooling required to achieve that radius. Material bend radii and minimum bend size charts please note. The bend radii listed are standard minimum if manufacturing for aircraft and aerospace applications. To keep it simple i also use a 2 mm inside radius.

The bend allowance formula takes into account the geometries of bending and the properties of your metal to determine the bend allowance. The bend allowance describes the length of the neutral axis between the bend lines or in other words the arc length of the bend. Sheet metal bend radius. You will need to know your material thickness mt the bend angle b the inside radius ir and the k factor k.

Table 1 preferred recommended 90 degree bend radii for various sheet metals. Divide 50 by the material s reduction percentage as specified by the material supplier subtract by 1 and then multiply by the plate thickness. An air bend force chart or force chart breaks down a number of key components of sheet metal bending in an easy to reference format. Let s say i have a 2 mm thick sheet and i want to bend it.

The second important number when creating sheet metal designs is the bend radius value. The tables below show bend radii and minimum bend sizes for materials and tooling combinations stocked by protocase. Being able to read a bend force chart is crucial for any brake press operator and sheet metal engineer. Sheet metal bend radii if these guidelines are not followed more research and or some form of analysis may be requried.

In a previous bending basics article you mention a material s tensile reduction percentage used for calculating the minimum inside bend radius of various metals. Therefore the bend allowance added to the flange lengths is equal to the total flat.