General Speeds and Feeds Formulas

Resources and Software For High-Performance CNC Machinists

GD&T Reference Drill Chart imperial/metric Imperial Tap Drill Chart Metric Tap Drill Chart Pipe Tap Drill Chart

HSMAdvisor hook for MasterCAM 2018 by Eldar Gerfanov on March 8
HSMAdvisor 1.535 Release Candiadate! by Austin Floyd on November 5
Okuma Lathe G and M codes by Eldar Gerfanov on May 13
One Case of HSM Machining: HSMAdvisor vs. All by tnviccom@gmail.com on May 3
Cautionary tale about Retention Knobs by frank on December 20

Home >>Basic Machining Math >>General Speeds and Feeds Formulas

Free Online Speed and Feed Calculators

Code

Imperial Speed and Feed Calculator

RPM=	12 x SFM	= Please enter Speed and Diameter
	3.14 x in

Feed Rate = RPM x x in = Please enter RPM, number of teeth and chip load (in/min)

Code

Metric Speed and Feed Calculator

RPM=	1000 x M/min	= Please enter Speed and Diameter
	3.14 x mm

Feed Rate = RPM x x mm = Please enter RPM, number of teeth and chip load (mm/min)

Want something better?

Try our desktop HSMAdvisor Speed and Feed Calc or Mobile/Online FSWizard

More about formulas needed to calculate turning, drilling and of course milling speeds and feeds

Here are few basic formulas with term explanations to get you going:

Calculating Spindle Speed (RPM) Using Imperial Cutting Speed:

Code

RPM=	12 x SFM
	3.14 x Diameter

Simplified imperial formula:

RPM=	3.8 x SFM
	Diameter

Calculating Spindle Speed (RPM) using Metric Cutting Speed:

Code

RPM=	1000 x SMM
	3.14 x Diameter

Simplified metric formula:

RPM=	318 x SMM
	Diameter

Calculating Feed Rate :

Feed_Rate=RPM x N(teeth) x CL(chip load)

Definitions

RPM = Revolutions Per Minute, Spindle Speed, Number of revolutions of spindle per minute
SFM = Imperial. Surface Feet Per minute, Cutting speed, Speed at which tip of tool travels through material
SMM= Metric. Surface Meters Per minute, Cutting speed, Speed at which tip of tool travels through material
Feed_Rate = Inches Per Minute or Millimeters Per Minute, Feed Rate, Distance in inches or millimeters the tool the will travel through work piece per minute.
N = Number of teeth on the cutter
CL= Chip Load per tooth, This is the advancement of the cutter per revolution per each cutting edge. Otherwise generally explained as thickness of material each tooth takes per each revolution

Examples:

Calculate Speeds and Feeds for 1/2" (0.5 inch) 2 flute end mill in Mild Steel at cutting speed = 100(ft/min), Chip Load=0.001(inch per tooth)

Calculating Spindle Speed (RPM):

Code

RPM=	12 x SFM
	3.14 x Diameter

RPM=	12 x 100(ft/min)	=764(revs/min^-1)
	3.14 x 0.5(in)

For turning applications we do not need this formula since Spindle Speed is usually given in Constant Surface Speed (CSS), which uses SFM value directly. But if you still want to use RPM formula, then diameter value is the actual diameter of work piece.

Calculating Feed Rate in Inches Per Minute (IPM)

Formula used for milling and drilling applications. Please note that some tool manufacturers provide their recommended feed rate as feed per revolution. In such case do not multiply by number of teeth.

Code

Feed Rate = RPM x N x CL

Feed Rate = 800(RPM) x 2(teeth) x 0.001("chip load) =1.600 (in/min)

Easily Calculating Speeds and Feeds on your smartphone or computer

Our own free Speed and Feed Calculator can help you calculate cutting parameters for many different material groups.

FSWizard Speed and Feed Calculator

Tags:Spindle Speed Feed Rate

General Speeds and Feeds Formulas

2.3 (47)% 49 votes

You may freely reproduce information presented herein without any consent from me, provided you include link to this site.
In case when i am not the copyright holder, you may want to contact proper owner of material. Anyway, they are freely available on the Internet.
If you hold the copyright right for any of the materials on this site and want them removed, please contact me here