Gage blocks - Gauge blocks Gage blocks for calibration of micrometers, indicators, calipers etc. Each rectangular steel or ceramic gage block comes with a serial number engraved and a certificate of accuracy traceable to NIST. These have a tolerance grade ASME 0, ideally suited for shop calibration as well as the inspection room. They can be wrung together to create a larger span, 6" for calibrating a caliper, for instance. For ISO purposes, keep track of these serial numbers and keep a copy of the certificate with your calibration records. When you calibrate your instrument make note of the instrument's serial number and the serial numbers of the gage blocks which you used to calibrate it. Additionally, have the gage blocks certified by a local calibration lab on an annual basis and then keep the current certificate of calibration with your records. These gage blocks are ideal for any micrometer or dial indicator having up to .0001" discrimination. If you don't need that kind of accuracy, consider getting a complete gage block set shown further down this page. 
1" rectangular steel gage block shown with an Etalon indicating micrometer
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High quality rectangular steel gauge blocks |
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.020" | ±.000006" | 611320-531 | 44.00 |
.025" | ±.000006" | RS .025 A1 | 59.00 |
.05" | ±.000006" | RS .050 A1 | 59.00 |
.1" | ±.000005" | 611191-531 | 25.20 |
.2" | ±.000005" | 611192-531 | 25.20 |
.25" | ±.000005" | 611212-531 | 29.85 |
.3" | ±.000005" | 611193-531 | 29.85 |
.4" | ±.000005" | 611194-531 | 29.85 |
.5" | ±.000006" | 611195-531 | 35.05 |
1" | ±.000006" | 611201-531 | 42.30 |
2" | ±.000010" | RS 2.000 A1 | 86.00 |
3" | ±.000012" | RS 3.000 A1 | 99.00 |
4" | ±.000016" | 611204-531 | 70.75 |
longer than 4" | ...a measuring rod may be suitable. See page 58 |
Calibration certificate is included. All gage blocks are calibrated by the factory on the date of manufacture. Please read further information below. Gage block source: blocks marked RS are American made (while they last), blocks starting with the number 6 are Japanese. |
High quality rectangular metric ceramic gauge blocks |
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3 mm | ±0.00012 mm | 613613-531 | 54.70 |
4 mm | ±0.00012 mm | 613614-531 | 56.25 |
5 mm | ±0.00012 mm | 613615-531 | 56.25 |
10 mm | ±0.00012 mm | 613671-531 | 60.40 |
20 mm | ±0.00014 mm | 613672-531 | 90.95 |
25 mm | ±0.00014 mm | 613635-531 | 104.40 |
Calibration certificate is included. All gage blocks are calibrated by the factory on the date of manufacture. Please read further information below. |
High quality ceramic rectangular gage blocks |
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Whether ceramic or steel, both serve the same function. Ceramic doesn't expand as much as steel does, so the blocks are accurate over a wider temperature range. Ceramic CERA blocks have the added advantage of never getting rusty (cleaning is easier) and of resisting scratches (which can ruin a gauge block in short order). You can handle these without any special precautions since fingerprints won't affect the blocks. Also, the size may be easier to read because it's printed in black on a white surface. If you don't have a preference, we'd suggest getting the ceramic CERA block. Even though they may cost more, they're also hassle-free. NIST certificate included. Furthermore, you can easily combine the steel and the CERA blocks. They will "wring" together with no trouble. Very small sizes will not be available in ceramic and you will have to resort to steel in those cases. For an even better gage block, see the chromium carbide Croblox® also shown on this page. |
.05" | ±0.00006 inch | 613105-531 | 48.50 |
.1" | ±0.00005 inch | 613191-531 | 43.30 |
.25" | ±0.00005 inch | 613212-531 | 63.50 |
.5" | ±0.00006 inch | 613195-531 | 63.50 |
1" | ±0.00006 inch | 613201-531 | 109.00 |
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Tolerances ASME 0 / Grade A1 |
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ASME 0 is the same as Grade A1. These gauge blocks offered above have tolerances which have the broadest range of use suitable for the inspection room as well as for shop set-ups. The tolerances which we show are the deviation of length at any point from nominal length. For a 1-inch gage block with ±.000006" tolerance, this means that at any point the gauge block may be as long as 1.000006" or as short as .999994". For all practical purposes, this is as close to 1" as you're likely to want to get. |
Complete Gage Block Set |
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A complete Grade B 81 piece gage block set made of rectangular steel blocks may save you money. The accuracy of these gage blocks is only ±.000050 inches (compared to the individual blocks sold above). This makes them suitable for most calibrations, certainly for any tools with .001" or .0005" discrimination. Each set comes with a certificate of calibration and each gage block is etched with a unique serial number. The certificate was issued by the factory at the time of manufacture. It will be valid for one year after the date you put the gage block set into service. Having them re-calibrated will probably be futile, since the cost of calibration is likely to cost as much as a new set. You should consider these as "throw-aways." Among the 81 pieces you'll find 1", 2", 3" and 4" blocks. Nine blocks have .0001" increments starting at .1001", 49 blocks have .001" increments and 19 blocks have .05" increments. These can be combined to create any conceivable interval from .1001" upwards. Measurements below .1001" will not be possible with this gage block set. If you are intent on measuring .1000" then you will have to purchase a separate .1000" block which you can find listed above. These Chinese steel gage blocks can be combined with ceramic blocks without any hassles. 
We offer two versions of the same gage block set. The one is factory calibrated but is not accredited, the other is NIST traceable with a current calibration date (within 30 days). This is one of the few Chinese items we're willing to sell. We may change our minds. - Factory Certificate Inch Gage block set no. RS81.W ... $295.00
- NIST Certificate Inch Gage block set no. RS81.B ... $395.00 (allow 3 weeks)
Metric version with 88 pieces (tolerance ±1.25µm): - Factory Certificate Metric Gage block set no. RS88.MW ... $375.00
- NIST Certificate Metric Gage block set no. RS88.MB ... $495.00 (allow 3 weeks)
Are you curious about the price of American-made commercial grade gage blocks? An equivalent 81-piece set would run you about $4800. We'll be happy to supply this if you're interested. |
B&S metric gage block set - carbide |
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Brown & Sharpe tungsten carbide deluxe 112 piece metric gage block set meets or exceeds Federal specification GGG-G-15c. These blocks are Grade 2 (A+) suitable as working standards in inspection rooms to set and calibrate measuring instruments and other equipment. Every block is certified, with serial number, and each set includes a certificate of calibration and traceability. Housed in a sturdy and well laid-out wooden box. This deluxe 112 piece set includes the following blocks: 0.5 mm, 1.00 mm, 1.0005 mm, 1.001 mm through 1.009 mm, 1.01 through 1.49 mm, 1.5 through 24.5 mm, 25 mm, 50 mm, 75 mm and 100 mm. - Deluxe 112 piece tungsten carbide, rectangular metric gage block set #43009 ... $3,369.00
Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. Calibration will have been made at time of manufacture and may not have a current date. This does not affect the validity of the certificate. Please read section below. |
Calibration certificate included |
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You will receive a certificate which is NIST traceable. But, take note: gage blocks are calibrated by the factory on the date of manufacture. Thus, the gage blocks you receive may have calibration dates many months old. Your certificate will be valid for one year after you put the gage blocks into service. For instance: the gage block is factory certified in January 2007 and you place the gage block into service on August 2007. You should then create a calibration cycle wherein the gage block will need re-certification on August 2008, one year later, unless your quality manager has established a different length calibration cycle. On rare occasions, a customer may need date-current certificates. You must place a request for them. It will involve 3-4 weeks of delivery time and there will be a charge for this calibration. It may be to your advantage to have them calibrated at a local lab. This will certainly save you time and money. If your customer, or your quality manual has different requirements, then disregard all of this information and follow your customer's or manual's instructions. |
Best Quality Starrett-Webber Croblox® gage blocks |
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We are now offering a limited number of the American made Croblox gage block. Croblox gage blocks are made of chromium carbide by Starrett-Webber. They are considered the top of the line—the finest heavy duty non-ceramic gage block available. They outwear regular steel blocks. They will not corrode (don't worry about fingerprints), are highly stable (don't worry about normal heat fluctuations) and offer superior accuracy. They wring perfectly with each other and with other blocks which you may already own. They're more expensive but they'll last for years. Rectangular shape for easy handling. Calibration Grade A1 with maximum plus and minus errors as shown below. Please inquire about specific sizes not shown below. |
.05" | ±.000004" | RC .050 A1 | 59.00* |
.1" | ±.000004" | RC .100 A1 | 59.00* |
.5" | ±.000004" | RC .500 A1 | 89.00* |
*special price, while supply lasts
Other Croblox sizes are no longer available. Consider using ceramic CERA blocks instead |
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How do I take care of my blocks? |
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Handle these with kid gloves. No kidding. They're your length masters and have to maintain their pristine condition in order to remain reliable. Scratches, dents and dings will all alter the dimension of your block rendering its usefulness questionable. Use an optical flat from time to time to check the gage block's flatness (see page 7 for a relatively inexpensive set). Scratches or dents will show up as distortions in the light bands of the optical flat (you may want to research how optical flats work, if you're not yet familiar). At this point you can use a gage block stone (sometimes called "Arkansas Stone") to gently remove any burrs or high spots caused by the scratches. The procedure requires some skill and practice and may be best left to someone who's familiar with the process. Steel blocks can get rusty, so coat them with a bit of oil whenever they're being stored. Then clean the oil off before using them. At this point, don't touch the bare metal with your hands. Pros use a pair of tongs, but we'd suggest you leave this to the pros. You'll probably only prove that you're all thumbs and consequently drop the gage block. Instead, use some lint-free tissue paper or clean cloth to pick up and maneuver the blocks. If you get finger prints on them, clean with alcohol and then coat with good, clean oil. For long term storage, a bit of Vaseline works well. Put the blocks in a labeled, clean plastic bag and in a safe, sturdy container when you're done. You don't want the blocks to bang against each other. If any block isn't shiny, smooth and scratch free, have it examined and certified by a gage lab. If you're a neat freak, or otherwise retentive, working with gauge blocks should be right up your alley. Enjoy! |
Gage vs. Gauge |
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In American manufacturing circles, gage is the preferred spelling. When we first incorporated our business we had to give our attorney a number of alternate business names and one of them included the word gage. He took an irate stance and with his pen in hand jabbed at the dictionary page where gauge was given in definition. "No!" we insisted, "machinists and manufacturers beg to differ." Even such a venerable American manufacturer as Federal Gage uses this spelling. He shook his head in disbelief so we thought it best to avoid the word altogether. Because many people from different disciplines google for gauge, we thought it wise to include both spellings on the same page. We've also rather arbitrarily decided that gage would suit the inch product and gauge would be linked to the metric. As long as we don't misspell it, and that happens easily. Guage is not a word in the English language... yet. Here's a cute story told us by a generous friend of Long Island Indicator and we hope he won't mind us retelling it here: One of our teams made a poster with stick-on letters summarizing their goals. One goal referred to "Guages." I took my razor and carefully began peeling off the letters U and A so that I could switch them on the poster.
As I was doing so, one team member indignantly informed me, "You know, that is an alternate spelling of gage."
I replied, "Actually, G-A-U-G-E is an alternate spelling of gage. What you have here is G-U-A-G-E which spells 'goo-wahj' which I guess would be where Elmer Fudd parks his car."
(with thanks to Lemar Luke of Mechanical Calibration Laboratory, Ogden UT)
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