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Keyway & parallel key sizes

A 25 mm shaft takes an 8 × 7 mm parallel key, with the keyseat cut 4.0 mm deep into the shaft and 3.3 mm into the hub, per DIN 6885-1 / ISO R773. Enter any shaft diameter and this page returns the standard key cross-section and the two keyseat depths — the lookup you would otherwise do at the machine.

Key width and height step up in bands by shaft diameter, so a nominal shaft size maps to exactly one key. The shaft and hub depths together clear the key height, so the key fits as specified by the standard.

How is keyway size chosen for a shaft?

Parallel-key standards tabulate key width × height against shaft-diameter ranges, not a single diameter — every shaft in a band uses the same key. A 25 mm shaft falls in the >22 to 30 mm band, which calls for an 8 × 7 mm key. The width is machined into the shaft with a keyseat cutter and matched in the hub bore.

Depths are given two ways: the shaft keyseat depth (how deep the slot is cut into the shaft) and the hub keyseat depth. Drawings sometimes dimension the shaft as d − t1 instead of the depth itself; check which convention a print uses before inspecting.

DerivedCoverage: common

Values are the DIN 6885-1 / ISO R773 parallel-key series for normal fits. Taper keys, Woodruff keys, and clearance/interference key fits are not modelled.

Keyways: DIN 6885-1 / ISO R773 (parallel keys and keyways)

Dowel pins: ISO 2338 (unhardened), ISO 8734 (hardened)

O-ring grooves: AS568 dash sizes / cross-sections. FACE SEAL (axial) gland width, depth and squeeze transcribed from Parker O-Ring Handbook ORD 5700, Design Chart for O-Ring Face Seal Glands (chart 4-3, p. 4-18), verified 2026-07-26 against the parker.com chart and independently corroborated by the Seal & Design and ERIKS face-seal gland tables. Stored scalars are midpoints of Parker's published ranges (liquid service for groove width); the ranges themselves are in the source comments. Radial piston/rod glands are a different chart and are NOT covered here.

Bearing fits: bearing manufacturer engineering guidelines (SKF / FAG / NTN typical practice)

Values follow the governing standard, which is authoritative for production and inspection decisions. Verify against it before you rely on a number.

Standard names are trademarks of their respective owners; ASdrawn is not affiliated with or endorsed by any standards body.