7/8" drill size

    A 7/8" fractional drill is 0.8750 in (22.225 mm). It is the cut tap, 75% thread drill for 1"-8.

    Decimal inch
    0.8750
    Millimeters
    22.225
    Nearest 1/64
    7/8" (+0.0000)
    Type
    fractional drill

    Nearest equivalents in other systems

    Drills closest to 7/8"
    SystemDrillInchmmDifference
    Number / letterLetter Z0.413010.490-0.4620 in
    Metric22.25 mm0.876022.250+0.0010 in

    Speeds and feeds: in mild steel an HSS drill starts at about 390 RPM and 0.0120 in/rev (4.68 IPM); in 6061 aluminum about 1,090 RPM.

    7/8" drill speeds and feeds by material

    Jobber-length twist drill, D = 0.8750 in. RPM = 3.82 × SFM ÷ D, rounded to 10. Feed per rev scales with diameter and material; IPM = RPM × IPR.

    7/8" drilling speeds
    MaterialHSS SFMHSS RPMCarbide SFMCarbide RPMFeed (in/rev)HSS IPMCarbide IPM
    Aluminum (6061)2501,0906002,6200.012013.131.4
    Brass / free-machining1506504001,7500.00956.1816.6
    Low-carbon steel (1018)903903001,3100.01204.6815.7
    Alloy steel (4140, annealed)703102501,0900.01253.8813.6
    Stainless 304401701506500.01001.706.50
    Gray cast iron803502501,0900.01053.6811.4
    Titanium 6Al-4V251101004400.00580.642.55
    Plastics (acetal)3001,3105002,1800.00759.8216.4

    Metric: Vc (m/min) = SFM × 0.3048; feed (mm/rev) = in/rev × 25.4. In steel, 390 RPM × 0.305 mm/rev = 119 mm/min.

    Worked example: 7/8" drill in 1018 steel

    1. HSS drill in low-carbon steel: 90 SFM.
    2. RPM = 3.82 × 90 ÷ 0.8750 ≈ 390 RPM.
    3. Feed for a 0.875 in drill in mild steel ≈ 0.0120 in/rev.
    4. IPM = 390 × 0.0120 = 4.68 IPM.

    Peck cycle by hole depth

    7/8" drill: depth and canned cycle
    DepthCyclePeckNote
    3×D = 2.625 in (66.7 mm)G81 (no peck)NoneUp to 3×D a sharp drill clears chips on its own.
    5×D = 4.375 in (111.1 mm)G73 chip-break1 × DChip-break pecks; full retract if chips pack (soft aluminum, stainless).
    8×D = 7.000 in (177.8 mm)G83 full retract0.5-1 × D, shrinking with depthRetract to clear chips; reduce feed ~10-20% past 5×D.

    Taps that use a 7/8" drill

    Nearest drills

    • 22.25 mm: 0.8760 in / 22.250 mm (+0.0010 in)
    • 22.0 mm: 0.8661 in / 22.000 mm (-0.0089 in)
    • 22.5 mm: 0.8858 in / 22.500 mm (+0.0108 in)
    • 55/64": 0.8594 in / 21.828 mm (-0.0156 in)

    Common questions

    What is a 7/8" drill in decimal and mm?
    0.8750 in, or 22.225 mm; nearest number / letter drill: Letter Z (0.4130 in, -0.4620 in); nearest metric drill: 22.25 mm (0.8760 in, +0.0010 in).
    What RPM for a 7/8" drill in steel?
    In low-carbon steel (1018) an HSS 7/8" drill (0.8750 in) runs about 390 RPM at 90 SFM; a carbide drill about 1,310 RPM at 300 SFM. RPM = 3.82 × SFM ÷ D.
    What feed for a 7/8" drill?
    About 0.0120 in/rev in mild steel, 0.0120 in/rev in aluminum and 0.0100 in/rev in 304 stainless. At 390 RPM that is 4.68 IPM in steel (IPM = RPM × IPR).
    What RPM for a 7/8" drill in aluminum?
    1,090 RPM with HSS (250 SFM) or up to 2,620 RPM with carbide (600 SFM), feeding about 0.0120 in/rev.
    What tap uses a 7/8" drill?
    1"-8 (cut tap, 75% thread).

    Nearby drill sizes

    Sources

    Material feed multipliers (aluminum 1.3×, brass 1.1×, 4140 0.85×, stainless and titanium 0.7× the mild-steel feed) are JobLine estimates. Peck guidance is JobLine shop practice. Use your drill maker's data first.

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