Bend Radii & Minimum Bend Sizes

Geometry of tooling imposes a minimum bend dimension. The diagram shows one such mechanism. Refer to the chart for values for folder as well as various press brake tooling combinations.

Tip: Use the minimum bend dimension values in the charts below for your minimum closeness of cutout to a bend.

We’ve broken down our minimum bend radii into two values: minimum hole distance and minimum flange distance.

Minimum hole distance specifies how far a hole must be placed from the bend radii to ensure it will not warp. Minimum hole distance applies only for round holes and rounded slots oriented perpendicular to the bend radii.

Minimum flange is the minimum distance that the edge of a flange, or particular types of cutouts (rounded slots parallel to the bend, rectangular or oval-shaped cutouts) can be outside of the bend.

Refer to the material tables below for minimum flange and minimum hole values.

Note 1: 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.

If your bend radius needs to be adjusted, a member of Engineering & Design Services team will contact you before your design is manufactured.

Note 2: Increasing your thickness and using smaller bend radius tools (radius value is less than the thickness of material) will increase your chances of cracking along the outside of the bends. This is hard to predict and is due to a number of factors such as tool radius and length/width of bend.