When measuring a roller chain it is highly recommended to use a pair of calipers to ensure that your measurements are highly accurate. USA Roller Chain and Sprockets is one of the nations leading suppliers of industrial roller chains, sprockets, and other power transmission components. We are a medium sized family owned and operated company focused on bringing our customers expert customer service at competitive prices. Our roller chain inventory consists of ANSI, ISO, DIN, and MTO specialty roller chains. We stock carbon steel, nickel plated, stainless steel, coated, zinc, and plastic roller chains.
Roller Chain Pitch
The first dimension we will use is the pitch. This is the measurement from the center of one pin to the center of the next and is the measurement "P" in the drawing above.
Side Plate Height
The plate height is the measurement "H" in the drawing above. You can measure either the inside plate height or outside plate height, both measurements should match. If your roller chain has inside and outside plates that differ in height this could be an indication of a non-standard roller chain, please inform your customer service representative of both dimensions as we do also stock a wide range of non-standard roller chains.
Side Plate Thickness
The plate thickness is the measurement "T" in the drawing above. It is typically best to measure the inside and outside plate thickness because some ISO and DIN metric roller chains feature inside and outside plates that have different thicknesses. The thickness of a side plate will also tell us if you have a heavy duty series roller chain.
Roller Chain Pin Diameter
The pin diameter is the measurement "E" in the drawing above. This is a vital measurement because some specialty roller chains will have non-standard pin diameters.
Roller Diameter
The roller diameter is the measurement "D" in the drawing above. Please note that some chains that are classed as a roller chain do not have rollers, such as ANSI sizes #25, #35, #45, #65, #85, #105 as well as other bushed roller-less chains. When measuring a roller-less chain use the bushing diameter as the roller diameter and inform your customer service representative that you have a roller-less chain.
Roller Width
The roller width is the measurement "W" in the drawing above. If you have a roller-less chain just measure the inside width of the inner side plates.
Overall Chain Width
The overall width of the roller chain is the measurement "A" in the drawing above. Please make sure that you are not measuring the overall width of the master link and or offset link when you are taking this measurement.
How To Measure Roller Chain Video Instructions
If you prefer to watch video instructions on measuring a roller chain, check out our YouTube video below!
Roller Chain 101
Our VP, Scott Beckett, discussing the basics of Roller and Leaf chains!
Identifying Your Roller Chain
After you've taken all measurements, it's time to identify the chain. To identify your roller chain simply fill out the below form with the dimensions you took and click "submit", then await a response from our industry-leading customer service team. For faster response times, please call 407-347-3519 during normal business hours.
