# APC propeller RPM limits

> How fast can I spin an APC propeller?

- Category: Aircraft design › Propellers
- Kind: Standard part
- Basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio
- Page: https://xemstudio.com/objects/apc-propeller-rpm-limits/ · JSON: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=apc-propeller-rpm-limits · Plain text: https://xemstudio.com/objects/apc-propeller-rpm-limits/sheet.txt
- License: dimension sheet CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio); files Xem Studio Design License (free to use and sell from, not to redistribute as files: https://xemstudio.com/license/)
- Use in every chat: add https://xemstudio.com/mcp as a connector (https://xemstudio.com/use-with-ai/)

**Exact dimensions.** True size, with no printing tolerance added.

## Notes

- APC publishes suggested maximum RPM as a constant divided by diameter in inches, so bigger props have lower limits (APC RPM Limits).
- Glow/sport props: 190,000/D; thin electric: 150,000/D; folding: 120,000/D; multirotor: 105,000/D; slow flyer: 65,000/D. A 10x6 glow prop should stay under 19,000 rpm (APC).
- Electric-only props lack the strength for glow engines' firing pulses, though glow props can be used on electric motors (Model Aviation, APC Q&A).
- The file is a reference example built by Xem Studio from the numbers above. Sizes the sources do not fix are illustrative; scale the example to your own vehicle.

## Sizes

| parameter | value or range | source |
|---|---|---|
| Glow / Sport / Pattern / Speed 400 (E) | 190,000 / D | APC |
| Thin Electric (E), Polycarbonate FPV | 150,000 / D | APC |
| Folding Electric (F) | 120,000 / D | APC |
| Multi-Rotor (MR, MRF) | 105,000 / D | APC |
| Slow Flyer (SF) | 65,000 / D | APC |
| Racing / carbon, IC | 225,000 / D | APC |
| Racing / pylon on electric | 270,000 / D | APC |
| Example | 10x6 glow -> 19,000 rpm | APC |

## Where the files are

- APC Propellers: [RPM Limits](https://www.apcprop.com/technical-information/rpm-limits) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- Model Aviation (AMA), J. Smith with APC Propellers: [Common Questions with APC Propellers (Mar 2021)](https://www.modelaviation.com/node/2115) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts

## Free STEP/STL (1 parts, Xem Studio Design License, Xem Studio)

Index: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/apc-propeller-rpm-limits/index.json · license: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/apc-propeller-rpm-limits/LICENSE.md

- apc-propeller-rpm-limits-propeller: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/apc-propeller-rpm-limits/apc-propeller-rpm-limits-propeller.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/apc-propeller-rpm-limits/apc-propeller-rpm-limits-propeller.stl) — 10×6 in propeller, 2 blades: each section set at the geometric pitch angle atan(P / 2πr); chord and section illustrative

## Questions

**Max rpm for an APC 10x4.7SF?**

Slow flyer: 65,000/10 = 6,500 rpm (APC).

## Fits with

- [Propeller diameter vs pitch](https://xemstudio.com/objects/propeller-diameter-vs-pitch/)
- [Pitch-to-diameter ratio](https://xemstudio.com/objects/pitch-diameter-ratio/)
- [Propeller blade count (2, 3 and 4 blades)](https://xemstudio.com/objects/propeller-blade-count/)
- [Propeller helix angle and blade twist](https://xemstudio.com/objects/propeller-helix-angle-blade-twist/)
- [Propeller slip and efficiency](https://xemstudio.com/objects/propeller-slip-efficiency/)
- [Propeller naming suffixes (E, SF, MR, P, W, N, C)](https://xemstudio.com/objects/apc-propeller-naming/)