Dihedral angle — dimension sheet
Source: Xem Studio, https://xemstudio.com/objects/dihedral/  (sheet CC BY 4.0; files Xem Studio Design License, https://xemstudio.com/license/)
Basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio
Catalog version: 2026-10-20

Sizes: see table below
- Dihedral (tips higher than root) adds roll stability, and typically only a few degrees are needed on full-size aircraft (NASA Glenn; ERAU).
- McCombs' RC guidance: rudder-only models want about 9 deg total effective dihedral (high wing 5-7 deg, mid 7-8, low 10-11), while aileron models want essentially 0 deg (mid wing) to 0-2 deg (high/low). Too much dihedral on aileron models cuts roll rate and complicates coordination (Model Aviation).
- Too much dihedral also reduces effective lifting area by cos^2 of the angle (McCombs), and too little fin with small dihedral causes spiral instability (McCombs). Fighters and aerobatic aircraft aim for near-neutral (Kitplanes).
- Used on: Boeing 737.
- 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.

parameter  value or range  source
RC rudder-only total effective dihedral  about 9 deg  McCombs 1994
Rudder-only: high / mid / low wing  5-7 / 7-8 / 10-11 deg  McCombs 1994
Aileron RC: mid wing / high & low wing  ~0 deg / 0-2 deg  McCombs 1994
Effective area penalty  S_eff = S cos^2(a)  McCombs 1994
Recovery rate  6 deg total recovers about half as fast as 12 deg  McCombs 1992
Reference build  high-wing trainer, 6 deg  McCombs

Files elsewhere (not hosted by Xem Studio; license as stated by the publisher):
- Model Aviation (AMA), W.F. McCombs: Wing and Tail Dihedral for Models (Dec 1994) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts — https://library.modelaviation.com/article/wing-and-tail-dihedral-models
- Model Aviation (AMA), W.F. McCombs: Vertical Tail Size for Models (Apr 1992) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts — https://library.modelaviation.com/article/vertical-tail-size-models-1
- NASA Glenn Research Center: Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics: Wing Geometry — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts — https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/beginners-guide-to-aeronautics/wing-geometry
- Embry-Riddle (Leishman), Introduction to Aerospace Flight Vehicles: Wing Shapes and Nomenclature — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts — https://eaglepubs.erau.edu/introductiontoaerospaceflightvehicles/chapter/wing-shapes-and-nomenclature/
- Kitplanes (B. Wainfan): Wind Tunnel: Roll's role in lateral stability (2008) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts — https://www.kitplanes.com/wind-tunnel-135/

Free files (Xem Studio Design License, Xem Studio; STEP + STL, 1 parts): https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/dihedral/index.json
API: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=dihedral