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M42 screw mount (M42 × 1): 45.46 mm flange, thread rings
What is the M42 screw mount flange focal distance? · Standard part · basis: Published numbers only (sources per row); thread drawn at the ISO 68-1 basic profile
Also called: m42 thread pitch, m42x1 thread, m42 flange distance, praktica screw mount, pentax screw mount, m42 adapter stl
Exact dimensions. True size, with no printing tolerance added.
- sizes
- 8 in table
Notes
- Flange focal distance is the distance from the mount's reference face to the image plane; adapters and extension tubes must add exactly the difference between two mounts' flange distances to keep infinity focus.
- The lens carries the male M42 × 1 thread; the camera body the female one.
- Not the same as the T-mount (M42 × 0.75): the two look alike but the pitches differ and they do not screw together.
M42 screw mount (M42 × 1): 45.46 mm flange, thread rings size chart
| parameter | value | from |
|---|---|---|
| flange focal distance | 45.46 mm | Flange focal distance table |
| throat / inner diameter | not published in a source I could verify (left out) | — |
| thread | M42 × 1 | standard |
| major Ø D | 42.000 mm | standard |
| pitch P | 1 mm | standard |
| pitch Ø D2 (basic) | 41.350 mm | ISO 68-1 basic profile |
| minor Ø D1 (basic) | 40.917 mm | ISO 68-1 basic profile |
| files | male and female ring sections, 8 turns, basic profile | — |
Where the files are
Other publishers' files are linked, not hosted. "verify" = check the license at the link before commercial use.
| Wikipedia | Flange focal distance (table of mounts) | web | CC BY-SA 4.0 (text); dimensions are facts |
| Bureau of Indian Standards (via Public.Resource.Org) | IS 4218 (Part 1):2001 ISO general purpose metric screw threads, basic profile (identical with ISO 68-1:1998): H = 0.866025404 P, 5H/8 = 0.541265877 P, 3H/8 = 0.324759526 P | web | Public.Resource.Org (public law); dimensions are facts |
| ISO | ISO 68-1:1998 ISO general purpose screw threads — Basic profile — Part 1: Metric screw threads | web | Publisher's page; dimensions are facts |
Free files
★ Free files 2 parts. Generated by Xem Studio from the standard; threads are plain cylinders at major diameter. CC BY 4.0. index.json
| m42x1-male-ring | M42 × 1 lens mount external thread ring section: ISO 68-1 basic profile, major Ø42, pitch Ø41.350, minor Ø40.917, pitch 1; 8 long (8 turns), bore Ø36.917 (wall is a design choice); exact nominal, no tolerance | STEP · STL |
| m42x1-female-ring | M42 × 1 lens mount internal thread ring section: ISO 68-1 basic profile, minor Ø40.917, pitch Ø41.350, major Ø42, pitch 1; 8 long (8 turns), outside Ø46 (design choice); exact nominal, no tolerance | STEP · STL |
https://xemstudio.com/mcp to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client (free, no account, one minute) and it can look up exact sizes, mating fits and free STEP/STL from every chat.Plain text: sheet.txt · JSON: /api/geometry?object=m42-screw-mount

Fits with
Questions
What thread is M42?
M42 × 1 (42 mm, 1 mm pitch), 45.46 mm flange focal distance.
Does an M42 lens fit a T-mount?
No: T-mount is M42 × 0.75, a different pitch.

