# NACA 0018 airfoil

> What is the exact shape of the NACA 0018 airfoil, and what do the digits mean?

- Category: Airfoils › NACA 4-digit
- Kind: Standard part
- Basis: Computed from the NACA equations (Report 460 / Report 610, restated in NASA TM-4741)
- Page: https://xemstudio.com/objects/naca-0018-airfoil/ · JSON: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=naca-0018-airfoil · Plain text: https://xemstudio.com/objects/naca-0018-airfoil/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/)

## Overall (mm)

| length | width | height |
|---|---|---|
| 100.0 | 20.0 | 18.0 |

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

## Notes

- NACA 0018: symmetric, 18 % thick.
- NACA 4-digit: first digit = maximum camber in % of chord, second = its position in tenths of chord, last two = maximum thickness in % of chord (NACA Report 460).
- Ordinates are in % of chord from the leading edge, computed from the published equations with the closed-trailing-edge thickness coefficient (−0.1036, as in NASA TM-4741). The original reports use an open trailing edge (−0.1015); the difference is under 0.03 % of chord near the trailing edge.
- The file is a 100 mm chord section, 20 mm deep: scale it uniformly to your chord, or import the STEP and sweep or loft it into a wing. Thickness scales with chord; the shape is the same at any size.

## Sizes

| x (% chord) | upper x | upper y | lower x | lower y |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 1.25 | 1.250 | 2.841 | 1.250 | -2.841 |
| 2.5 | 2.500 | 3.922 | 2.500 | -3.922 |
| 5 | 5.000 | 5.332 | 5.000 | -5.332 |
| 7.5 | 7.500 | 6.300 | 7.500 | -6.300 |
| 10 | 10.000 | 7.024 | 10.000 | -7.024 |
| 15 | 15.000 | 8.018 | 15.000 | -8.018 |
| 20 | 20.000 | 8.606 | 20.000 | -8.606 |
| 25 | 25.000 | 8.911 | 25.000 | -8.911 |
| 30 | 30.000 | 9.001 | 30.000 | -9.001 |
| 40 | 40.000 | 8.700 | 40.000 | -8.700 |
| 50 | 50.000 | 7.929 | 50.000 | -7.929 |
| 60 | 60.000 | 6.821 | 60.000 | -6.821 |
| 70 | 70.000 | 5.450 | 70.000 | -5.450 |
| 80 | 80.000 | 3.857 | 80.000 | -3.857 |
| 90 | 90.000 | 2.048 | 90.000 | -2.048 |
| 95 | 95.000 | 1.056 | 95.000 | -1.056 |
| 100 | 100.000 | -0.000 | 100.000 | 0.000 |

## Where the files are

- NACA (NASA Technical Reports Server): [Report 460: The characteristics of 78 related airfoil sections from tests in the variable-density wind tunnel (Jacobs, Ward, Pinkerton, 1933)](https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19930091108) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- NASA: [TM-4741: Computer program to obtain ordinates for NACA airfoils (Ladson, Brooks, Hill, Sproles, 1996)](https://www.pdas.com/refs/tm4741.pdf) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts

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

Index: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/naca-0018-airfoil/index.json · license: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/naca-0018-airfoil/LICENSE.md

- naca-0018-airfoil-section-100mm-chord: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/naca-0018-airfoil/naca-0018-airfoil-section-100mm-chord.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/naca-0018-airfoil/naca-0018-airfoil-section-100mm-chord.stl) — NACA 0018 section, 100 mm chord × 20 mm span, closed trailing edge, 160 points from the equations (scale to your chord)

## Questions

**How thick is the NACA 0018?**

Maximum thickness 18.00 % of chord at 29.9 % chord: 18.00 mm on a 100 mm chord.

**Where is the NACA 0018's camber?**

None: it is symmetric (upper and lower surfaces mirror).

**How do I use it for my wing?**

Scale the 100 mm section to your chord (e.g. 180 mm chord = 180 % scale), then extrude or loft between root and tip sections. For a tapered wing, scale a root and a tip copy and loft between them.

## Fits with

- [NACA 0006 airfoil](https://xemstudio.com/objects/naca-0006-airfoil/)
- [NACA 0008 airfoil](https://xemstudio.com/objects/naca-0008-airfoil/)
- [NACA 0009 airfoil](https://xemstudio.com/objects/naca-0009-airfoil/)
- [NACA 0010 airfoil](https://xemstudio.com/objects/naca-0010-airfoil/)
- [NACA 0012 airfoil](https://xemstudio.com/objects/naca-0012-airfoil/)
- [NACA 0015 airfoil](https://xemstudio.com/objects/naca-0015-airfoil/)