Plastic syringes 1–60 mL as pistons and cylinders — dimension sheet
Source: Xem Studio, https://xemstudio.com/objects/plastic-syringes/  (CC BY 4.0)
Basis: Typical BD / Terumo Luer-slip barrel dimensions; ID is what sets the stroke volume (±0.3 mm between brands: measure yours)
Catalog version: 2026-10-20

Sizes: see table below
- Barrel ID (and OD): 1 mL 4.7 (6.5), 3 mL 8.6 (10.0), 5 mL 12.0 (13.6), 10 mL 14.5 (15.9), 20 mL 19.1 (21.0), 30 mL 21.7 (23.6), 60 mL 26.7 (29.0) mm. Stroke volume per mm: ID²×π/4, so a 10 mL moves 0.165 mL per mm.
- As a Stirling power piston: pull the rubber plunger tip, use the bare plunger as a near-frictionless piston (0.1 mm clearance) or keep the tip for a sealed, higher-friction piston. Glass syringes are the premium version: 10 mL glass is Ø15.0 ID, nearly zero friction.
- Polypropylene softens at 100 °C: the syringe is always the cold-side power cylinder, 50 mm or more from the flame. The Luer tip is a convenient 4.2 mm pressure port.

syringe  barrel_id_mm  barrel_od_mm  length_mm  ml_per_mm_stroke
1ml  4.7  6.5  57  0.017
3ml  8.6  10.0  70  0.058
5ml  12.0  13.6  76  0.113
10ml  14.5  15.9  90  0.165
20ml  19.1  21.0  103  0.287
30ml  21.7  23.6  105  0.37
60ml  26.7  29.0  125  0.56

Files elsewhere (not hosted by Xem Studio; license as stated by the publisher):
- Wikipedia: Syringe — web — CC BY-SA 4.0 (text) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syringe
- BD: BD syringe specifications — web — BD site [verify license at link] — https://www.bd.com/en-us/products-and-solutions/products/product-families/bd-luer-lok-syringes
- Long Earth Society: Engine builds (videos and write-ups) — web, video — LES site — https://longearthsociety.com/engineering/

Free files (CC BY 4.0, Xem Studio; STEP + STL, 7 parts): https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/plastic-syringes/index.json
API: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=plastic-syringes