nutdriver color code

[jontar]

Here's something I've been wondering for a while, as an industrial electrician I use SAE nutdrivers several times a day, usually 1/4,5/16,7/16, sometimes 3/8,11/32,1/2 and 9/16 and very rarely 3/16 (kooltronics vfd cooling fans only) 7/32 (mit a700vfd ethernet cards) and 9/32 resi lite fixtures,

Every tool manufacture typically goes by this color code, for SAE

S5 amber 5/32"
S6 black 3/16"
S7 brown 7/32"
S8 red 1/4"
S9 orange 9/32"
S10 amber 5/16"
S11 green 11/32"
S12 blue 3/8"
S14 brown 7/16"
S16 red 1/2"
S18 red 9/16"
S20 red 5/8"

how come when it came to metric it is/was a free for all, and nobody gave a ****, the most common some appear to stick with is blue for 10mm, and yellow for 8mm, after that, its today we'll use black for this size, and orange tomorowo.

I find this quite annoying, especially when, you have 2 sets of tools, ones yours and one another electricians, and have different manufactures. I stick to Klein (VACO) so all my metric nutdrivers are black, same black color for every size, fellow electricians use whatever brand they like and none of the metric colors ever match.

 

[kc-steve]

I've never really paid attention to the colors on the handles. It probably is because I use Xcelite back when I worked on electronics, and the 99 series are just blades inserted into a handle, no color codes. I just kept them organized to know the sizes.

The Pratt and Read nut drivers have are . . .
black, 5mm
dk brown, 5.5mm
red, 6mm
lt brown, 7mm
yellow, 8mm
dk blue, 10mm
dk brown (again) 11mm

But the colors are not prominent. Like I said, they don't seem important. Just a way for people to tell one from another I guess.

Steve

 

[Holt]

I do have a question for you I'm a low voltage technician and I have never ran into a metric screw on my job.Where do you run into them. Might be just what I do that I don't run into them. As for your question. I think it may be a American worker thing. 1. It is pretty nifty Idea to color code. 2nd it does separate your SAE from Metric. Started this way years ago and the tradition continues. Notice how no European Mnfr use this color code when making SAE nutdrivers.

 

[jeffmoss26]

I have a very small metric socket at home that fits standoffs on computer motherboards, VGA/DVI/Serial connectors too. I forget the size...
Everything else I use is standard, mainly 1/4 and 5/16.

 

[sberry]

I use metrics on occasion on cars. What we did was mark anything 10MM in out whole collection with a piece of body tape and anything 13 with yellow. I tossed a Klien 5/16 the other day, I realize it could have been warrantied but it was stripped and no matter where I hid it the thing seemed to come back, finally one too many times and I walked over the the chop saw and ended it.

 

[Biomed]

I just picked up a set of Klein metric nut drivers. It uses the following color code:

Black 5mm
Brown 5.5mm
Red 6mm
Orange 7mm
Yellow 8mm
Green 9mm
Blue 10mm

This scheme seems to follow the resistor color code sequence. However I have a set of Vaco metric nutdrivers and they are all black. I have a Snap-on 9mm nutdriver and it is black.

 

[jontar]

I do have a question for you I'm a low voltage technician and I have never ran into a metric screw on my job.

mainly on teco/westinghouse tefc electric motors, 8mm, 10mm and 12mm, then sockets 14mm, 17mm,

theres other items around the site, I just can;t think of any off the top of my head.

I use SAE nutdrivers 10 to 1 compared to metric

 

[volaredon]

I use SAE nutdrivers 10 to 1 compared to metric

yup me too