Bolt Shear Stress Calculator
This bolt shear stress calculator works out the average shear stress in a circular bolt shank for a bolted joint loaded in single or double shear, based on the applied shear force and the bolt diameter at the shear plane.
Enter the applied shear force and bolt diameter, select single or double shear, and optionally enter an allowable shear stress and a safety factor to check the utilisation ratio against the design allowable stress.
Single shear vs double shear
In single shear, the bolt is cut across one plane, so the full applied load is carried by a single shear area. In double shear, the bolt passes through three plates or a fork-and-tongue arrangement so that the load is shared across two shear planes, halving the average shear stress for the same force and diameter.
This calculator checks average bolt shear stress only. It does not account for bearing stress between the bolt and the plate, bending of the bolt, thread position within the shear plane, or the bolt material grade. Where the thread lies in the shear plane, a reduced effective diameter should be used instead of the nominal shank diameter.
If an allowable shear stress and safety factor are entered, the calculator divides the allowable shear stress by the safety factor to get a design allowable stress, then compares the calculated shear stress against that design allowable to give the utilisation ratio. Leaving the safety factor blank, or entering 1, uses the allowable shear stress directly with no additional margin applied.
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