(Reaffirmed 

2016) 
Free Standard provided by BIS via BSB Edge Private Limited to Galaxy Test & Calibration Lab -
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IS : 4239 - 1970
(Reaffirmed 2015) 
(Reaffirmed 1998)
Edition 2.2
UDC 531.741   (1983-05)

Indian Standard (Reaffirmed 2014) 

(Reaffirmed 2019)
SPECIFICATION FOR MECHANICAL BEVEL PROTRACTORS
 

( First Revision ) (Reaffirmed 2013) 

Engineering Metrology Sectional Committee, EDC 43; Precision Measuring Equipment Subcommittee, EDC 43 : 2 [Ref : Doc : EDC 43 (1628)]

(Incorporating Amendment Nos. 1 & 2)  

1. Scope — Requirements for mechanical bevel protractors for general engineering purposes.
(Reaffirmed 2012) 
2. Nomenclature — The nomenclature given in Fig. 1 shall apply.
 

(Reaffirmed 2011) 

(Reaffirmed 2010) 

(Reaffirmed 2009) 

(Reaffirmed 2008) 

FIG. 1 MECHANICAL BEVEL PROTRACTOR  

3. Construction (Reaffirmed 2007) 
3.1 Mechanical bevel protractors are provided with one or more of the following:
a) Vernier scale,  
b) Fine adjustment device, and
c) Acute angle attachment. (Reaffirmed 2006) 
3.2 Types — In order to facilitate designation, the mechanical bevel protractors are classified into
four types as described below:  
a) Type A — Bevel protractor provided with a vernier graduated to read to 5 minutes of arc and
also with a fine adjustment device and acute angle attachment. (Reaffirmed 2005) 
b) Type B — Bevel protractor provided with vernier graduated to read to 5 minutes of arc and an
acute angle attachment but without fine adjustment device.  
c) Type C — Bevel protractor provided with vernier graduated to read to 5 minutes of arc but
without fine adjustment device or acute angle attachment.
d) Type D — Bevel protractor graduated in degrees and is not provided with either vernier or fine
adjustment device or acute angle attachment.
4. Material — The working parts of the bevel protractor shall be made by stainless steel.
5. Hardness — Hardness of the working edge shall not be less than 500 HV.
6. Dimensions
6.1 Stock — The working edge of the stock shall be not less than 90 mm long and shall have a
thickness of not less than 7 mm.

Adopted 7 October 1970 © BIS 2002 Price Group 2

BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS
MANAK BHAVAN, 9 BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR MARG
NEW DELHI 110002
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IS : 4239 - 1970

6.2 Blade — The blade shall be either 150 mm or 200 mm or 300 mm long, and shall be not less
than 13 mm in width and not less than 2 mm in thickness. The ends of the blade shall be bevelled
to 60° and 45° as shown in Fig. 2.

FIG. 2 BEVELLING OF BLADE

6.3 Scale — The scale dial shall not be less than 65 mm and not more than 75 mm in diameter.
6.4 Acute Angle Attachment — The working edge of the acute angle attachment shall not be less
than 75 mm long and the thickness shall correspond to that of the blade.
7. General Requirements
7.1 Body — The bevel protractor shall be so designed that the back of the body is flat and that
there are no projections beyond the plane of the back of the bevel protractor. When the protractor
is placed on its back on a surface plate there shall be no perceptible rock.
7.2 Blade — The blade shall be so designed that it is possible to move it along the turret
throughout its whole length, and also be reversed. An effective method of clamping shall be
provided.
7.3 Acute Angle Attachment — This shall be so designed as to fit readily on the body. It shall be
capable of being clamped at any desired point, within the limit provided, in the base.
7.4 Clamping — Thumb nut or any other suitable clamping device shall be furnished for locking
the turret to the body.
8. Accuracies
8.1 Body — When the bevel protractor is placed on the working edge of the stock on a surface plate
and the blade set at 90°, the side of the blade and the back of the bevel protractor body shall be
square laterally with the surface plate to within 0.03 mm per centimetre.
8.2 Stock — Any departure from true straightness of the working edge shall be in the nature of a
concavity, the extent of which shall not exceed 0.01 mm when measured over the total span of the
surface concerned.
8.3 Blade — The accuracies for the blade shall be as per table below:
Size of Tolerance in Micrometres Angular Tolerance for
Blade Bevelled Ends
mm Flatness of Straightness Parallelism of in Minutes
Blade of Working Working of Arc
Edges Edges

150 150 10 15 ±5
200 200 15 20 ±5
300 300 20 30 ±5

8.4 Acute Angle Attachment — Where provided, the working edge shall be straight to within
0.005 mm and according to the type of the attachment, shall be parallel with, or square to, the
working edge of the stock to within 0.015 mm over the length of the attachment in all its positions.
8.5 Error of Readings
8.5.1 The total error of indication in any position of the blade of Types A, B and C mechanical bevel
protractors shall not exceed ± 5 minutes of arc.
8.5.2 The total error of indication in any position of the blade of Type D mechanical bevel
protractors shall not exceed ± 12 minutes of arc.

2
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IS : 4239 - 1970
9. Graduations
9.1 The scale shall be graduated either as a full circle marked 0-90-0-90 (four quadrants) with one
vernier, or alternatively as a semicircle marked 0-90-0 with two verniers 180° apart. All verniers
shall read in both directions. One of the zero position shall be indicated when the blade is parallel
to the stock (Fig. 3).

FIG. 3 ZERO POSITION

9.2 All graduations shall be clearly engraved. The thickness of the graduations shall be between
0.05 and 0.07 mm. For any one bevel protractor the thickness of the graduations of the vernier and
main scale shall be equal as observed by the eye.
9.3 The visible length of the shortest graduations on both the scale and the vernier (dimension L,
Fig. 4) shall be approximately equal to twice the width of the interval between adjacent
graduations.

FIG. 4 SCALE AND VERNIER

9.4 The distance from the graduated face of the scale to the face of the vernier (dimension T, Fig. 4)
shall not exceed 0.1 mm.
9.5 The bevel protractors with vernier shall be graduated to read direct to 5 minutes of arc.
9.6 The bevel protractors without vernier shall be graduated in degrees.
10. Finish — All exterior surfaces except knurled surfaces of the bevel protractors shall have a
finish such that the surface roughness shall be 1 μm Rα value ( see IS : 3073-1967 'Assessment of
surface roughness' ) or better. The vernier and the main scales shall have a matt finish to facilitate
easy reading.
11. Designation — The bevel protractors shall be designated by the type, size of the blade and the
number of the standard.
Example:
A mechanical bevel protractor of Type B with 150 mm blade shall be designated as:
Bevel Protractor B 150 IS : 4239
12. Tests
12.1 Flatness — Flatness shall be tested with a dial indicator ( see IS : 2092-1962 Specification for
dial gauges ), used in conjunction with a surface gauge and surface plate [ see IS : 2285-1974
Specification for cast iron surface plates ( first revision )] or by any other method of equal or
greater precision.
12.2 Squareness — The squareness shall be determined with a dial indicator used in conjunction
with a surface plate and precision angle block [ see IS : 2554-1971 Specification for cast iron angle
plates ( first revision ) ] , or by any other method of equal or greater precision.

3
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IS : 4239 - 1970
12.3 Angular Intervals — Angular intervals shall be determined by means of either a toolmaker's
microscope, precision dividing head or dial indicator used in conjunction with a surface plate, sine
bar ( see IS : 5359-1969 'Specification for sine bars' ) and slip gauges ( see IS : 2984-1966
'Specification for slip gauges' ) or by any other method of equal or greater precision.
12.4 Parallelism — The blades shall be tested for parallelism by means of optical comparators or
by any other method of equal or greater precision.
12.5 Straightness — The blades shall be tested for straightness with straight edges ( see
IS : 2220-1962 Specification for steel straight edges ) of known accuracy or with a dial indicator
and reference, precision surface plate [ see IS : 2285-1974 Specification for cast iron surface plates
( first revision )].
13. Marking — Each bevel protractor shall have legibly and permanently marked upon it, in
characters not less than 1 mm high, the type, the nominal size of the blades, the accuracy of
reading and manufacturer's name or trade-mark.
13.1 ISI Certification Mark — Details available from the Indian Standards Institution,
New Delhi 1.
14. Packing — Each bevel protractor shall be coated with a suitable anti-corrosive coating and
shall be wrapped in a moisture-proof paper or any other suitable wrapping material. The bevel
protractor shall then be supplied in a suitable protective case.

EXPLANATORY NOTE
In the present revision four types of mechanical bevel protractors have been included so as to cater
for the variety of combinations of the vernier attachments, slow motion device and acute angle
attachment. Types B and C in the present revision are different from the Types B and C of the
former standard. One more size of blade, that is, 200 mm has been added. The optical bevel
protractors have been deleted and those are covered in a separate standard.
This edition 2.2 incorporates Amendment No. 1 (December 1978) and Amendment No. 2
(May 1983). Side bar indicates modification of the text as the result of incorporation of the
amendments.