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Sheet-Metal Punch Force from Shear Area & Strength

Estimate ideal punching force from total cut perimeter, sheet thickness and a selected or custom shear strength.

  • Formula & worked example
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Calculator inputs

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How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the known values in the units shown. Results update as you type.
  2. Where results are editable, change one to solve backwards. Lock a value to hold it fixed.
  3. Use the worked example to check the method. Reset restores the starting fields.

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Inputs and results stay in this browser tab. Bookify does not upload or store the values you enter.

Formula and method

A total cut perimeter of 100 mm through 2 mm sheet gives a shear area of 200 mm². At a shear strength of 300 MPa, the ideal force is 60,000 N.

Ideal punch force = total cutting perimeter × sheet thickness × shear strength

Worked example

Enter these known values and leave the other values blank.

Illustrative shear-strength preset
Custom
Material shear strength
300 MPa
Total perimeter cut in one stroke
100 mm
Sheet thickness
2 mm
Ideal punching force
60000 N

Assumptions and limitations

  • Enter the total cutting perimeter engaged in one stroke. For simultaneous equal holes, multiply one hole’s perimeter by the hole count.
  • Perimeter times thickness is the nominal sheared area. Shear strength in MPa is numerically N/mm², so millimeter dimensions give force in newtons.
  • Material presets are approximate captured values. The actual grade, temper, thickness, direction and processing condition can change shear strength; use verified material data for design.
  • This is an ideal force estimate. Tool wear, clearance, shear angle, stripping force, dynamic loading and machine-capacity margins are excluded. All entered dimensions, shear strength and force are positive.

Common questions

Should I enter one hole’s perimeter or all holes?

Enter the perimeter cut at the same time. If ten equal holes are punched together, enter ten times one hole’s perimeter.

Is punching force a mass in tons?

It is a force. Use the force units shown; a ton of mass is not interchangeable with a ton-force without a gravity convention.

References

Pounds-force per square inch use the exact international pound and inch with standard gravity, replacing the rounded captured factor. The pound-force uses the exact international pound and standard gravity instead of the rounded captured factor.

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