Cast Iron Angle Plates
BS 5535:1978 | UKAS Certified | Component Inspection
Manufactured from our well-aged, close-grained cast iron and in accordance with BS 5535:1978 Eley’s cast iron angle plates are available in a large range of standard and custom sizes. With an optional UKAS or Eley Metrology certificate of calibration.
Supplied in Grade A or Grade B, with options for either primary squareness only or both primary and secondary squareness, allowing the plate to be matched to the required level of accuracy.
Supported by UKAS or Eley Metrology calibration certificates, giving added confidence in the accuracy and traceability of the product.
Available in standard sizes, with custom sizes also available to suit specific application requirements.
Rigid cast-iron construction and accurately machined right-angle faces provide a stable reference for holding, setting and checking workpieces.
Designed to support accurate and repeatable positioning, helping to improve confidence in setup, inspection and alignment operations.
Component inspection where a rigid and accurately machined reference is required to support reliable checking and measurement.
Clamping workpieces securely during machining, setup and inspection operations, helping to maintain stable and repeatable positioning.
Setting-out operations in workshops and toolrooms, where the plate provides a dependable right-angle reference for marking, aligning and preparing components.
Machine tool alignment, supporting accurate setup and adjustment of machine tools to improve positioning and repeatability.
Preliminary inspections and setup tasks in inspection laboratories, tool rooms and workshop environments where a stable reference is needed before further processing.
Precision machining applications where maintaining positional accuracy is important and a rigid cast iron platform helps reduce movement during operations.
Fixture development work where rigidity, vibration damping and thermal stability help maintain accuracy and consistency over repeated use.
Cast Iron Angle Plates to BS 5535 (1978) Primary and Secondary Squareness
|
GRADE
|
SIZE (mm)
|
PRIMARY ONLY (µm)
|
PRIMARY (µm)
|
SECONDARY (µm)
|
WEIGHT (kg)
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
A
|
150 x 75 x 100
|
7
|
8
|
10
|
4
|
|
A
|
200 x 100 x 150
|
7
|
10
|
13
|
8
|
|
A
|
275 x 150 x 200
|
9
|
12
|
15
|
20
|
|
A
|
300 x 150 x 250
|
11
|
12
|
15
|
24
|
|
B
|
150 x 75 x 100
|
15
|
40
|
50
|
4
|
|
B
|
200 x 100 x 150
|
15
|
50
|
60
|
8
|
|
B
|
275 x 150 x 200
|
20
|
60
|
75
|
20
|
|
B
|
300 x 150 x 250
|
22
|
60
|
75
|
24
|
Industries Used In - Cast Iron Angle Plates -
FAQs
What size cast iron angle plate will I need?
Size selection is determined by the dimensions of the workpiece being inspected or fixtured and the load to be supported.
Eley cast iron angle plates are available in a wide range of standard sizes from 150 × 75 × 100 mm up to 300 × 150 × 250 mm, in both Grade A and Grade B. As a practical guide, the working face of the angle plate should be large enough to fully support the workpiece without overhang, and tall enough to provide a stable squareness reference along the full height of the feature being checked.
For applications where standard sizes do not meet specific requirements, Eley can produce custom angle plates to non-standard dimensions.
Contact our team of specialists for guidance or a quote on your unique requirements.
Email: sales@eleymet.com
Phone: 01332 367475
How do I maintain my cast iron angle plate?
Cast iron requires slightly more attention than granite due to its susceptibility to surface rust:
- Cleaning: Wipe working faces before and after each use with a soft, lint-free cloth. Remove any coolant, cutting fluid or moisture promptly to prevent surface corrosion.
- Rust prevention: When not in use, apply a light coat of rust-preventative oil or petroleum jelly to all working faces. In high-humidity environments, check surfaces regularly for early signs of oxidation.
- Burr removal: If a working face develops a burr from incidental contact, carefully remove it with a fine stone, then clean the surface thoroughly before returning to use. Do not allow burrs to go unattended — they will corrupt measurement results.
- Handling: Always set angle plates down carefully on clean, flat surfaces. Avoid dropping or impacting working faces.
- Storage: Cover when not in use and store in a dry, stable environment. Avoid prolonged exposure to coolants, moisture or temperature extremes.
How often do cast iron angle plates need to be calibrated?
Calibration frequency should be based on usage intensity, the criticality of the application and your QMS requirements. As a practical guide, angle plates in high-cycle production or inspection environments benefit from calibration every 6–12 months; those used less frequently in controlled conditions may suit an annual interval.
In regulated sectors such as aerospace or medical device manufacturing, more frequent calibration is commonly specified to ensure squareness deviations do not propagate into product conformance decisions. Calibration should also be triggered immediately following any impact, suspected damage or unexplained measurement inconsistency.
All Eley cast iron angle plates are supported by a UKAS or Eley Metrology certificate of calibration.
Contacts us for calibration requirements.
Email: sales@eleymet.com
Phone: 01332 367475
How effective are cast iron angle plates for precision inspection?
When manufactured to BS 5535:1978 and properly maintained, cast iron angle plates are highly effective as precision squareness references. Grade A and Grade B tolerances ensure that squareness, flatness and parallelism of all working faces are held to verified, traceable limits, providing a reliable datum for inspection tasks requiring measurement uncertainties in the micrometre range.
Their stability under load, excellent damping characteristics and resistance to thermal distortion make them dependable references in both temperature-controlled laboratories and controlled inspection environments. As with all reference standards, their effectiveness is directly linked to regular calibration and proper handling.
Book your routine calibration with us today.
Email: sales@eleymet.com
Phone: 01332 367475
Are cast iron angle plates supplied with a calibration certificate?
Yes. All Eley cast iron angle plates are supported by either a UKAS traceable calibration certificate or an Eley Metrology certificate of calibration, confirming measured squareness, flatness and parallelism values against BS 5535:1978 tolerances.
UKAS calibration, performed by our UKAS-accredited laboratory (No. 30213), provides internationally recognised traceability to national measurement standards — meeting the documented evidence requirements of QMS frameworks.
What grade do I need - Grade A or Grade B?
Grade A angle plates are manufactured to the tighter squareness, flatness and parallelism tolerances defined in BS 5535:1978 and are suited to quality department inspection, toolroom calibration tasks and applications where measurement uncertainty must be minimised.
Grade B carries slightly wider tolerances and is appropriate for general machining setups, workshop fixturing and preliminary inspection work where Grade A precision is not critical.
Eley angle plates are also available with Primary squareness only, or with both Primary and Secondary squareness verified, allowing the specification to be matched precisely to your application requirements.
What is the difference between cast iron and cast steel angle plates?
The distinction lies in carbon content and the resulting material properties. Cast iron contains more than 2% carbon, giving it a graphite-rich microstructure that delivers superior vibration damping, compressive strength and wear resistance, critical properties in a metrology reference standard.
Cast steel has a carbon content below 2%, offering higher tensile strength and greater toughness, making it better suited to structural and load-bearing applications where impact resistance is the priority.
For precision, angle plates used in inspection and measurement, cast iron is the preferred material: its superior damping characteristics reduce measurement error caused by vibration, and its stability under thermal variation makes it more dimensionally reliable in workshop environments than steel equivalents.