Ruby Ball Styli | McMaster-Carr

Our most general purpose probe styli, these Renishaw styli are used with both touch-trigger and scanning probes. When these styli touch your workpiece, they trigger your probe to send a signal and measure geometric features. The ball end is made of ruby, which is second only to diamond in hardness, so it won’t lose its shape or wear over time. It’s completely round and smooth to avoid touching your workpiece at more than one precise point, preventing inaccurate measurements. However, these probe styli don’t work well with aluminum or cast iron surfaces. Aluminum can rub off onto the ruby, and cast iron and ruby are prone to scratching each other during scanning jobs.

As a rule of thumb, you should choose a stylus with the shortest length and largest ball-end diameter that works for your application. If a stylus is too long, it’s more likely to move farther than it should, reducing measurement accuracy. Larger ball ends reduce the possibility that the stem will accidentally touch your workpiece and interfere with the reading.

Ruby Ball-End Styli

M2 Mounting Thread and M3 Mounting Thread—Styli with M2 or M3 threads are often used in coordinate measuring machines (CMMs).

M4 Mounting Thread—Styli with M4 threads are often used on CNC machine tool probes.

Tungsten Carbide Stem—Tungsten carbide stems are the stiffest and least likely to flex. Tungsten carbide can slightly expand in changing temperatures, so if you need precise measurements, use these styli in temperature-controlled environments.

Ceramic Stem—Ceramic stems shatter in a collision instead of bending, minimizing impact to your probe and workpiece.

Carbon Fiber Stem—Carbon fiber stems are the most lightweight option, so they’re often found on longer styli.

					Material			Ball
	End Dia., mm	Effective Working Lg., mm	Overall Lg., mm	Stem Dia., mm	Stem	Body	End Dia. Tolerance, mm	Precision Grade	Sphericity Tolerance, mm	Mfr.	Mfr. Model No.		Each
M2 × 0.4 mm



		0.3	2	10	0.2	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00025 to 0.00025	10	-0.00025 to 0.00025	Renishaw	A-5000-7800	000000000	0000000


		0.3	2	20	0.2	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5004-7398	0000000	000000
		0.5	3	10	0.4	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7805	000000000	00000
		0.5	7	20	0.3	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-1345	000000000	000000
		0.7	4	10	0.5	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7801	000000000	00000
		0.7	12	20	0.5	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0577	000000000	000000
		1	4.5	10	0.7	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7806	000000000	00000
		1	7	20	0.7	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7808	000000000	00000
		1	12.5	20	0.8	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0033	000000000	00000
		1	20.5	27.5	0.7	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-8663	000000000	00000
		1.5	4.5	10	0.7	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7802	0000000	00000


		1.5	12.5	20	1	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0034	000000000	00000
		1.5	22.5	30	1	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0035	000000000	00000
		2	6	10	1	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7807	000000000	00000
		2	14	20	1	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-3822	000000000	00000
		2	14	20	1.4	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-3603	000000000	00000
		2	22.5	30	1.5	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0036	000000000	00000
		2	32.5	40	1.5	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0037	000000000	00000
		2.5	6.5	10	1	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7803	0000000	00000
		2.5	16.4	20	1.4	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7804	0000000	00000
		2.5	32.7	40.2	2	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0039	0000000	00000


		3	7	10	1.5	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-3604	0000000	00000
		3	17	20	1.5	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-4160	000000000	00000
		3	47	50	2	Ceramic	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0064	000000000	00000
		4	10	10	1.5	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-4154	0000000	00000
		4	20	20	1.5	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-4161	000000000	00000
		4	50	50	2	Ceramic	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0065	000000000	00000
		5	20	20	2.5	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0046	0000000	00000
		5	30	30	2.5	Ceramic	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-4779	0000000	00000
		5	50	50	2.5	Ceramic	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0066	0000000	00000
		6	10	10	2.5	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-4156	0000000	00000


		6	30	30	2.5	Ceramic	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-4780	0000000	00000
		6	50	50	2.5	Ceramic	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0470	0000000	00000
		8	11	11	2.5	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-4158	0000000	00000


		M3 × 0.5 mm



				1	4	21	0.7	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-3551	000000000	00000


				1.5	22.5	30	1	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0051	000000000	00000
				2	9.6	21	1.4	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-3552	000000000	00000
				2	32.5	40	1.5	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0053	000000000	00000
				3	14.7	21	1.5	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-3553	000000000	00000
				10	75	75	4	Carbon Fiber	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-7057	0000000	000000
				12	100	100	4	Carbon Fiber	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-7445	0000000	000000


				M4 × 0.7 mm



	1				4.5	19.5	0.7	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7545	000000000	00000


	2				8.9	19	1.4	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7547	000000000	00000
	2				40	50	1.5	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-4797	000000000	00000
	3				38.5	50	2	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-3680	000000000	00000
	4				13.7	18	3	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7551	0000000	00000
	4				33.5	50	3	Ceramic	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0233	0000000	00000
	5				16	20	3	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-6731	000000000	00000
	5				26	30	3	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-6352	000000000	00000
	5				58.5	75	3.8	Ceramic	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0236	0000000	00000
	5				83.2	100	4.5	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7522	000000000	00000
	5				83.5	100	3.8	Ceramic	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-9761	0000000	000000


	6				33.4	50	4.5	Ceramic	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-3709	000000000	00000
	6				38.5	50	4.5	Carbon Fiber	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-7306	0000000	000000
	6				88.5	100	4.4	Carbon Fiber	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-6510	000000000	000000
	6				88.5	100	4.5	Ceramic	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-3712	000000000	000000
	6				88.5	100	4.5	Carbon Fiber	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-1358	000000000	000000
	6				135	150	4.5	Ceramic	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-8156	000000000	000000
	6				188.5	200	4.5	Carbon Fiber	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-6512	0000000	000000
	8				50	50	4.5	Ceramic	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7795	0000000	000000
	8				100	100	4.5	Ceramic	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7796	000000000	000000
	8				300	300	4.4	Carbon Fiber	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-3461	0000000	000000

Ruby Ball/Star-End Styli


4 Styli	5 Styli

Ball/star styli combine up to 5 styli in one, so you can reach more of your workpiece at once. This means you won’t have to swap out styli as many times during a job. They are commonly used to inspect bores, shoulders, and grooves.

M2 Mounting Thread and M3 Mounting Thread—Styli with M2 or M3 threads are often used in coordinate measuring machines (CMMs).

							Material			Ball
	No. of Styli	End Dia., mm	Effective Working Lg., mm	Overall Lg., mm	Overall Wd., mm	Stem Dia., mm	Stem	Body	End Dia. Tolerance, mm	Precision Grade	Sphericity Tolerance, mm	Mfr.	Mfr. Model No.		Each
M2 × 0.4 mm



		4	1	2.5	3	10	0.7	Tungsten Carbide	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7811	0000000	0000000


		5	2	12	19.3	18	1.4	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7629	0000000	000000
		5	2	12	19.3	30	1.4	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-3626	0000000	000000


		M3 × 0.5 mm



				5	2	12	21.5	30	1.4	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5003-0076	0000000	000000

Probe Styli Kits

Keep a variety of common Renishaw stylus sizes, extensions, and tools on hand. When styli touch a workpiece, they trigger your probe to send a signal and measure geometric features.

Make sure the thread size of the styli in the kit you choose fits your application.

These kits all include ruby ball styli, which can be used in a wide variety of applications, from touch-trigger to scanning probes. Ruby is second only to diamond in hardness, so the ball end won’t lose its shape or wear over time. It’s completely round and smooth to avoid touching your workpiece at more than one precise point, preventing inaccurate measurements. However, these probe styli don’t work well with aluminum or cast iron surfaces. Aluminum can rub off onto the ruby, and cast iron and ruby are prone to scratching each other during scanning jobs.

As a rule of thumb, you should use a stylus with the shortest length and largest ball-end diameter that works for your application. If a stylus is too long, it’s more likely to move farther than it should, reducing measurement accuracy. Larger ball ends minimize the risk that the stem will accidentally touch your workpiece and interfere with the reading.

All kits come with stylus installation tools, which give you a handle to turn so it’s easier to thread a stylus into your probe. Slide them into the hole at the top of your probe stylus. The included stylus extensions are useful if you need to reach deep or difficult-to-access areas.

EWL (effective working length) is measured from the beginning of the stem to the center of the ball or disc end.

M2 Mounting Thread and M3 Mounting Thread—Styli with M2 or M3 threads are often used in coordinate measuring machines (CMMs).

M4 Mounting Thread—Styli with M4 threads are often used on CNC machine tool probes.

Two 12 mm Lg. Break Stems—Break stems are designed to snap if your probe applies too much pressure on a workpiece, shielding the probe from damage.

One 35 mm Dia. × 5 mm Thick. High-Carbon Steel Disc Stylus—Disc styli fit in undercuts and grooves within bores that are too narrow for ball styli. However, because the stylus end is flat, they can’t measure in as many directions as ball styli. Use them with both touch-trigger and scanning probes.

	Body Material	Mfr.	Mfr. Model No.		Each
M2 × 0.4 mm







	Ruby End

	12	One 0.5 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Stylus with Tungsten Carbide Stem—10 mm O'all Lg. (3 mm EWL) One 1 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Stylus with Stainless Steel Stem—10 mm O'all Lg. (4.5 mm EWL) Two 1 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Styli with Tungsten Carbide Stem—20 mm O'all Lg. (12.5 mm EWL) Two 2 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Styli with Stainless Steel Stem—20 mm O'all Lg. (14 mm EWL) One 3 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Stylus with Stainless Steel Stem—20 mm O'all Lg. (17 mm EWL) One 4 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Stylus with Stainless Steel Stem—20 mm O'all Lg. (20 mm EWL) One 10 mm Lg. Stylus Extension One 20 mm Lg. Stylus Extension Two Stylus Installation Tools	Plastic Case	Stainless Steel	Renishaw	A-5004-5131	0000000	0000000


	M3 × 0.5 mm







					High-Carbon Steel End, Ruby End

					10	One 1 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Stylus with Stainless Steel Stem—21 mm O'all Lg. (4 mm EWL) One 2 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Stylus with Tungsten Carbide Stem—40 mm O'all Lg. (32.5 mm EWL) One 3 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Stylus with Tungsten Carbide Stem—50 mm O'all Lg. (43.7 mm EWL) One 4 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Stylus with Tungsten Carbide Stem—40 mm O'all Lg. (36 mm EWL) One 5 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Stylus with Stainless Steel Stem—21 mm O'all Lg. (21 mm EWL) One 5 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Stylus with Ceramic Stem—50 mm O'all Lg. (50 mm EWL) One 35 mm Dia. × 5 mm Thick. High-Carbon Steel Disc Stylus One 50 mm Lg. Stylus Extension Two Stylus Installation Tools	Plastic Case	Stainless Steel	Renishaw	A-5004-6880	0000000	000000


					M4 × 0.7 mm







									Ruby End

									13	One 1 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Stylus with Stainless Steel Stem—19.5 mm O'all Lg. (4.5 mm EWL) One 2 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Stylus with Stainless Steel Stem—19 mm O'all Lg. (8.9 mm EWL) Two 6 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Styli with Ceramic Stem—50 mm O'all Lg. (33.4 mm EWL) Two 6 mm Dia. Ruby Ball Styli with Ceramic Stem—100 mm O'all Lg. (88.5 mm EWL) Two 30 mm Lg. Stylus Extensions Two 12 mm Lg. Break Stems Two Stylus Installation Tools One Wrench	Plastic Case	Stainless Steel	Renishaw	A-5004-5132	0000000	000000

Contact Points for Plunger Variance Indicators

These contact points are compatible with indicators that conform to AGD standards. Most plunger indicators are classified in AGD Groups 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4.

Ball Contact Points

Image of Product. Front orientation. Contains Annotated. Variance Indicator Contact Points. Contact Points for Plunger Variance Indicators, Ball Contact Points.

Ball contact points are for measuring indentations. They can also be used to measure flat surfaces.

	Lg.	Precision Ball Grade	Sphericity Tolerance	Mounting Thread Size	Body Material	For Dial Indicator Size		Each
Ruby



	3	1/4"	25	-0.000025" to 0.000025"	4-48	Stainless Steel	AGD Group 0, AGD Group 1, AGD Group 2, AGD Group 3, AGD Group 4	0000000	000000


	3	1/4"	25	-0.000025" to 0.000025"	M2.5 × 0.45 mm	Stainless Steel	AGD Group 0, AGD Group 1, AGD Group 2, AGD Group 3, AGD Group 4	0000000	00000
	3	1/2"	25	-0.000025" to 0.000025"	4-48	Stainless Steel	AGD Group 0, AGD Group 1, AGD Group 2, AGD Group 3, AGD Group 4	0000000	00000
	4	1/4"	25	-0.000025" to 0.000025"	4-48	Stainless Steel	AGD Group 0, AGD Group 1, AGD Group 2, AGD Group 3, AGD Group 4	0000000	00000
	4	1/2"	25	-0.000025" to 0.000025"	4-48	Stainless Steel	AGD Group 0, AGD Group 1, AGD Group 2, AGD Group 3, AGD Group 4	0000000	00000
	4	3/4"	25	-0.000025" to 0.000025"	4-48	Stainless Steel	AGD Group 0, AGD Group 1, AGD Group 2, AGD Group 3, AGD Group 4	0000000	00000

Probe Styli for Thin Materials

Measure holes and edges on sheet metal and other thin materials. The straight edges on these cylindrical styli maintain stable contact with thin materials better than the curved edges on a ball styli. However, they’re not as precise as ball styli. When they touch a workpiece, they trigger your coordinate measuring machine (CMM) probe to send a signal and measure geometric features. They’re often used with touch-trigger probes.

As a rule of thumb, you should use a stylus with the shortest length that works for your application. If a stylus is too long, it’s more likely to move farther than it should, reducing measurement accuracy.

Ruby Cylindrical-End Styli

Round Tip

Ruby ends are the most common because of how smooth, hard, and durable they are. Ruby is second in hardness only to diamond, so these styli won’t wear or lose their shape, which could lead to measurement errors. However, ruby doesn’t work well with aluminum or cast iron surfaces. Aluminum can rub off onto the ruby, and cast iron and ruby are prone to scratching each other during scanning jobs.

Round Tip—Probe styli with a round tip allow you to probe with the stylus end as if it were a ball stylus. The round end avoids touching your workpiece at more than one precise point, so they can detect small variations in flatness.

					Material			Ball
	End Dia., mm	Effective Working Lg., mm	Overall Lg., mm	Stem Dia., mm	Stem	Body	End Dia. Tolerance, mm	Precision Grade	Sphericity Tolerance, mm	Mfr.	Mfr. Model No.		Each
M2 × 0.4 mm







				Round Tip

				1	8	15	1	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-8876	000000000	0000000


				2	7.2	21.2	1.6	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	-0.00013 to 0.00013	5	-0.00013 to 0.00013	Renishaw	A-5000-7812	000000000	000000