• 11 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Dial Indicator

A dial indicator from the front and the side, then held on a magnetic base.

Parts of a Dial Indicator

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Dial
  2. Hand
  3. Bezel
  4. Spindle
  5. Contact point
  6. Stem
  7. Revolution counter
  8. Tolerance hands
  9. Case
  10. Mounting lug
  11. Magnetic base

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: another dial to read, the dial caliper

All 11 parts on the diagram

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The indicator 10

  1. Dial The hand points to its marks. It can be turned so that zero sits under the hand.
  2. Hand It turns as the spindle moves in or out.
  3. Bezel The ring that frames the dial.
  4. Spindle The rod that slides in and out. How far it moves is what the hand shows.
  5. Contact point The tip on the end of the spindle. It touches the thing being measured.
  6. Stem It guides the spindle. The indicator can be held by it.
  7. Revolution counter It counts the full turns of the hand.
  8. Tolerance hands Two markers set by hand. They show at a glance whether the hand is inside the range allowed.
  9. Case It holds the gears that turn the hand.
  10. Mounting lug A tab with a hole on the back. A bolt through it holds the indicator.

On a magnetic base 1

  1. Magnetic base It holds to a steel surface by a magnet. It carries the post that holds the indicator.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where at least two of these use it. (1) US National Bureau of Standards, Commercial Standard CS(E)119-45, Dial indicators (for linear measurements), full text at https://archive.org/details/dialindicatorsfo1194nati : dial, bezel, hand, spindle, stem, contact point, lug, case, revolution counter. (2) Wikipedia, Indicator (distance amplifying instrument), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indicator_(distance_amplifying_instrument) : the dial and its hands, the probe or plunger, the tip, the stem that guides the plunger, the mounting lug with a bolt hole, revolution counters, the dial face that can be turned to set zero, the rack and pinion inside. (3) A maker's dial indicator catalog, https://archive.org/details/starrett-catalog-416-issue-12 : bezel, dial, hand, contact point, spindle, stem, case, lug back, revolution counter, tolerance hands, magnetic base indicator holder with its post and rod. (4) A second maker's catalog, https://archive.org/details/federal-products-catalog-65-g : dial, contact point, plunger and spindle, case, revolution counter, adjustable tolerance hands. (5) A school course outline on dial indicators, https://archive.org/details/ERIC_ED093608 : bezel, contact points, spindle, hand, revolution counter. (6) US Army, TM 9-243, full text at https://archive.org/details/use-and-care-of-hand-tools-and-measuring-tools-1983 : the magnetic base indicator holder, which attaches to the work surface magnetically and carries a gage or indicator. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's instrument, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

Parts of a dial indicator on two drawings: the instrument from the front and from the side, then held over a round bar by a post on a magnetic base.

Read the full guide

How it shows a small movement

The contact point rests on the work. When it is pushed, the spindle slides up through the stem, and gears inside the case turn the hand round the dial. The revolution counter keeps count of the full turns of the hand.

What holds it still

A dial indicator shows how far its spindle has moved, so something has to hold the instrument still. It can be held by its stem or bolted through the mounting lug on its back. A magnetic base grips a steel surface and carries a post for it.

  • The dial can be turned, so zero can be put under the hand wherever the hand comes to rest.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a dial indicator?

A case with a dial and a bezel round it, a hand, a revolution counter, a stem, a spindle with a contact point on its end, and a mounting lug on the back. Many also have two tolerance hands on the rim.

What is the small dial on a dial indicator for?

It is the revolution counter. The large hand can go round more than once, and the small dial shows how many full turns it has made.

What is the difference between the stem and the spindle?

The stem is the fixed tube under the case. The spindle is the rod that slides up and down inside it, with the contact point on its lower end. Some books call the spindle the plunger.

What does the magnetic base do?

It holds the indicator still. The base grips a steel surface with a magnet, and a post and rod on top carry the indicator to where it is needed.

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