External circlips — DIN 471
External circlips to DIN 471 fit into a groove machined around the outside of a shaft, holding bearings, gears, pulleys and pins in position against axial load. The nominal size quoted is the shaft diameter, not the ring diameter, so a 12 mm circlip fits a 12 mm shaft. Sizes are listed below with the pack price; groove diameter and groove width are set by the standard and should be checked against your drawing.
Also sold as shaft circlips, external retaining rings, external snap rings, Seeger rings, lock rings.
- DIN 471
- 3 mm to 26 mm
- £5.05 per pack of 50
All external circlips
Prices are per pack. No VAT charged.
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Counts update as filters are applied. Sizes with no matching parts are hidden.
Showing 23 of 23 parts
All 23 lines are Available to order
| Pack | Add to basket | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 3mm3 | 50 | £5.80 | |
| 4mm4 | 50 | £6.60 | |
| 5mm5 | 50 | £7.35 | |
| 6mm6 | 50 | £8.15 | |
| 7mm7 | 50 | £8.90 | |
| 8mm8 | 25 | £5.05 | |
| 9mm9 | 25 | £5.60 | |
| 10mm10 | 25 | £6.20 | |
| 11mm11 | 25 | £6.80 | |
| 12mm12 | 25 | £7.15 | |
| 13mm13 | 25 | £7.55 | |
| 14mm14 | 25 | £8.15 | |
| 15mm15 | 25 | £8.70 | |
| 16mm16 | 25 | £9.10 | |
| 17mm17 | 25 | £9.50 | |
| 18mm18 | 25 | £10.10 | |
| 19mm19 | 25 | £10.65 | |
| 20mm20 | 25 | £11.25 | |
| 21mm21 | 25 | £11.65 | |
| 22mm22 | 25 | £12.20 | |
| 24mm24 | 10 | £5.20 | |
| 25mm25 | 10 | £5.45 | |
| 26mm26 | 10 | £5.65 |
All dimensions in millimetres, from the tables at /reference, each of which names its source. The pack and price shown are the ones we hold; every size is also available in packs of 10, 25 and 50 — choose on the part's own page. No VAT charged. Retaining rings are dimension-critical — check the groove against your drawing before ordering.
We publish no product photography. A photograph of a 12 mm circlip is indistinguishable from one of a 14 mm circlip, so the dimensions above are the thing that tells you whether a line is the one you want — and every figure in the table names its source at /reference.
Common questions
What size external circlip do I need?
External circlips to DIN 471 are listed by the shaft diameter they fit, so a 25 mm circlip is the ring for a 25 mm shaft. Measure the shaft beside the groove rather than measuring the old ring, whose outside diameter is larger than the nominal size and will not match the catalogue.
Are external circlips the same as snap rings?
Yes. External circlip, external snap ring, shaft circlip, external retaining ring and DIN 471 ring all describe the same part. Quote the standard and the shaft diameter to remove any ambiguity.
Which pliers fit external circlips?
External circlip pliers, which spread the ring's lug holes apart so it can pass over the shaft. Internal pliers work in the opposite direction and will distort an external ring.
Do you supply sizes that are not listed?
Yes. Imperial sizes, obsolete references and production quantities are handled through the trade desk. Send the shaft diameter, groove width and quantity and we will identify the part.
Guides
Reference notes on specifying and fitting external circlips.
DIN 471, DIN 472 and DIN 6799 explained
Three standards cover almost every metric retaining ring you will meet. Picking the wrong one is usually a matter of measuring the wrong surface, not of choosing the wrong part.
How to measure for a circlip
The ring you pulled out is the least reliable thing to measure. Measure the feature it sits in, and the size falls out of the standard.
Fitting and removing circlips safely
Most circlip failures are fitting failures. A ring that was over-expanded on the way in will not hold, however right the part number was.
Circlip materials and finishes
Carbon spring steel does almost every job. The cases where it does not are predictable, and they are worth knowing before the assembly is closed up.
How much load can a circlip take?
The ring is rarely the weak part. In almost every failure the groove yields first, and the ring only dishes and rolls out afterwards as a consequence.
Other families
Cannot find the size?
Send the shaft, bore or groove dimensions and the quantity you need. Imperial sizes, older references and parts identified from a drawing or sample are all handled through the trade desk.
Send a trade enquiry