This course is designed to help product design personnel create 

tolerance stacks for parts and assemblies that use Geometric 

Dimensioning & Tolerancing. Those who will benefit most are 

designers and engineers who are responsible for creating the GD&T 

callouts for engineering drawings and product models, and who 

want to be more confident in how the assigned geometric tolerances 

interact and stack up. The course begins with a quick review of Y14.5 

concepts, and then introduces the benefits and uses of a tolerance 

stack spreadsheet. Participants then learn detailed procedures for 

performing tolerance stacks on parts and assemblies, beginning with 

coordinate tolerances and moving on to geometric tolerances. 

The course will eliminate confusion over how to include the bonus 

and shift in a tolerance stack: for example, when using tolerance of 

position with the MMC modifier. The simple, manual spreadsheet 

method used throughout the course produces a straightforward 

documentation trail that is easily interpreted, and readily adaptable 

to any company’s electronic spreadsheet program. Results can be 

quickly and easily checked, and revisions can be made with ease.

Students receive extensive practice at creating stacks, and should 

bring a calculator or laptop computer equipped with MS Excel for the 

numerous student exercises. 

Each attendee will receive a copy of the “Tolerance Stacks Using 

GD&T Textbook with Drawing Package.” 

Learning Objectives 

By attending this seminar, you will be able to: 

Correctly calculate and apply bonus, shift, virtual condition, and 

resultant condition 

Perform and develop a tolerance stack-up analysis 

Correctly enter geometric feature control frame data into a tolerance