Metallics 1213CTTE Carbon Steel Tap Taper Type 1/2-13 (1pc)

The 1213CTTE cuts a 1/2-13 thread, meaning a 1/2 inch diameter with 13 threads per inch, which is the standard UNC coarse pitch for that diameter. It ships as a single tap in a pouch.

A taper tap like the Metallics 1213CTTE has a long chamfered lead, so it starts easily and squarely in the hole and spreads the cutting load over several threads. That makes it the tap you reach for first, and the right one for through holes. In a blind hole a taper tap will not cut usable threads all the way to the bottom, so you follow it with a plug and then a bottoming tap if you need full thread depth.

Yes, and it is a common use on an electrical job. The 1213CTTE is a carbon steel 1/2-13 taper tap, so its long lead lets it pick up existing threads without cross starting, which is what you want when cleaning out paint, weld spatter, or rust in a 1/2-13 hole before hanging rod or bolting a base down.

Carbon steel taps like the 1213CTTE are made for hand tapping in softer material such as mild steel, aluminum, brass, and plastics, run slowly with cutting fluid. They give up heat resistance compared with high speed steel, so for powered tapping or harder alloys and stainless, a high speed steel tap is the better choice.

Order Metallics part number 1213CTTE. That single number covers the carbon steel 1/2-13 taper type tap sold one per pouch, so there is no size, finish, or pack option to choose.