Roundness (object)

Roundness is the measure of how closely the shape of an object approaches that of a mathematically perfect circle. Roundness applies in two dimensions, such as the cross sectional circles along a cylindrical object such as a shaft or a cylindrical roller for a bearing. In geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, control of a cylinder can also include its fidelity to the longitudinal axis, yielding cylindricity. The analogue of roundness in three dimensions (that is, for spheres) is sphericity.

Roundness is dominated by the shape's gross features rather than the definition of its edges and corners, or the surface roughness of a manufactured object. A smooth ellipse can have low roundness, if its eccentricity is large. Regular polygons increase their roundness with increasing numbers of sides, even though they are still sharp-edged.

In geology and the study of sediments (where three-dimensional particles are most important), roundness is considered to be the measurement of surface roughness and the overall shape is described by sphericity.

The ISO definition of roundness is based on the ratio between the inscribed and the circumscribed circles, i.e. the maximum and minimum sizes for circles that are just sufficient to fit inside and to enclose the shape.

Having a constant diameter, measured at varying angles around the shape, is often considered to be a simple measurement of roundness. This is misleading.

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