November 3, 2026 · Indumor
In this chapter
A draftsman who had spent years in Mexico sent over a bracket drawing with a footnote: "barrenar cuatro agujeros y machuelar M12". Nobody on the floor knew what to do with it. Barrenar sounded like something else and machuelar sounded like nothing at all. Two phone calls later it was clear: barrenar is to drill, and a machuelo is a tap. The drawing was fine; the words were what did not travel.
Argentine shop Spanish has a vocabulary of its own, and much of it arrived by ship. Italian left alesar (to bore, from alesare, itself from French aléser); French left pinza (collet, from pince), charriot (the compound rest) and ruleman (bearing, from roulement). A drill bit is a mecha, not a broca; the drill press is an agujereadora, not a taladro; the bench vise is a morsa; a bolt that takes a nut is a bulón and a screw that threads into the part is a tornillo; a circlip is a seeger; flat bar is planchuela; pipe is caño; angle is hierro ángulo. A drawing from Spain asks for brocas, a cajetín and pletinas; one from Mexico asks you to barrenar and maquinar and to fit rondanas and birlos; one from Chile speaks of pernos and prensas. None of them is wrong. The country changes, the part does not.
The traps run the other way too. Pipe (caño) carries fluids and is named by nominal size and schedule; tube (tubo) is structural or precision stock named by outside diameter and wall, and asking for tubo when you need caño ends with a flange that will not fit. Die covers both the threading die (terraja) and the forming die (matriz); context sorts it out. Gauge is a feeler gauge (galga), a go/no-go gauge, a sheet metal gauge and a pressure gauge (manómetro), but never the measuring caliper, which is calibre. Bolt is bulón and screw is tornillo, the same logic as in English, although a US hex cap screw is a hex-head bulón in Argentina. And chuck is both the lathe chuck (plato) and the drill chuck (mandril).
The tables are grouped and each one has a search box: type part of a word in either language. The Argentine term comes first and the Spain variant follows in parentheses. Welding terms live in the MIG-MAG course glossary; only the ones that cross into machining and forming are repeated here. The lathe parts are drawn above, and tapers, knurling and single-point threading are in chapters 11 and 8.
| English | Spanish (Argentina) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| engine lathe (centre lathe) | torno paralelo (torno de puntas) | Engine lathe in the US, centre lathe in the UK |
| turret lathe | torno revólver | – |
| vertical turret lathe (VTL) | torno vertical (carrusel) | For big, flat parts |
| bed | bancada | – |
| bed ways (slideways) | guías de la bancada | V-ways or flat ways |
| headstock | cabezal (cabezal fijo) | – |
| spindle | husillo (eje principal) | The spindle nose carries the chuck |
| three-jaw chuck (self-centring chuck) | plato universal (plato de tres mordazas) | – |
| four-jaw independent chuck | plato de cuatro mordazas independientes | Centred with a dial indicator |
| chuck jaw | mordaza (del plato) | Soft jaws: mordazas blandas |
| faceplate | plato liso (plato de garras) | Holds odd shapes with clamps |
| collet | pinza (de sujeción) | ER, 5C |
| tailstock | contrapunto (cabezal móvil) | Also called contrapunta in the shop |
| live centre / dead centre | punto giratorio / punto fijo | Live rotates with the work, dead does not |
| carriage (saddle) | carro longitudinal (carro principal) | The saddle is the part riding on the bed |
| apron | delantal (del carro) | The box with the handwheels and the half nut |
| cross slide | carro transversal | – |
| compound rest (top slide) | charriot (carro superior, carro orientable) | From the French chariot; top slide in the UK |
| tool post | torreta portaherramientas | Four-way or quick-change |
| quick-change gearbox (feed gearbox) | caja Norton (caja de avances) | Named after W. P. Norton |
| quadrant (change gear banjo) | lira (tren de ruedas de recambio) | Chapter 8 |
| feed rod | barra de cilindrar | – |
| lead screw | husillo de roscar (husillo patrón) | – |
| half nut | media tuerca (tuerca partida) | Engages the lead screw for threading |
| steady rest / follow rest | luneta fija / luneta móvil | – |
| micrometer dial (graduated collar) | tambor graduado (nonio del carro) | Watch out: reads diameter or radius |
| universal milling machine | fresadora universal | The table swivels for helices |
| vertical mill (knee mill) | fresadora vertical | – |
| machining centre | centro de mecanizado | CNC mill with a tool changer |
| knee | ménsula (consola) | Raises and lowers the table |
| ram | carnero | Of the mill head or the shaper |
| dividing head (indexing head) | cabezal divisor (plato divisor, aparato divisor) | Chapter 12 |
| rotary table | mesa circular (plato giratorio) | – |
| drill press (bench drill / pillar drill) | agujereadora de banco / de pie (taladro de columna) | In Spain taladro is the machine; in Argentina, the hole |
| hand drill (portable drill) | taladro de mano (agujereadora de mano) | – |
| drill chuck | mandril portabrocas | – |
| cylindrical / surface / centreless grinder | rectificadora cilíndrica / plana / sin centros | – |
| grinding wheel | muela (piedra de amolar) | Chapter 14 |
| angle grinder | amoladora angular | – |
| shaper | limadora | – |
| slotting machine (slotter) | mortajadora | Internal keyways |
| band saw | sierra sinfín (sierra de cinta) | – |
| cold saw (cut-off saw) | tronzadora (sierra circular de metales) | – |
| vise (vice) | morsa (tornillo de banco) | Morsa in Argentina and Uruguay; vice in the UK |
| machine vise (milling vise) | morsa de máquina (mordaza) | – |
| punch press (fly press) | balancín | Eccentric or screw press |
| press brake | plegadora | – |
| shear (guillotine shear) | guillotina (cizalla) | – |
| EDM (spark erosion) | electroerosión | Wire or sinker |
| horizontal boring mill | mandrinadora (alesadora) | – |
In every table, the word in parentheses after the Argentine term is the variant used in Spain.
| English | Spanish (Argentina) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| drill (drill bit, twist drill) | mecha (broca) | Mecha in Argentina; broca in Spain and Mexico |
| centre drill (combined drill and countersink) | mecha de centrar | – |
| countersink | avellanador | – |
| counterbore | cajeador (fresa de cajear) | – |
| reamer | escariador (alesador) | Hand or machine |
| tap | macho de roscar | Set of three: taper, plug, bottoming |
| die (threading die) | terraja (cojinete de roscar) | Watch out: die also means matriz (a forming die) |
| tap wrench | giramachos (portamachos) | – |
| lathe tool (turning tool, tool bit) | herramienta de torno (cuchilla) | A bit is the HSS blank |
| insert (indexable insert) | inserto (plaquita) | – |
| high-speed steel (HSS) | acero rápido | – |
| carbide (cemented carbide) | metal duro (widia, carburo) | Widia was a brand that became the generic word |
| parting tool (cut-off tool) | herramienta de tronzar | – |
| threading tool | herramienta de roscar | – |
| boring bar | barra de alesar (barra de mandrinar) | – |
| end mill | fresa frontal (fresa de vástago) | – |
| slot drill (two-flute end mill) | fresa de ranurar (de dos labios) | Can plunge |
| face mill | fresa de planear | – |
| side and face cutter | fresa de disco | Thin one: slitting saw |
| gear cutter (involute cutter) | fresa de módulo | Chapter 13 |
| hob | fresa madre | – |
| Woodruff keyseat cutter | fresa Woodruff | – |
| file (flat, half-round, round, three-square) | lima (plana, media caña, redonda, triangular) | – |
| knurling tool (knurl) | moleteador (moleta) | Chapter 11 |
| broach | brocha | For keyways and internal profiles |
| oilstone (sharpening stone) | piedra de asentar | – |
| cutting edge | filo | – |
| rake angle | ángulo de ataque (de desprendimiento) | γ in ISO 3002 |
| clearance angle (relief angle) | ángulo de incidencia | α in ISO 3002 |
| chip breaker | rompevirutas | – |
| chip (swarf) | viruta | Swarf in the UK |
| coolant (cutting fluid) | refrigerante (taladrina, soluble) | – |
| English | Spanish (Argentina) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| vernier caliper (calipers) | calibre (pie de rey) | Usually plural in the US |
| vernier scale | nonio | Chapter 2 |
| micrometer (mic) | micrómetro (palmer) | – |
| inside micrometer | micrómetro de interiores | – |
| depth micrometer | micrómetro de profundidad | – |
| dial indicator (dial gauge, DTI) | comparador (reloj comparador) | – |
| dial test indicator (lever indicator) | palpador (comparador de palanca) | – |
| protractor (bevel protractor) | goniómetro (transportador) | – |
| engineer's square | escuadra | – |
| rule (steel rule) | regla | A ruler is the school one |
| feeler gauge | galga de espesores (sonda) | Gauge also means a fixed gauge and a pressure gauge |
| thread pitch gauge | peine de roscas (galga de roscas) | – |
| go / no-go gauge | calibre pasa no pasa | – |
| plug gauge | calibre tampón | – |
| snap gauge | calibre de herradura | – |
| ring gauge (thread ring gauge) | calibre de anillo (de rosca) | – |
| dial bore gauge | alexómetro | – |
| gauge blocks (Jo blocks) | bloques patrón (galgas Johansson) | – |
| surface plate | mármol (de trazar, de control) | Granite or cast iron |
| surface gauge (scribing block) | gramil | – |
| scriber | punta de trazar | – |
| centre punch | punzón de marcar (granete) | – |
| dividers | compás de puntas | – |
| outside calipers | compás de espesores | The spring type, no scale |
| machinist's level | nivel de precisión | – |
| surface roughness tester (profilometer) | rugosímetro | – |
| hardness tester | durómetro | Chapter 21 |
| hundredth of a millimetre | centésima (0,01 mm) | About four tenths of a thou |
| thou (mil) | milésima (de pulgada) | 0.0254 mm; inch shops measure in thou |
| micron (micrometre) | micrón (µm) | A thousandth of a millimetre |
| English | Spanish (Argentina) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| thread | rosca | Chapters 4 to 8 |
| pitch | paso | In inches it is threads per inch |
| threads per inch (TPI) | hilos por pulgada | – |
| lead | avance (de una rosca) | Pitch × starts |
| two-start thread (double-start) | rosca de dos entradas | – |
| major diameter | diámetro exterior (nominal) | – |
| minor diameter (root diameter) | diámetro de núcleo (menor) | – |
| pitch diameter | diámetro de flancos (medio) | – |
| crest and root | cresta y fondo (raíz) | – |
| thread angle | ángulo de rosca | 60° metric and UN, 55° Whitworth |
| metric thread (ISO M) | rosca métrica | – |
| Whitworth thread (BSW, BSF) | rosca Whitworth | – |
| BSP pipe thread (G, R, Rp) | rosca gas | Parallel G, taper R |
| NPT (tapered pipe thread) | rosca NPT | US taper pipe thread, chapter 6 |
| UNC / UNF (unified coarse / fine) | rosca UNC / UNF | – |
| trapezoidal thread (Tr); Acme in inches | rosca trapecial (trapezoidal) | 30° ISO, 29° Acme |
| left-hand thread (LH) | rosca izquierda | – |
| right-hand thread (RH) | rosca derecha | – |
| fine thread | rosca fina | – |
| coarse thread | rosca gruesa (paso normal) | – |
| external / internal thread (male / female) | rosca macho / rosca hembra | – |
| tap drill | agujero para rosca (mecha para el macho) | – |
| thread relief (undercut) | salida de rosca (ranura) | – |
| single-point threading | roscar en el torno | Chapter 8 |
| English | Spanish (Argentina) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| to turn (turning) | tornear (cilindrar) | – |
| to face (facing) | frentear (refrentar) | Frentear is the Argentine word |
| to part off (parting) | tronzar | – |
| to bore (boring) | alesar (mandrinar) | Italian alesare, from French aléser |
| to drill | agujerear (taladrar) | – |
| to thread / to tap | roscar | Tap is with a tap, thread in general |
| to knurl | moletear | – |
| to chamfer | chaflanar (achaflanar) | – |
| taper turning | tornear cónico | Chapter 11 |
| to mill | fresar | – |
| to face mill (surfacing) | planear | – |
| climb milling (down milling) | fresar en concordancia (a favor) | – |
| conventional milling (up milling) | fresar en oposición (en contra) | – |
| to grind (grinding) | rectificar | With a wheel, precision work |
| to grind (rough grinding) | amolar | With a grinder, no precision |
| to sharpen (tool grinding) | afilar | – |
| to file | limar | – |
| to rough (roughing cut) | desbastar | – |
| to finish (finishing cut) | terminar (dar el acabado) | – |
| pass (cut) | pasada | – |
| depth of cut | profundidad de pasada | ap in the catalogs |
| feed (feed rate) | avance | mm/rev or mm/min |
| cutting speed | velocidad de corte | m/min; sfm in the US |
| spindle speed (rpm) | vueltas (rpm) | Chapter 9 |
| to dial in (to true up) | centrar (en el plato) | – |
| to spot (centre drilling) | puntear (hacer el centro) | – |
| to lay out (marking out) | trazar (marcar) | – |
| oxy-fuel cutting (flame cutting) | oxicorte | – |
| plasma cutting | corte por plasma | – |
| laser cutting | corte láser | – |
| to lap (lapping) | lapidar | – |
| to hone (honing) | bruñir | – |
| to bend (press-brake bending) | plegar (doblar) | – |
| to machine | mecanizar (maquinar) | Maquinar is the usual word in Mexico |
| to assemble | armar (montar) | – |
| to fit (fitting) | ajustar | – |
| to deburr | rebabar (desbarbar) | – |
| to break the edges | matar los filos | – |
| English | Spanish (Argentina) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| carbon steel | acero al carbono | Chapter 19 |
| mild steel (structural steel) | acero común (de construcción) | On site it is just called hierro, iron |
| stainless steel | acero inoxidable | – |
| silver steel (drill rod) | acero plata | Ground high-carbon bar |
| carburizing steel (case-hardening steel) | acero de cementación | – |
| quenched and tempered steel (Q&T) | acero bonificado | Bonificado means hardened and tempered |
| grey cast iron | fundición gris (hierro fundido) | – |
| ductile iron (nodular iron) | fundición nodular (dúctil) | – |
| bronze | bronce | – |
| brass | latón | – |
| copper | cobre | – |
| aluminum (aluminium) | aluminio | Aluminium in the UK |
| lead | plomo | Lead is also the thread lead |
| nylon (polyamide, PA) | nailon (poliamida) | – |
| cast nylon (PA 6) | grilón | A brand that became the generic word |
| round bar | barra redonda (hierro redondo) | – |
| flat bar | planchuela (pletina) | – |
| angle (angle iron) | hierro ángulo (perfil L, angular) | – |
| I-beam (IPN, IPE) | perfil doble T (IPN, IPE) | Tables in /tables/ |
| channel (UPN) | perfil U (UPN) | – |
| sheet (thin) / plate (thick) | chapa | Sheet up to about 6 mm, plate above that |
| hot-rolled sheet | chapa negra (laminada en caliente) | – |
| gauge (sheet metal gauge) | calibre (de chapa) | Table in /tables/ |
| pipe | caño | Pipe carries fluids: named by nominal size and schedule |
| tube (tubing) | tubo (estructural, de precisión) | Tube is named by outside diameter and wall |
| welded pipe (ERW) / seamless pipe | caño con costura / sin costura | – |
| structural tubing (SHS, RHS; HSS in the US) | tubo estructural (cuadrado, rectangular) | – |
| cold-drawn bar (cold-finished bar) | acero trafilado (calibrado, laminado en frío) | – |
| hot-rolled | laminado en caliente | – |
| rebar | hierro de construcción (nervado) | – |
| to harden (to quench) | templar | Chapter 20 |
| to temper | revenir | – |
| to anneal | recocer | – |
| to normalize | normalizar | – |
| to carburize (to case harden) | cementar | – |
| to nitride | nitrurar | – |
| hardness | dureza | Chapter 21 |
| tensile strength (UTS) | resistencia a la tracción | – |
| yield strength | límite de fluencia (límite elástico) | – |
| toughness | tenacidad | – |
| machinability | maquinabilidad | – |
| weldability | soldabilidad | – |
| English | Spanish (Argentina) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| bolt | bulón (perno, tornillo) | A bulón takes a nut; perno in Chile and Spain |
| screw | tornillo | Threads into the part, no nut |
| socket head cap screw | tornillo Allen | DIN 912, chapter 18 |
| set screw (grub screw) | tornillo prisionero (tornillo sin cabeza) | – |
| stud | espárrago | Birlo in Mexico |
| nut | tuerca | – |
| nylon insert lock nut (nyloc) | tuerca autofrenante | – |
| jam nut (lock nut) | contratuerca | – |
| washer | arandela (plana) | Rondana in Mexico |
| spring washer (split lock washer) | arandela de presión (grower) | Grower is an old brand name |
| key | chaveta | Parallel key DIN 6885, chapter 13 |
| keyway (keyseat) | chavetero | – |
| Woodruff key | chaveta Woodruff (media luna) | – |
| pin (dowel pin) | pasador | – |
| split pin (cotter pin) | cupilla (chaveta de aletas) | Cotter pin in the US |
| circlip (retaining ring, snap ring) | seeger (anillo elástico, circlip) | DIN 471 and 472, chapter 17 |
| rivet | remache | – |
| bearing (ball bearing, roller bearing) | rodamiento (ruleman, cojinete) | Ruleman comes from the French roulement |
| bushing (bush) | buje (bocina, casquillo) | – |
| plain bearing (journal bearing) | cojinete de fricción (metal) | – |
| oil seal (lip seal) | retén | – |
| gear | engranaje | Chapter 15 |
| pinion (the small gear); sprocket for chain | piñón | – |
| gear (large), crown wheel, worm wheel | corona | – |
| worm | tornillo sinfín | – |
| rack | cremallera | – |
| module | módulo | Diametral pitch in inches |
| pulley (sheave) | polea | Sheave is the V-belt one |
| V-belt | correa trapezoidal (en V) | Chapter 16 |
| timing belt (synchronous belt) | correa dentada (sincrónica) | – |
| roller chain | cadena de rodillos | – |
| sprocket | piñón de cadena | – |
| coupling | acople (acoplamiento) | – |
| clutch | embrague | – |
| shaft | eje | Axle when it carries no torque |
| spring (compression, extension, torsion) | resorte (de compresión, de tracción, de torsión) | – |
| gearbox (speed reducer) | reductor | – |
| flange | brida | Also the clamp on a faceplate: clamp |
| open-end / socket / hex key / torque wrench | llave de boca / de tubo / Allen / dinamométrica | Spanner in the UK |
| across flats (wrench size) | medida de llave (entre caras) | – |
| property class (grade) | grado (8.8, 10.9) | Chapter 18 |
| tightening torque | par de apriete | – |
| English | Spanish (Argentina) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| drawing (print, blueprint) | plano | Print in a US shop |
| dimension | cota | – |
| to dimension | acotar | – |
| tolerance | tolerancia | Chapter 3 |
| clearance | juego | – |
| interference | apriete (interferencia) | – |
| fit | ajuste | – |
| clearance / transition / interference fit | ajuste con juego / indeterminado / con apriete | – |
| hole basis / shaft basis | agujero base / eje base | – |
| upper / lower deviation | desviación superior / inferior | – |
| scale | escala | Chapter 25 |
| front / top / side view | vista de frente / de planta / lateral | – |
| section (sectional view) | corte (sección) | – |
| title block | rótulo (cajetín) | Cajetín in Spain |
| bill of materials (BOM), parts list | lista de materiales (despiece) | – |
| first-angle / third-angle projection | primer diedro / tercer diedro | – |
| centre line | línea de eje | – |
| surface roughness (Ra) | rugosidad | Chapter 14 |
| surface finish | acabado superficial | – |
| chamfer | chaflán | – |
| fillet (inside radius) | radio de acuerdo | A round is the outside radius |
| burr | rebaba | – |
| flatness / parallelism / perpendicularity | planitud / paralelismo / perpendicularidad | – |
| runout | alabeo (salto) | – |
| eccentricity | excentricidad | – |
| machining allowance (stock) | sobremedida (demasía) | – |
| centre distance | entre centros | – |
| inch | pulgada | Chapter 1 |
| English | Spanish (Argentina) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| welding (the process), weld (the joint) | soldadura | Full MIG-MAG glossary in the course |
| stick welding (SMAW, MMA) | soldadura con electrodo (eléctrica) | – |
| MIG/MAG (GMAW) | MIG-MAG | – |
| TIG (GTAW) | TIG | – |
| bead (weld run) | cordón | – |
| bevel | bisel | – |
| butt / fillet (T) / lap joint | junta a tope / en ángulo / solapada | – |
| tack weld | punto (de soldadura) | – |
| work clamp (ground clamp) | masa (pinza de masa) | – |
| bending (press-brake bending) | plegado | – |
| flat pattern (blank) | desarrollo (de chapa) | – |
| die (forming die) | matriz | Die is also the threading die, terraja |
| mold (mould) | molde | – |
| torch (cutting torch) | soplete | Torch is also the MIG gun, torcha |
Worked example · a purchase order that arrives in Spanish
A Córdoba customer writes: "6 bujes de bronce, Ø ext. 51, Ø int. 38 H7, largo 76, alesar y escariar el interior, chaflán en ambas puntas, 4 agujeros roscados M8 sobre Ø de centros 64". In shop English: six bronze bushings, 51 mm OD × 38 mm ID × 76 mm long (about 2 × 1.5 × 3 in), bore and ream the ID to H7, chamfer both ends, four M8 tapped holes on a 64 mm bolt circle. Buje is bushing, alesar is to bore, escariar is to ream, agujero roscado is a tapped hole and Ø de centros is the bolt circle; the millimetre figures convert with chapter 1, H7 is in chapter 3 and the M8 thread in chapter 4.
Mecha. Broca is the word in Spain and Mexico. The machine is an agujereadora (a taladro in Spain).
Bulón when it takes a nut; tornillo when it threads into the part, the same logic as bolt and screw. A US hex cap screw is a bulón de cabeza hexagonal in Argentina.
Pipe is caño, named by nominal size and schedule; tube is tubo, structural or precision stock named by outside diameter and wall thickness.
Sources: ISO 3002 (cutting terms); ISO 1122 (gears); ISO 1891 (fasteners); DIN 8580 (manufacturing processes); ASM Handbook glossaries; Argentine shop usage, checked against drawings and catalogs from Spain, Mexico and Chile.
Symbols, sheet sizes and drawing abbreviations in both languages.
Read →We read your drawings in English, quote them and build the parts in Córdoba, with documentation in both languages.
© Indumor 2010–2026 — Industrial steel fabrication, Córdoba, Argentina
