BS 3673 Spring Retaining Rings

BS 3673 covers spring retaining rings and carbon-steel clips. The outline below is a generic circlip reference; the specific ring form and controlling edition should be checked for the application.

Technical line drawing of a split spring retaining ring with outside diameter, inside diameter, strip thickness and width references.

Spring retaining ring dimensional reference

Dimension to check	Where it is measured	Why it matters
Installed diameter	At the shaft or bore after fitting	Must match the retaining groove and mating part
Outside diameter	Across the ring in its specified state	Controls radial envelope
Ring thickness	Across the strip section	Must suit the groove width
Radial width	From inner to outer ring surface	Controls groove engagement
End gap / lug spacing	Between the free ends or plier eyes	Varies by ring type and size

Reference note: The public BSI listing identifies spring retaining rings / carbon-steel clips but does not publish a size-by-size schedule. The drawing is schematic and its labels are descriptive; use the applicable BS 3673 part for numerical dimensions and tolerances.