What can you make with Hex Key Holder Generator?
Holders for 1 to 60 keys from 0.7 to 25 mm, in up to three rows. Makers print:
- A bench stand for a metric set of nine keys.
- The small keys that came with a 3D printer, on the printer's shelf.
- Inch keys hanging on the wall above the bench.
- Metric, inch and Torx keys in one holder.
How do you make a hex key holder, step by step?
Everything is in the panel beside the holder, which updates as you change it. Start from a preset, then change what you need.
1. Start from a preset
Pick Metric bench stand, Printer toolkit, Inch set on the wall, Torx on the wall or Gridfinity metric. A preset sets only what it names; Surprise me tries another gap, order and label and keeps your keys.
The presets and the stand they make. 2. List your keys
Each row is a set and its sizes, separated by commas: metric across the flats in millimetres, inch as fractions or decimals, or Torx T6 to T50. Add a second and a third row for the other sets; a size the tables lack, such as 5.5 mm, gets its own hexagon.
Nine metric keys in one row. 3. Pick the style and the grip
Standing holds keys on their tips in blind holes; hanging takes them through a block on the wall, resting on their bend. Snug grips each key in a short hexagon at the mouth with a relief below; Free makes the holes a sliding fit larger. Nudge every hole with Clearance.
Snug grips, 20 mm deep. 4. Hang it, or set it in a grid
Leave it on the bench, hang it on screws, keyholes or a 45° French cleat on a back plate that prints with it, or set it on Gridfinity, its units from the holder.
Torx keys hanging on a cleat. 5. Try the fit strip and download
The checks say whether your small keys need the fit strip first and whether a Torx key could turn. Print the fit strip, every hole a grip deep, then download 3MF or STL.
The checks and the download.
Which hex key holders can you start from?
Each example opens in Hex Key Holder Generator as a new design, beside your own.
Metric bench stand
The common metric set, 1.5 to 10 mm, standing on the bench.
- 9 keys
- 1.5–10 mm
- Standing
- Free
Printer toolkit
The small keys that come with a 3D printer.
- 5 keys
- 1.5–4 mm
- 15 mm deep
- Free
Inch set on the wall
Thirteen inch keys hanging on keyholes.
- 13 keys
- 0.050"–3/8"
- Hanging
- Free
Torx on the wall
Nine Torx keys hanging on a 45° cleat.
- 9 keys
- T10–T50
- French cleat
- Free
Which print settings work best for a hex key holder?
The holder prints standing, its holes opening upwards; the cone under each grip rises at 45°, so no supports are needed. The layer height is a starting point; the thinnest wall is the one the printer checks hold each filament to.
| Filament | Layer height to start | Thinnest wall | Supports | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | 0.2 mm | 0.8 mm | None | Crisp hexagons for the bench. |
| PETG | 0.2 mm | 0.8 mm | None | Tougher, for keys pushed in hard. |
Tips for keys that stay straight
- Print the fit strip first: the 1.5 mm hole is the one most printers miss.
- Run the Fit Test once: every hole then grows by your printer's own offset.
- Put the long arm in: the short arm then points to its size.
- Ball-end keys fit the same holes as plain ones.
- Before you print, check it on the view's bar: Dimensions shows its size, Measure the distance between two points, Section cuts it open and Layers steps through it as your printer will.
What if the keys are tight, loose or turn?
- The keys are too tight or too loose
- Print the fit strip and nudge Clearance; Free makes every hole a sliding fit larger.
- A Torx key turns in its hole
- Lower Clearance, or run the Fit Test so the hexagon grows by your printer's offset only.
- The checks say the grip is as deep as the hole
- Press Apply for a shorter grip, or make the holes deeper.
- The checks say a hanging holder has no mount
- Press Apply for keyholes, or pick screw holes or a 45° cleat.
Is Hex Key Holder Generator free?
Yes. Every key, style and download is free; downloading needs a free NabiMakes account, which also keeps your projects.
Free
Free- Metric, inch and Torx keys, up to three rows
- Snug grips and the fit strip
- Screws, a cleat and Gridfinity
- 3MF and STL
Every setting, with its range and default
Lengths are in millimetres. Each setting shows only where it applies: the depth for a standing holder, the block height for a hanging one, the mount's settings for its kind.
| Setting | Range | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Row 1 | |||
| Keys | Metric (mm), Inch, Torx | Metric (mm) | The first row's keys: metric, inch or Torx. |
| Sizes | Up to 300 characters | 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 | The first row's sizes, separated by commas. |
| Row 2 | |||
| Keys | No row, Metric (mm), Inch, Torx | No row | A second row's keys, or no row. |
| Sizes | Up to 300 characters | 0.050", 1/16", 5/64", 3/32", 7/64", 1/8", 9/64", 5/32", 3/16", 7/32", 1/4", 5/16", 3/8" | The second row's sizes. |
| Row 3 | |||
| Keys | No row, Metric (mm), Inch, Torx | No row | A third row's keys, or no row. |
| Sizes | Up to 300 characters | T10, T15, T20, T25, T27, T30, T40, T45, T50 | The third row's sizes. |
| Holes | |||
| Style | Standing, Hanging | Standing | Standing in blind holes, or hanging through a block. |
| Grip | Snug, Free | Snug | Snug at the mouth with a relief below, or free. |
| Grip length | 2–10 mm | 4 mm | How deep the snug hexagon reaches. |
| Hole depth | 5–60 mm | 20 mm | How deep a standing holder's holes are. |
| Block height | 8–40 mm | 15 mm | How tall a hanging holder's block is. |
| Clearance | −0.1–0.4 mm | 0 mm | A nudge for every hole, on its width. |
| Gap | 2–20 mm | 4 mm | Between neighbouring holes' reliefs. |
| Order | Small first, Large first | Small first | Small first, or large first. |
| The holder, The fit strip | The holder | The holder, or the fit strip to try first. | |
| Labels | |||
| Labels | Raised, Flush, None | Raised | Raised, flush or none. |
| Letter height | 2–8 mm | 3 mm | The labels' letter height. |
| Mount | |||
| Mount | None, Screw holes, French cleat, Gridfinity compatible | None | On the bench, screws or keyholes, a 45° cleat, or Gridfinity. |
| Hole | Straight, Keyhole | Straight | Straight holes, or keyholes to slide onto screw heads. |
| Screw | 27 options | 4 mm wood screw · countersunk | The wall screw, from the hardware tables or your own. |
| Head | Countersunk 90°, Countersunk 82° (inch), Pan or round | Countersunk 90° | Your own screw's head. |
| Shank | 1.5–10 mm | 4 mm | Your own screw's shank. |
| Head diameter | 2–20 mm | 8 mm | Your own screw's head diameter. |
| Head height | 0.5–10 mm | 2.5 mm | The head's height, for a keyhole's pocket. |
| Holes | 1–6 | 2 | How many screw holes. |
| Angle | 45°, 30° | 45° | The cleat's angle; a holder that prints standing hangs on 45°. |
| Wall cleat | 8 options | 18 mm plywood | Your wall cleat, from the presets or your own. |
| Thickness | 6–30 mm | 18 mm | Your own cleat's thickness. |
| Cleat height | 20–130 mm | 60 mm | The wall cleat's front face, top to bottom. |
| Gap between rows | 0–300 mm | 75 mm | The gap down to the next row; 0 for a single row. |
| Magnets | On, off | Off | 6 × 2 mm magnets in the feet. |
| Screw holes | On, off | Off | M3 screws into the baseplate. |