NACA 0006 Airfoil
The NACA 0006 is a thin, symmetric airfoil — just 6% thick, with no camber. Thin symmetric sections like this make almost no lift at zero angle and have very low drag, which is why they turn up on fins, control surfaces and high-speed tail surfaces rather than main wings.
What the numbers mean
In the code 0006, the first two digits 00 mean the section is symmetric — it has no camber — and the last two digits 06 are the maximum thickness as 6% of the chord.
Aerodynamic characteristics
With no camber the lift curve passes through the origin: zero lift at zero angle, and symmetric behaviour whether pitched up or down. Being very thin, it has low drag but a relatively low maximum lift and a fairly sharp, early stall.
| Property | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Zero-lift angle α₀ | 0° |
| Lift coefficient at 0° | 0 |
| Lift-curve slope | ≈ 0.11 /deg |
| Max lift coefficient Cl,max | ≈ 0.9–1.0 |
| Stall angle | ≈ 9–11° |
| Pitching moment Cm,c/4 | 0 |
Conditions: Reynolds number Re = 1×10⁶, low speed (Mach ≤ 0.15), smooth surface. Values are representative figures from thin-airfoil theory and published XFoil / wind-tunnel data, rounded for reference.
Where it's used
- Control surfaces — ailerons, elevators and rudders, where a thin symmetric section keeps hinge moments and drag low.
- Fins and tail surfaces — vertical and horizontal tails that must work equally in both directions.
- High-speed / thin-wing applications — where keeping thickness low delays compressibility effects.
- Struts and fairings — a clean low-drag shape for small structural members.
Coordinates
Surface coordinates as fractions of the chord (x/c, y/c), generated from the standard NACA 4-digit equations with a closed trailing edge. For the full high-resolution coordinate file, use the DAT export inside the explorer.
| x/c (upper) | y/c (upper) | x/c (lower) | y/c (lower) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.000 | +0.0000 | 0.000 | +0.0000 |
| 0.024 | +0.0129 | 0.024 | -0.0129 |
| 0.095 | +0.0230 | 0.095 | -0.0230 |
| 0.225 | +0.0293 | 0.225 | -0.0293 |
| 0.389 | +0.0292 | 0.389 | -0.0292 |
| 0.545 | +0.0249 | 0.545 | -0.0249 |
| 0.717 | +0.0173 | 0.717 | -0.0173 |
| 0.846 | +0.0102 | 0.846 | -0.0102 |
| 0.929 | +0.0049 | 0.929 | -0.0049 |
| 0.982 | +0.0013 | 0.982 | -0.0013 |
| 1.000 | -0.0000 | 1.000 | +0.0000 |
Explore NACA 0006 in the interactive tool →
See the 3D wing, live Cl / Cd / L-D polar charts, and change the airfoil, angle of attack and Reynolds number in real time.
Open the explorer →Frequently asked questions
NACA 0006 is a symmetric airfoil from the NACA 4-digit family with no camber and 6% maximum thickness. It makes no lift at zero angle of attack and is used mainly for thin control and tail surfaces.
The first two digits 00 mean the section is symmetric (zero camber), and the 06 is the maximum thickness as 6% of the chord.
No. Like all NACA 00xx sections it is symmetric, so it produces zero lift and zero pitching moment at zero angle of attack.
Its thin symmetric shape gives low drag and works identically whether deflected up or down, which suits ailerons, elevators, rudders and fins.