Optical Reticles: Documented Groups and Enquiry Notes

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A reticle is the patterned element an observer sees inside a microscope, telescope, sight or measuring instrument. Its pattern may be as simple as a central cross or as detailed as a graduated scale, but a sound specification separates three questions: what pattern is required, what physical seat it must fit, and whether the requested construction is a documented listing or a new requirement to evaluate.

The documented catalogue groups for this family are Plain Crosshair Reticle and Others Reticle. Those group names establish that the family is present in the storefront catalogue; they do not establish a material grade, a diameter range, an anti-reflection coating option or a shared minimum quantity. The only specific reticle entry recorded for this page is the Microscope Telescope Scope Wire Reticule Duplex Crosshair Reticle, listed at US$8–10 per piece with a minimum order of 1 piece. That price band and minimum belong to that entry only.

Documented Reticle Record

Preparing a Reticle Enquiry

For any reticle other than the specific wire reticule entry, begin by confirming availability. State the instrument type, the focal-plane seat diameter, the pattern drawing or a precise description of it, the substrate if the design fixes one, any coating requirement, and the quantity and destination. A drawing can describe a plain crosshair, duplex crosshair, graduated scale or another pattern as a requirement to evaluate; naming the pattern in an enquiry does not turn it into a documented listing. The written quotation should confirm the construction, material, dimensions, coating, price, lead time and minimum quantity before the part is treated as available.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum order?

1 piece for the documented Microscope Telescope Scope Wire Reticule Duplex Crosshair Reticle entry. No minimum is stated for the Plain Crosshair Reticle or Others Reticle groups, so any other reticle minimum is confirmed in the quotation.

Wire or etched — which is recorded?

The specific documented entry is a wire reticule. No etched reticle listing is recorded in the source catalogue used for this page, so treat an etched construction as a requirement to confirm in the enquiry.

Can a pattern be customised?

You can submit a pattern drawing or description for evaluation. No custom reticle listing or custom-pattern minimum is recorded here, so availability and specification must be confirmed in the written quotation.

Choosing the Pattern Language for an Enquiry

Use pattern terms to describe the requirement, not to assume a stock range. A plain crosshair marks the centre with two fine lines. A duplex crosshair keeps the centre fine while thickening the outer arms, so the pattern stays visible against a busy field while the centre still allows precise placement. A graduated scale adds measured divisions and turns the reticle into part of the instrument's measurement system. Other cross, dot, circle or range-finding patterns can be described by a drawing or a dimensioned sketch.

The physical questions matter as much as the pattern. Ask what seat diameter and thickness the instrument accepts, whether the pattern must sit at a defined focal plane, and whether the quoted construction is wire or worked into glass. If a coating is part of the design, state the wavelength or the instrument reason for it and ask for it to be confirmed explicitly. For the one documented wire reticule listing named on this page, the minimum is one piece; for every other pattern, the quotation — not the group name — sets the minimum and the specification.