Hit Rating and you

Hit rating cap

In the context of stats, the term "cap" refers to the point at which equipping more of a particular stat will have no additional value. For hit rating the cap usually discussed is in regards to raid bosses. For example, once you reach or surpass the hit cap, you will never miss an attack against a raid boss unless you are under the effect of some debuff that reduces your hit chance (for example, Attumen the Huntsman's curse).

As shown above, your base chance to miss a raid boss while dual wielding is 28% with auto-attack on both hands. Your base chance to miss a special attack is 9%. For each 15.77 hit rating you equip, you reduce your chance to miss by 1%. Thus we can calculate hit caps for auto-attack and special attacks:
All melee

* Dual-wield auto-attack: 442 hit rating
* Special attack or Single-wield auto-attack: 142 hit rating

Paladins

* With Precision (Paladin talent): 95 hit rating

Rogues

* Dual-wield auto-attack, with 5/5 Precision (Rogue talent): 363 hit rating
* Special attack, with 5/5 Precision (Rogue talent): 64 hit rating

Shamans

* Dual-wield auto-attack
o With 3/3 Dual Wield Specialization and 3/3 Nature's Guidance: 300 hit rating
o With 3/3 Dual Wield Specialization: 347 hit rating
* Dual-wield special attack
o With 3/3 Dual Wield Specialization and 3/3 Nature's Guidance: 0 hit rating
o With 3/3 Dual Wield Specialization: 47 hit rating
* Single-wield auto-attack / special attack
o With 3/3 Nature's Guidance: 95 hit rating (Dual Wield Specialization does not affect single wield attacks)

Please note: When using dual Windfury, special attacks (Stormstrike and Windfury procs) should account for around 20-25% of a Shaman's damage. Since this is hit capped from talents alone, hit rating is less valuable than stats which apply to all damage, such as crit rating, expertise rating and AP.
Warriors

* Dual-wield auto-attack, with 3/3 Precision (Warrior talent): 395 hit rating
* Special attack or Single-wield auto-attack, with 3/3 Precision (Warrior talent): 95 hit rating
* Special attack or Single-wield auto-attack, with 0/3 Precision (Warrior talent): 142 hit rating

Hunters

* Special attack or ranged auto-attack, base 142 hit rating (9%)
* Special attack or ranged auto-attack, with 3/3 Surefooted: 95 hit rating


When raiding remember to take in account:

* The presence of a Draenei Hunter, Paladin or Warrior in your party. Their Heroic Presence racial ability gives +1% chance to hit with physical attacks thus enabling you to swap 15.77 points of hit rating for more useful stats.

* The presence of a balance druid with 3/3 in Faerie Fire(Balance) in your raid. This ability gives +3% chance to hit with physical attacks thus enabling you to swap 47.31 points of hit rating for more useful stats.

Chance to hit can be increased by talents or gear with spell hit rating up to a cap of 99%. Spell hit rating is a stat found on gear that increases spell hit chance by a certain percent per point, based on level. At level 70, 12.6 spell hit rating is equivalent to 1% spell hit. Because the highest level mob currently present is level 73 (all BC raid bosses, for instance), a level 70 caster has an effective spell hit rating cap of 202, assuming no other spell hit sources.

Aside from gear with spell hit rating, chance to hit can also be increased through some buffs and spells. Draenei casters give an additional 1% spell hit to their group with Inspiring Presence. The following table lists some talents that also increase a caster's chance to hit with spells. Taking these effects into consideration lowers the effective spell hit rating cap.