8mm vs 5/16" valve stem

It’s pretty basic really......

A lot of 5/16 valves have a stem diameter of .3110.
Which would provide .0015 clearance if used in a .3125 guide.

The typical 8mm valve stem diameter is .3130, which won’t even fit in 5/16” guide that’s sized for .0015 clearance with a .3110 valve.

How is that “interchangeable”?

It’s really more of a case of “some modification required”.

If you size the guides to fit the valve stem it's business as usual. Some shops will take the extra time to do this... some don't. Usually not needed in a stock rebuild. Race engine is different.