Guide to Industrial Fasteners

Industrial fasteners keep machinery and equipment parts securely in place

By Stephanie Fagnani, Freelance Writer/Editor

1. Categories of industrial fasteners for screws (wood screws, machine screws, sheet metal screws, socket screws), bolts (hex bolts, carriage bolts, lag bolts, eye bolts, U-bolts, J-bolts) and nuts (hex nuts, wing nuts, acorn nuts, flange nuts, tee nuts).
2. Head styles on screws and bolts (flat, round, oval, button, pan, truss, hex, socket, slotted hex).
3. Drive types on industrial fasteners (Phillips, Frearson, slotted, combination, socket, hex, Allen).

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn the nuts and bolts about industrial fasteners

Screws are good for solid materials, snap fasteners close and lock into place, and bolts are used to assemble parts by securing with a mating nut.

I recommend: GlobalSpec is an engineering search engine that explains how certain industrial fasteners are used and also provides links to hundreds of manufacturers of nuts, bolts and screws. Atlantic Fasteners stocks more than 22,000 varieties of industrial fasteners, offers online seminars to help you get the most out of industrial fasteners and provides a chart that details how far nuts and bolts travel in one turn. At the Industrial Fasteners Institute, you can search for suppliers by product category.

Investigate specialty fasteners

Specialty fasteners are available to meet industry-specific needs. For example, the types of bolts used by plumbers are different than the bolts used by someone constructing a commercial airplane.

I recommend: Cherry Aerospace sells a variety of industrial fasteners for use in the aerospace industry, including shear pin fasteners and blind bolts. Fasteners sold by Scovill can be used in the electronics, marine and footwear industries. For self-clinching fasteners for industrial and electronics equipment, visit Captive Fastener.

Compare bulk rates on screws and other industrial fasteners

Even if you know exactly how many screws and bolts it will take to complete your current project, it never hurts to have extras on hand for future emergencies.

I recommend: Bolt Depot sells bolts by the piece, box or in larger bulk and offers a host of downloadable fastener tools and charts. Or, you can check out the specials on fastener sets at NutsandBolts.com.

Don't forget tools and accessories for industrial fasteners

Industrial fasteners are useless without the proper tools and accessories, such as screwdrivers and washers.

I recommend: At S&J’s Discount Tools, you can find a variety of fastener tools, including this 1/4-inch ratchet buddy, which will help you take the slack out of bolts and nuts. CPO is an authorized dealer of the Robert Bosch Tool Corporation and carries a wide range of screwdrivers, drills and other fastener tools. At American Fasteners Technologies Corporation, you can find a huge selection of washers and industrial fasteners.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Most industrial fasteners are available in both U.S. sizes and metric sizes.
• •  Industrial fasteners are manufactured using a variety of materials, such as steel, stainless steel, plastic or titanium. Steel is the most common material used for fasteners.
• •  Screws, bolts and other industrial fasteners are typically identified by type, material, length and diameter. Machine thread fasteners are also identified by thread pitch.