How to Identify a Good Fastener?

Very often we see those Big buildings and Sculpted infrastructure around us on a daily basis. Very few times we think about how they were made or what’s that in them which is holding them too strong and hard for a long period of time. Fasteners are the reasons these tall structures stay together for a longer time and when we talk about fasteners, choosing the best ones holds the key to your desired project or building.

Identifying the best Fastener for your desired project holds equal importance to any other aspect of the same. Generally, Fasteners are identified by four or five attributes; Type, Material, Diameter, Length, and Thread Pitch.

Bolt Length

The Length of the bolt matters big time. Most bolts come in pretty uniform lengths; and this is a good way to determine if the bolt is metric or standard. Measure the bolt length (not including the cap), and see if it’s closer to a fraction of an inch, or a nice and round millimeter length that ends in 5 or 0. Sometimes bolts can be a very specific length and this way might not always work, but you should at least know the length by now.

Bolt Diameter

Now comes the turn of Size of Hole this Bolt will fit in. For metric this is fairly simple, the diameter is measured in millimeters (same as length). Standard is pretty simple too, inches are “usually” broken down into quarters, and smaller fractions. Once a standard bolt has a diameter of less than a 1/4, they go to whole numbers counting down from 12 to 0 (you can see this here Standard USA Bolt Dimensions). A great tool to measure bolts is a caliper, they take very precise measurements.

Thread Pitch

When we talk about Thread pitch, it can be termed as a distance between the teeth on a bolt or screw. Again, metric this is pretty simple; this is measured in millimeters (notice a trend?).  But it can be slightly different on standard bolts. For standard bolts the thread pitch is measured by thread per inch (TPI).Something very similar to pitch (but definitely not the same as) is what is called lead (pronounced like “leed”). This is the distance the bolt covers after one complete turn.

Head Type

The Head Type of a Bolt possesses equal importance. Tamper proof heads are always being created for obvious reasons. Some heads get stripped easier than others but prove vital with their performance.

Metal Grade

The Grade of the metal used also defines the quality of Bolt and screws. Low grade bolts are going to work for most everyday applications, like mounting a flat screen television, or keeping your chair together. The higher grade bolts are reserved for heavier machinery that really needs that extra strength.

While there is much more to know about Fasteners and their relevance in your life, you can visit our website STL Fasteners for some more information about Fasteners and a detailed overview of the fact, why we are the best ones in the Fasteners industry.