Fastener selection, explained by the factory that makes them
Eight notes on the decisions that actually determine whether a fixing works: point against steel thickness, thread form against substrate, finish against exposure, and class against the load the joint was drawn for.
Self Drilling vs Self Tapping Screws: Which One Your Job Needs
A self drilling screw drills, taps and tightens in one action. A self tapping screw forms its thread in a hole you have already made. Here is where the line falls.
ReadDrywall Screw Thread Forms: Fine, Coarse and Hi-Low
Three thread forms, three substrates. What the 30 and 60 degree angles on a hi-low thread are actually doing.
ReadRoofing Screw Selection: Sheet, Deck, Point and Washer
How the deck material, the sheet gauge and the washer diameter together decide which roofing screw to order.
ReadFastener Finishes and What Salt Spray Hours Really Tell You
Fifteen finishes, three different blacks, and why a salt spray figure is a ranking tool rather than a service life.
ReadStainless Grades for Fasteners: 304, 316, 410 and the Rest
Which of SUS201, 202, 302, 304, 305, 316, 410 and 430 belongs on your job, and what A2-70 and A4-80 actually specify.
ReadScrew Head Types and Drives: An Eleven by Seven Matrix
Eleven head profiles and seven drive recesses, specified independently. What each head is for and which recess survives a powered driver.
ReadThread Forms and Point Types: Type-A, BSB, CSB, Hi-Low, TEK#1–#5, Type 17
Six thread forms and six point types, and the substrate question each one answers.
ReadBolt Property Classes: What 8.8, 10.9 and A4-80 Mean
Reading the two-part class number, why a higher class is not automatically better, and how the nut has to match.
ReadStill not sure which one you need?
Describe the substrate, the exposure and the tool that will drive it. That is usually enough for us to name the fixing without a drawing.