5 Types of Fastener Materials

Fasteners have applications in all industries and they are produced from a variety of materials. Many of these materials are differentiated in grades to indicate special alloys. This post describes five types of fastener materials.

Understand the 5 Popular Types of Fastener Materials

Material is an important factor of consideration when you are selecting a fastener for industrial and specific applications. The fasteners derive their properties such as strength, corrosion resistance, brittleness, and galvanic corrosion from the material of construction. Here are the five popular types of materials used for fastener construction.

Steel: This is the most popular fastener material. The steel fasteners are available with or without surface treatments. The steel bolts are commonly available in the following grades:

• Grade 2: This is the standard steel grade for hardware. The grade 2 bolts may feature a manufacturer’s mark.
• Grade 5: This is also known as grade F, and is used in automotive applications. The bolts made from grade 5 feature radial lined heads.
• Alloy Steel: The alloy steel bolts are heat treated for extra strength. They are distinguished by their gray black finish.
• Grade 8: These bolts are harder than grade 5 and are used in demanding applications such as automotive suspensions and high stress environments.

Stainless Steel: Stainless steel is an alloy containing chromium and low carbon steel. The stainless steel fasteners provide high corrosion resistance. The fastener made from this metal will not lose its resistance even if it is nicked or scratched at the time of installation. Stainless steel grades with special chemical formulation are used for certain fastener applications. The grades are as follows:

• 18-8 Stainless: This is a special variety of stainless steel featuring 8% nickel and 18% chromium. The 18-8 stainless steel is used for producing hardware for industrial applications, as well as marine fasteners.
• Stainless Steel 316: This is a corrosion resistant grade of stainless steel and is ideal for medical, marine, and saltwater applications.
• Stainless Steel 410: This is a less corrosive magnetic stainless steel material and is harder than the 18-8 variety.

Aluminum: This material is soft, lightweight, and corrosion resistant. Aluminum fasteners retain their corrosion resistance even if scratched or nicked during installation or regular use. Various fasteners are made from special aluminum formulations where elements such as iron, magnesium, silicon, zinc, and more are added during the process.

Brass: This is an alloy of zinc and copper. It is electrically conductive as well as anti-corrosive. Custom Brass fasteners plate well and are used in many fluid exposed applications.

If you are unsure about the type of fastener material for your industrial application click here and Norwood Screw Machine Parts will help with engineering advice.