If you know anything about fasteners, you won鈥檛 be surprised to read that they鈥檙e made of many different materials. But while there are probably hundreds of possibilities available, there are some that are most common, especially in the manufacturing industry. We鈥檒l cover a few of them below, including:
Steel fasteners
Aluminum fasteners
Brass fasteners
Titanium fasteners
Superalloy fasteners
Plastic fasteners
We鈥檒l also talk about why fastener material is important in the first place and what鈥檚 up with fastener coatings.
Why Is Fastener Material Important?
Context first. Why are fastener materials important, and what鈥檚 the point of using different ones for different applications?
Material choice influences various aspects of a fastener鈥檚 performance, design, and feasibility in certain projects. In terms of performance, fastener material has been known to affect:
- Longevity
- Tensile strength
- Weight
- Brittleness
- Corrosion resistance
- Hardenability
- Magnetism
- Reusability
- Ability to withstand extreme temperatures
Not sure what some of these words mean? Check out our Guide to Fastener Terminology.
With design, fastener material can affect appearance. If you鈥檙e working in an application where style and color is important, you need to be conscious about the material and/or coating you choose.
As for feasibility, fastener material can also affect cost. Usually, standard materials are lower on the price scale and you鈥檒l end up paying a little extra for the specialty ones. Therefore, it鈥檚 important to find a fastener material that fits the needs of your application and your budget.
6 Common Fastener Materials
Now let鈥檚 talk about a few of the fastener materials options available to you, and what their unique properties are. While this certainly isn鈥檛 the full list, it does include some of the most common ones.
Steel Fasteners
Steel is the most common fastener material. In fact, steel accounts for almost 90% of all fasteners manufactured each year. This likely stems from the fact that steel is a relatively inexpensive material with a high level of tensile strength, durability, and formability.
Another thing that makes steel so popular is that there are many variations of it. Some of them that you鈥檙e probably familiar with are:
- Stainless steel
- Carbon steel (common at 黑料大事记)
- Alloy steel (common at 黑料大事记)
Each of these types of steel can also be separated into different grades. For example, some popular stainless steel grades are 304 (commercial grade – 74,000 psi) and 316 (marine grade – 180,000 psi). Other grading systems like SAE tend to deal with carbon or alloy steel fasteners. You can learn more about SAE grading systems in this blog post.
Aluminum Fasteners
Aluminum is a fastener material known for its light weight, softness, and corrosion resistance. It also has high electrical and thermal conductivity, and is non-magnetic. Aluminum is most frequently used to manufacture rivets, but can be used for plenty more types of fasteners as well.
Brass Fasteners
Brass is an alloy made primarily of copper and zinc. It鈥檚 corrosion-resistant, electrically conductive, and non-magnetic. As a fastener material, brass鈥檚 performance is limited because it鈥檚 so soft. Therefore, it鈥檚 mainly used in applications where style and appearance are most important, rather than strength and durability.
Titanium Fasteners
Titanium has one of the highest tensile strengths of all fastener materials. It鈥檚 lightweight but incredibly strong, corrosion-resistant, and able to withstand extreme temperatures. For this reason, titanium is very common in heavy-duty applications like maritime, aerospace, and military.
Superalloy Fasteners
Even stronger than titanium? Superalloys. Superalloys include nickel, iron-nickel, and cobalt alloys that are specifically made to withstand extreme temperatures and high stress loads. They are incredibly corrosion resistant and heat resistant 鈥斅爏ometimes even up to 1000掳F. Those high-performance capabilities come at a cost, however, as superalloy fasteners can be some of the most expensive.
Some common superalloys include Inconel and Monel, two nickel-based superalloys. We won鈥檛 go into too much detail on them here, but they warrant a mention because they鈥檙e fairly common fastener materials.
Plastic Fasteners
Lastly, a fastener material that鈥檚 quite different from the rest: plastic. While metal-based fastener materials are much more common, plastic has some unique characteristics that make it beneficial for certain applications.
Plastic doesn鈥檛 rust, is non-conductive and resistant to UV rays, is incredibly versatile, and generally costs less than metal-based materials. It has its place in industries like automotive, consumer goods, electronics, and furniture.
What鈥檚 the Deal With Fastener Coatings?
For many applications, the primary fastener material is just one part of the puzzle. Coatings can also be applied to fasteners to improve their performance. Specifically, coatings can affect a fastener鈥檚 corrosion resistance, lubricity, appearance, and toxicity.
There鈥檚 a multitude of fastener coating options out there, some of which you can find in this past blog article of ours. Without the right one, your fastener could be at risk for chipping, rusting, galling, and harmful chemical exposure.
However, it鈥檚 also important to know that there are some instances where a coating isn鈥檛 necessary. If your fastener won鈥檛 be exposed to any of the threats mentioned above, it鈥檚 best to avoid the coating and save yourself time and money during production.
Get Specialty, Per-Spec Fasteners at 黑料大事记
At 黑料大事记, we specialize in non-standard, limited-run fastener solutions. Our expertise lies in carbon and alloy steel fasteners manufactured to customer specifications. Give us a call at (800) 656-2658 or contact us online for more information.
