Why Buy From a Wholesaler?

The benefits of buying from a wholesaler are widespread. You’ll often get a bulk discount without the need to buy in bulk quantities. That’s because wholesalers put in large orders to the manufacturers, obtaining generous discounts, and then pass some of those savings onto your business.

Wholesalers don’t tend to have the storefronts and overhead costs that major retailers do. You could buy your building fasteners from the local big box building supply store, but remember that you are paying for their multimillion dollar advertising campaigns, massive staff and huge warehouse-type stores. Most often the wholesaler runs a more modest shop, possibly offering a retail location but working hard to keep their costs under control in order to supply you with the best discounts on fasteners and building materials.

How Much Money Can You Save?

Medium sized contracting firms have a wide variety of costs. Knocking 20 to 40 percent off of the price on all of the fasteners used in that company may not have a major impact. But if you run a small contracting business, possibly working on your own or with a small group of skilled laborers, the money saved from buying fasteners wholesale may represent a significant portion of your materials cost.

Maybe you charge out for time and materials. Buying fasteners wholesale will allow you to match the fastener prices charged by local retailers. This competitive edge could mean more business for your company and higher revenues generally lead to more profits and increased opportunities.

Just as you should keep an eye on the other costs associated with running your contracting company, you can reduce the total expenses incurred by purchasing fasteners wholesale. Find a reputable and established wholesaler that services your industry and work on building a relationship that will reap plenty of benefits for your business.

Definition and Description

Shoulder screws are oddly shaped and made for a specific purpose. They have a head much like any other screw, often round but possibly hex or even square shaped. They also have a threaded portion that is often mated with a nut to secure the fastener in place.

The main characteristic of shoulder screws that make them different is the smooth portion of the shaft. Often longer than the threaded portion, this smooth cylinder shape is what allows for movement and rotation. When the screw is held in place with the nut the system works well to hold an item in place while still allowing it to be spun around the smooth portion of the screw.

Wheel axles are designed almost like a shoulder screw. Many different areas of your vehicles, as well as those on bicycles and other equipment that moves, are only operational because of shoulder screws.

They do not generally have a pointed tip, which means that predrilling is necessary. Mated nuts will also need to be used and often washers are a good idea as well, depending on how much pressure the fasteners will be under.

Various Applications

Sometimes called shoulder bolts, these fasteners are also available in square shapes. This type of shoulder screw actually performs the opposite task as their round cousins – when a square hole is drilled and the pieces are fit with a square shoulder screw, the assembly will be locked and unable to move.

Commonly seen in wooden play structures and swing sets, square shoulder bolts are used most often with wood. Special drill bits are needed and forming the square hole is not an easy task. But if there is a need for it, square shoulder screws will work wonders by locking two pieces of wood together.

Available in many different lengths and in both round and square shapes, shoulder screws are specialty fasteners that serve a very unique purpose and do so dependably.

But if you do, you’re going to regret it. Why? Because deck screws that clash with or stand out on your deck board can ruin the entire look of your deck.

Why Colored?

So you’re wondering why to bother with color. Take a look at the flooring under your feet. Unless you’re outside on the grass or standing on a concrete slab, the fasteners are generally hidden. Carpet staples are hidden away and hardwood and laminate slats are grooved and clipped together for that smooth look. Tiling will display the grout along the edges, but a good installation means that the grout itself becomes a part of flooring in appearance. Everything is consistent.

If you invest in decking that has a beautiful color like cedar or provides a low maintenance finish like composite, you are not going to want it marred by silver metal screw heads every 16 inches or so. What you want is that smooth look and colored deck screws help you get there.

Even with hidden fastener systems you can use black deck screws to affect a better overall look. On that PVC railing you’re looking at for the front porch there are white screws in just the right size to provide a clean, crisp finish. Most manufacturers have a wide selection of colors for the decking – choose from any of the 18 that Headcote offers in their standard deck screw line.

Colored screw heads are available in ACQ rated deck screws and in stainless steel. You can find them on screws made especially for composite decks and deck screws in all of the common (and plenty of the uncommon) sizes. Take a piece of deck board with you to check the color or simply order what the manufacturers or distributors recommend based on the decking being used.

Have a nicer looking deck surface. It’s worth that extra minute to choose the right colored deck screws. Now get on with the project.

Flat Head and Trim Heads

These are what most people think of when they are asked to pick up deck screws. A flat head is common to both and they can both be countersunk into the wood or composite material. Alternatively, both flat head and trim head screws can be inserted into a predrilled hole and covered with a plug to ensure an ultra smooth finish. Generally a trim head screw is chosen when a surface mount is required, though.

Pan Head and Washer Heads

These are the opposite of flat head screws, in that they are designed to sit on top of the surface. For that reason they are most often seen on heavy plastics and metal applications where countersinking is not an option. But the main benefit of both the pan head and the washer head screws is that the shape of the head allows for better distribution of the load. You can use a washer head screw just like you would a screw and washer combo, except you don’t have the hassle of handling two fasteners.

Other Types of Screws

You may also come across oval head screws. Similar to a round head screw that has been flattened, this type of screw is used to provide a snag free surface that is relatively smooth. Nautical applications put the oval head screw to good use.

Truss head screws offer a very large head that provides more surface area to distribute the load. Often used with a nut on oversized holes, this type of screw is sometimes called a bolt as well.

What Are Tee Nuts?

This thin nuts are threaded internally and have a flat flange at one end that lends the fastener a “T” shape (hence the name). You’ll also see three or four sharp, slightly curved hooks on the inside of that flange, designed to claw into the wood surface and hold the nut firmly in place.

Although you can find a variety of sizes, tee nuts come commonly in 1/4″ and 5/16″ diameters. They are also available in different materials with most standard jobs making do with Grade 2 steel that is zinc plated for corrosion resistance.

Why Would You Use These Fasteners?

There are a few good reasons to use tee nuts in wood applications. Sometimes when you insert a screw or lag bolt into wood you end up with cracks, splits and a general mess. Depending on the moisture levels in the wood, the torque used and the size of the fastener, these cracks and splits could seriously damage the wood resulting in a lot of waste.

Using tee nuts will completely eliminate this problem. A hole the same size as the diameter of the nut is drilled using good quality wood drill bits. This should result in very little damage when done with care. When the hole is cleared, the tee nut is hammered into it and the hooks turn into the wood and latch on, providing a solid hold.

Now you have a threaded hole to insert your fastener with no fear of that dreaded cracking sound. When you bore a screw into wood it is very easy to cause damage to either the material or the fastener. With tee nuts you can simply drill, hammer and carry on – no counter boring required.

Depending on the strength needed, these fasteners are also available in stainless steel for superior strength and higher grades of steel for a heavier torque. Handy for many wood workers and craftsmen, tee nuts are a small fastener with a big job.

Where can you get the best deals? And is it a good idea to skimp on certain styles and types of fasteners to lower the bottom line? Look at this element a little closer before you decide.

Finding the Best Deals

In the fastener world prices can range far and wide depending on where you are sourcing the product from , who the manufacturer is and how much you are buying. Start by looking for someone local or browsing online for a fastener distributor that has reasonable shipping costs. Because of the weight of these products and the ever increasing price of fuel, shipping is often a major element in the price. Online retailers can save you money in certain circumstances juts because they are online – no storefront or brick and mortar to deal with means lower costs for you.

Buying in bulk is your number one way to get a good deal on the deck fasteners. Certain things you likely won’t be able to buy a huge quantity of. You may only need a handful of post saddles and a pocketful of carriage bolts or wood lags. If you see a need for the fastener in the future though, buy a box and keep them on hand – you may not save money now, but you’ll certainly be saving some down the road.

Does It Make Sense to Skimp?

You will probably wonder whether you actually need the corrosion resistance of a heavy zinc plated deck screw or even stainless steel deck fasteners. You may look at the price tag and turn away. But think of it this way – you are investing in a lifelong finish on your deck. This is especially important if you are choosing low maintenance products or are designing a high end pressure treated lumber deck. Don’t run the risk of having the screws, joist hangers and other deck fasteners rust in a few years. And when ACQ treated lumber is in play, you will need that more expensive type of fastener, no doubt about it.

Get the best deal, but don’t sacrifice the quality of your project by choosing inferior deck fasteners.

Make Up of a Good Deck Screw

Not all are created alike, so beware of cheap imitations and knock offs. Quality deck screws have a certain design that includes elements and shaping to help make installation easier. For instance, the best deck screws have an augered tip for better entry into the deck material. This sharp tip cuts down on splitting and cracking that can occur when using lower quality lumber. It also makes installation faster on those hard materials like Ipe and Mahogany.

Driver Choice

This is a bit of a personal thing, but many of the pros prefer a square driver that has a deeply recessed head for better handling. That being said, there is nothing wrong with a Phillips or a Torx deck screw – it will depend on the kind of tools you like to handle and the bits you have the greatest success with.

Other Head Details

Although the driver may not be a big deal, there are plenty of other details about the head that will provide strong support and a better overall look. Be sure that you find the color of screw head that best matches your decking. If not, the deck surface will look patchy and unprofessional. Opt for colored heads in black if you are using a hidden fastener system.

Depending on whether you are looking for less exposure to the fastener or not, you’ll need to choose between trim head screws and flat head screws. Both should also be formed with nibs for easier countersinking.

Best Materials

Top notch deck screws are usually stainless steel. Perfectly suited for use with ACQ treated lumber and guaranteed to resist corrosion no matter what the exposure to moisture, stainless fasteners are well worth the extra investment in the long run. Second best are the zinc plated screws rated for use with ACQ.

Don’t waste your time and money on lesser quality. Opt for the best deck screws and put together a professional deck for your home or customer.

Brief History of Phillips Head Screws

Phillips head screws have been around since the 1930’s when automobile assembly lines were popping across the country. This set up required a screw that could be tightened with the automated drivers on the line and the Phillips head screws designed by Henry Phillips fit the bill.

Robertson screws had been around for almost three decades and where commonly found on building sites. But with the need for a screw that would fasten tighter and take greater levels of torque, the cross-shaped head developed by Phillips took off after it had been introduced.

Benefits On Today’s Building Sites

Besides being able to provide the tight fit that businesses were looking for in the 30’s, Phillips head screws also provide advantages for standard applications on a building site.

Wood frames, drywall and many other locations where numerous screws are used are a great place to use a Phillips screw. This is because the cross-shaped grooves in the head provide a greater surface area for the screwdriver to contract the fastener, meaning the pressure is distributed better and tightening results in less wear and tear on the screw.

The mating surface (where the driver contacts the screw head to tighten and loosen) is subject to the most wear. When the pressure is on against this surface a stripped screw may be the result. This difficult and potentially costly situation is often avoided by using a Phillips screw. Because this style has a larger mating surface (thanks to the cross-shape and compared to the slot or Robertson style) there will be less pressure on each individual point and so less chance for stripping.

The crossed grooves also hold your driver or bit in tight and cut down on slipping, which can help the installation of these screws to go much faster. Hanging drywall, screwing in floor boards and many other applications on a building site will benefit from the speed and reliability offered by the Phillips head screw.

None and nobody.

So what are the factors that go into determining the nut and bolt compatibility? And why is this important to the strength of the fastener?

Factors for Nuts and Bolts to Get Along

Similar to finding the right fastener material for your application, finding the nut material that will work well with your bolt is vital. The IFI standards claim it is “relatively straightforward,” although from personal experience (being married to an engineer for 13 years) I’ve found that nothing in engineering is anywhere near straightforward.

That being said (sorry, hun), the IFI guidelines are summed up fairly easily.

For average needs when using carbon steel fasteners you should take a look at the strength of both mating parts: bolt / screw and nut. Make sure that the nut has the same level of strength or higher than the bolt or screw. Nut proof stress (aka strength) is also measured in pounds per square inch (or psi) – so if you have a fastener made of medium carbon that has been heat treated (usually somewhere around 120,000 psi), you need to look for a nut with at least 120,000 psi strength as well.

Easy, right?

If you are concerned about safety and want to provide a high level of assurance, IFI recommends that you choose a nut with a proof stress that is 20 percent higher than the strength of the fastener.

Stainless steel and non-ferrous fasteners require a nut with equal strength – so match the psi of your bolt with the proof stress of the nut (also in psi). Full thickness nuts generally don’t fall any lower than 90,000 psi, which is good for most fasteners unless you move into the stronger stainless steel or Nickel-based alloy products.

Matching Alloys

It’s also recommended that, if at all possible in your application, the same alloy is used for both the fastener and the nut. You could be introducing a whole other set of issues by mixing and matching alloys.

Overtapped Means Less Strength

You may hear of a nut being overtapped, which occurs when plating and coatings are applied. This process actually lowers the proof stress of the nut (although it improves resistance to corrosion) and can reduce the lowest grade of full thickness nuts to as low as 60,000 psi.

When hardware is hot dipped galvanized the plating process may clog up the threads, making it even more important that the mating parts both be hot dipped galvanized.  Coordination is about more than matching your shoes and socks.

Balance is Vital

Another element to remember is that you need balance between the nuts and bolts. Don’t choose a nut that is near the minimum accepted proof stress level and mate it with a fastener that sits at the maximum end of the range of accepted strength. In stress situations your bolt will hold up nicely, but the tension will be too much for the weaker nut and you’ll end up stripping the nut thread entirely.

To be sure this doesn’t happen (in case your application demands complete assurance), choose a nut that meets or exceeds the maximum strength of the bolt.

Also, opting for a larger diameter nut (with a thicker wall) is a cheaper option than going with a heat treated nut – which will save on the cost. In certain situations space may be tight and the heat treatment may be your only option.

There are a lot of factors that go into matching the right bolt with the proper nut. Count on the strength and durability of a well paired combo. That’s the kind of thing those engineers are looking for.

As a simple definition, stainless steel is any ferrous alloy containing at least 12 percent chromium. It always has iron content and often contains carbon and other alloys, but chromium is the essential element that offers a rust free, stainless finish.

Characteristics of Chromium

Chromium does not corrode. So the more chromium that is in any type of stainless steel (and there are hundreds of different types), the more resistant to corrosion that mixture is. Adding other alloys will increase or decrease the level of resistance, but the mixtures can be balanced to create a strong metal that can handle extreme temperatures, pressures and levels of moisture.

Adding carbon for example, decreases the corrosion resistance and more chromium is needed to bring it back to the expected levels. When nickel is thrown in the mix the stainless steel becomes stronger and highly stable in both very low temperatures and extremely hot conditions.

Why Don’t Stainless Steel Fasteners Rust?

Stainless steel forms a super thin layer of invisible oxide immediately. This spontaneous film is on the exposed surface of the fastener and acts as protection against oxidization, making it impervious to rust even in very moist conditions like marine applications.

When stainless steel fasteners are machined tiny pieces of other metals can attach to the surface, causing imperfections and eventually staining and corrosion. To protect the fasteners and provide the bright finish that is a trademark of stainless steel, these fasteners need to go through passivation before being shipped out to the consumer.

Explaining the Passivation Process

Passivation is the process of immersing stainless steel into a bath of nitric acid and water. This immersion will remove all of the other metals that have been caught on the surface, effectively washing the steel and bringing it back to the original condition. Once the metal is taken out of the liquid, it will again form the protective layer of oxide and reach the full level of corrosion resistance once more.

Various Stainless Steel Groups

Stainless steel is catalogued by three major groups and one hybrid including:

• Ferritic stainless steel – this group makes up around 5 percent of the stainless steel fasteners on the market. It is magnetic and has the least amount of corrosion resistance.
• Martensitic stainless steel – around 10 percent of stainless steel fasteners are made from this type which is very strong and also magnetic.
• Austenitic stainless steel – the most common type that makes up about 80 percent of the stainless steel fastener products, this group is highly corrosion resistant and non-magnetic.
• Precipitation Hardening stainless steel – gaining in popularity, this hybrid group creates a balance between the rust protection of austenitic and the strength of the others.

These groups all have benefits and drawbacks and each will suit different applications. All stainless steel fasteners have a high level of corrosion resistance thanks to the chromium content. They will continue to dominate the commercial and residential construction markets due to the level of reliability and strength they offer in a wide variety of circumstances.