Questions

Fastener questions, answered.

The questions buyers and engineers ask us about grades, threads, paperwork and rush orders, each answered in a couple of sentences first and in detail after.

Urgent orders

How fast can stud bolts be made in Houston when a plant is down?

It depends mostly on the material. On recent rush jobs we had B16 shoulder screws ready to ship 24 hours after the customer called, and shipped 128 A194 8C heavy hex nuts within three working days for a refinery that was down, running the shop around the clock to make the date.

Choosing a grade

B7 vs B16 stud bolts: what's the difference, and when do you need B16?

Both are ASTM A193 quenched-and-tempered chromium-molybdenum alloy steels with the same minimum strength up to 2-1/2": 125 ksi tensile, 105 ksi yield and 321 HBW maximum hardness.

Specs and paperwork

What do 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B thread fits mean?

The number and letter after an inch thread set its tolerance class under ASME B1.1: A is an external thread (the stud or bolt), B an internal thread (the nut). Class 1 is the loosest, 2 the standard and 3 the tightest.