Bolts 101 | Learning The Basics Of This Fastener Type

Bolts cover a rather large section of the fastening solutions in various types of industries nowadays. Generally utilized in conjunction with washers and nuts, the bolt represents an alternative to screws, nails and other similar fastening solutions. The applications of a bolt spans from masonry, woodworking and construction to the automotive, heavy duty machinery and […]

Bolts cover a rather large section of the fastening solutions in various types of industries nowadays. Generally utilized in conjunction with washers and nuts, the bolt represents an alternative to screws, nails and other similar fastening solutions. The applications of a bolt spans from masonry, woodworking and construction to the automotive, heavy duty machinery and beyond.

There are, of course, various types of bolts, depending on their role, manufacturing process, threading, dimensions, so on and so forth. For example, while in furniture assemblies the carriage bolt reigns supreme, utilizing an expansion bolt is more feasible when dealing with drywall. Let’s find out the main categories employed nowadays.

1.Machine bolt

The machine bolt is in general the largest of the lot, and the dimension of the bolt’s diameter is directly proportional to its length. However, there are machine bolts as small as 1/4 inches in both diameter and length, as well as versions with lengths of up to 30 inches. In terms of threading, you can purchase both coarse threaded and fine threaded machine bolts. For this category of fasteners, tightening is obtained with the help of square/hex nuts and a wrench. Their heads are square or hexagonal.

2.Carriage bolt

As previously mentioned, the primary use of carriage bolts consists of attaching components of furniture, but they also make great fasteners for key structural elements of outdoor assemblies like patios or decks. The round/square headed carriage bolts present a square-shaped collar and coarse threading. Tightening is also performed via wrench-driving the nuts. The diameter of the carriage bolt varies between 3/16 inches and 3/4 inches, whereas the available lengths are between 1/2 inches and 20 inches.

3.Stove bolt

Don’t let the name fool you, these fasteners are not exclusively manufactured for the cookware industry. In fact, the stove bolt is so versatile that it can be successfully employed for almost any type of fastening task. The head of the stove bolt is similar to the one of screws (affixed with a slot that permits driving it in or out of the material via a screwdriver) and its shape is either round or oval. The dimensions vary between 5/32 inches to 1/2 inches in diameters, whereas the length spans 3/8 inches to 6 inches. The threading of the stove bolt is typically coarse, although certain variants have a smooth shank section in the proximity of the head.

4.Toggle bolt/Expansion bolt

These two types of bolts are a bit different from the rest. While the toggle bolt is affixed with a set of wings that expands after it is introduced in the pilot hole using a spring mechanism, the latter comes with a plastic-made jacket that ‘inflates’ as you’re tightening the bolt. Their dimensions range between 1/8 inches and 1/2 inches in diameter and the length goes up to 8 inches. The toggle and expansion bolts are not designed for heavy duty tasks, but rather their fast and simple insertion makes them ideal for hanging a painting on your drywall for instance.