The Top Three Reasons You Need to be Careful About Which Screw You Use

Screws are a simple enough concept at their core, but they definitely aren’t interchangeable. While grade 7 plow bolts may sound an awful lot like grade 8 plow bolts, you definitely wouldn’t want to get grade 8 plow bolts if you need the grade 7. Here are three things that set screws apart from one another:

1. Specific Engineering

Many screws are specifically designed for certain holes. This means that the threads on the screw are designed to mate, or fit together with, a corresponding thread on the inside of the hole. The thread inside the hole is known as the internal thread. This is very common in machinery and other such things. In addition to that, these specific internal threads may require a screw that turns either clockwise or counterclockwise. Most often screws are fastened in a clockwise rotation, but it isn’t universally true, and using the wrong kind in that scenario could damage the internal thread!

2. The Diameter

Screws are used for many different jobs. For example, one screw may be used to hold the back plate on television’s remote control while another screw may be used to mount a bookshelf on the wall. One screw would need to be inherently sturdier than the other. That is why bolt suppliers produce screws and bolts in many different diameters. Some big bolts functioning as machine screws may be as big as nine millimeters or so, while some are much, much thinner. There is a high demand for both large and small screws, which is why anchor bolt manufacturers can stay in business while smaller bolt manufacturers are thriving as well.

3. The Pitch

One last thing that distinguishes different screws from one another is their pitch. Screws have a thread that runs around the outside of the shaft. The thread often runs at different degrees up and down the shaft. This affects how quickly they screw into the surface and how firmly they are secured to the item. The wrong screw could be damaged on certain surfaces and in certain holes. Ultimately, that’s how screws tend to play out: the wrong screw has a chance of breaking or damaging the object being screwed. What do you think about screws?