Galvanized, Stainless Steel, and Zinc-Plated Materials for Nuts and Bolts: What Should You Choose?

December 17, 2018

When was the last time that you completed a project without reaching for some sort of fastener? Never, right? Fasteners play a huge role in every industry on the planet. From agriculture to aerospace, fasteners are required in order for any project to get done in a safe and effective way. For all of their importance, fasteners rarely get discussed with the depth that they require. So, today, we are going to be highlighting one fascinating aspect of nuts and bolts: the metal finish. Today, our goal is to lay out the differences between galvanized, stainless steel and zinc-plated nuts and bolts.

Best Metals for Fasteners: Zinc, Galvanized & Stainless Steel

Nuts and bolts are fasteners that are specially designed in a number of different shapes, sizes, and material finishes. The primary materials that we will be outlining in our discussion today were featured in our introduction: Galvanized fasteners, stainless steel fasteners and zinc-plated fasteners. While we hesitate to say that there is a 'wrong' answer to your fastening needs, there are definitely options that might better serve you. However, you need to know their differences before you can make an intelligent decision when shopping for fasteners. Let's highlight each fastener material below.

• Galvanized Nuts & Bolts - Galvanized nuts and bolts are actually coated in an additional layer of zinc. After they are coated in zinc, these fasteners are dipped into a special corrosion resistant material. When properly treated, galvanized fasteners offer us the most durable and corrosion resistant fasteners on the market. With that being said, you cannot use galvanized fasteners unless you are also using galvanized materials throughout your fastening regiment.
• Stainless Steel - Another of the most durable fastener choices, stainless steel has some very obvious benefits to embrace. Stainless steel is both resistant to corrosion as well as resistant to failure due to blemishes. Stainless steel fasteners are ideal when you are working in a field that you are knowledgeable about. Stainless steel fasteners must be installed in an exceptionally careful way in order to ensure that they operate correctly.
• Zinc-Plated - Finally, we have our zinc-plated fasteners. Zinc plated fasteners are typically made of steel with an additional layer of zinc added on. The zinc helps to improve corrosion resistance, however, the zinc does suffer in wet environments. Zinc-plated fasteners are not ideal for outdoor use. You should keep your zinc-plated fasteners for use on your indoor projects.

Getting the right tools is almost as important as performing the engineering task itself. Use our guide in order to find the right fasteners for your next project.

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13 Slater Parade, Keilor East VIC 3033 Australia

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