Nuts in Industrial Fasteners Know Their Types

Hex nuts, characterized by their six-sided shape, are the most common and versatile type of nut. They provide a solid gripping surface for wrenches and are compatible with a broad range of bolts and screws.

Applications: Widely used across machinery, automotive, construction, and structural assemblies due to ease of installation and reliable torque performance.

Domed or acorn nuts feature a closed end with a rounded dome-shaped cap that covers the exposed bolt threads to protect them from damage and corrosion.

Applications: Electrical enclosures, decorative applications, and machinery where safety and aesthetics are important.

Flanged nuts have an integrated washer-like flange that distributes the clamping load over a wider area, reducing the risk of damage to the fastened material.

Applications: Automotive suspension, heavy-duty machinery, and structural components where increased load distribution improves joint durability.

Slotted nuts, also known as castellated nuts, have slots cut into one end. These slots align with a hole in the bolt or stud, allowing a cotter pin to be inserted for locking the nut in place.

Applications: Automotive steering, aircraft, and agricultural machinery where preventing nut loosening under vibration is critical.

Rectangular nuts feature a rectangular body shape, offering greater surface contact for load bearing in space-constrained applications.

Applications: Machinery frames, tool assemblies, and structures with limited clearance requiring firm grip.

Weld nuts are specially designed nuts that can be welded directly to metal surfaces, providing permanent, strong fastening points. They often have projections or bosses that facilitate welding.

Applications: Automotive bodies, chassis fabrication, and sheet metal enclosures.

Tall hex nuts are extended versions of standard hex nuts, providing more thread engagement for greater strength and resistance to loosening.

Applications: Heavy machinery, structural beams, and applications requiring higher clamping force.

Lock nuts feature built-in locking mechanisms such as nylon inserts or deformed threads to resist vibration-induced loosening.

Applications: Automotive, aerospace, and industrial equipment with high vibration or dynamic loads.

Resin hex nuts integrate a nylon insert within the hex nut body to provide resistance to loosening and enhance sealing against contaminants. They combine the standard hex nut form with locking functionality.

Applications: General industrial use, electrical panels, and machinery operating under vibration.

Wing nuts have two large "wings" for manual turning without tools. They are convenient for assemblies requiring frequent adjustments or dismantling.

Applications: Equipment panels, fixtures, adjustable jigs, and temporary fastening.

Clinching nuts are designed for sheet metal and thin material fastening, installed via cold forming to clinch and permanently attach.

Applications: Automotive interiors, electronic housings, and appliances with thin gauge metal parts.

Rivet nuts, also called threaded inserts or nutserts, are tubular nuts installed in blind holes via deformation, providing strong internal threads in thin or soft materials.

Applications: Aerospace, automotive, electronics enclosures, and structures where backside access to fasteners is limited.

Knurled nuts feature textured or ridged outer surfaces for improved grip, allowing easy turning by hand or with minimal tools.

Applications: Equipment adjustment points, decorative fasteners, and instrument assemblies.

Clip nuts are nuts attached to a spring steel clip that snaps onto panels or edges, providing captive nut functionality without threading the panel itself.

Applications: Automotive body panels, enclosure assembly, and sheet metal fabrication.

Cage nuts are square nuts held within a spring steel cage that clips into square holes, enabling nut installation in pre-punched or thin sheet metal panels.

Applications: Rack mounting, server cabinets, and modular industrial enclosures.

These nuts have a cylindrical shape allowing specific clearance or fitment requirements in tight assemblies. They may have unique thread designs or locking features.

Applications: Aerospace, precision instruments, and machinery components demanding confined fitting.

Cap nuts, similar to acorn nuts but often shorter and less rounded, enclose the bolt end for aesthetics and safety by preventing exposed threads.

Applications: Furniture, consumer products, and machinery requiring a finished appearance or protection from sharp bolt ends.

Nuts in fasteners come in an extensive variety designed to meet specific mechanical, environmental, or ergonomic requirements. Understanding the distinct features and applications of various nut types enables engineers, designers, and maintenance professionals to select the right fastening solutions that balance strength, security, ease of use, and longevity across industries.