Types of Fasteners

Fasteners play a critical role in the construction of all sorts of everyday objects. If you’ve done any DIY projects, you’ve likely used fasteners to help get the job done. At All Points Fasteners, we’re passionate about the role quality fasteners can play for handy homeowners and professionals alike. Let’s take a moment to define fasteners and overview some of the different types, as well as the various uses for them.

What Is a Fastener?

Let’s start by defining what a fastener is. The term fasteners encompasses a fairly broad category of tools, such as screws, nuts and bolts, that share a common purpose: to mechanically hold objects together. Of course, things like glue can fulfill this function, but glue is not a type of fastener. Therefore, we need to add to our definition. Hardware fasteners mechanically hold objects together.

Typically, fasteners form a non-permanent joint. In other words, when you use a fastener to connect two components, you can remove it, and the separate pieces should come apart without suffering any damage. The same wouldn’t be the case with a welded joint, for instance. The one exception to this rule are rivets, which fall under the category of fasteners, but create permanent joints.

Though most fasteners form a non-permanent joint, this does not mean you only use fasteners when you want to be able to take something apart, and it doesn’t mean the joint is weak by any means. Fasteners can reliably hold together objects that can experience a great degree of stress. That means they’re a great choice for permanent and non-permanent joints alike, providing versatility for the type of project you want to use them for.

Different Types of Fasteners

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