If you have ever shopped for hardware or worked on industrial assembly projects, you have likely wondered: what is a fastener called, exactly? The answer is more nuanced than it may seem. "Fastener" is a broad, umbrella term that covers hundreds of specific mechanical joining devices, each with its own dedicated name, function, and ideal use case. In everyday conversation, people often refer to all fasteners loosely as "screws" or "bolts," but these are just two specific types within a much larger category.
Misusing fastener terminology can lead to purchasing errors, miscommunication on engineering projects, and even safety risks if the wrong type of hardware is used in a load-bearing assembly. Understanding the correct names for different fastener categories, and how terminology varies across industries and regions, helps engineers, fabricators, procurement teams, and maintenance staff select the right hardware for every application.
In this comprehensive guide, we break down the general terminology for fasteners, outline the most common specific fastener names by category, explain regional and industry naming differences, and cover why accurate terminology matters for industrial safety and performance.
What Is the General Name for a Fastener?
At the highest level, the general term for any device used to mechanically join two or more objects together is simply a fastener. This umbrella term covers every type of joining hardware, from tiny electronic machine screws to multi-inch structural bolts holding steel bridges together.
In everyday and commercial contexts, fasteners are also commonly called:
- Hardware: The broadest casual term, often used in retail and residential settings to refer to all types of fastening and mounting hardware.
- Fixings / Fastenings: The preferred term in British English and many Commonwealth countries, especially for wall mounting, construction, and carpentry hardware.
- Joining hardware: A descriptive term used in manufacturing and assembly contexts to distinguish fastening components from other part categories.
Importantly, "fastener" is never just one specific product. It is a category name that includes dozens of distinct product types, each designed for a specific joining scenario. Most of the time, when someone asks "what is a fastener called," they are looking for the name of a specific type of fastener for their application.
Common Fastener Names by Functional Category
Fasteners are grouped by how they work and whether they create permanent or removable joints. Below are the most widely used types, with their standard industry names and common variations.
1. Threaded Fasteners (Removable, Reusable)
Threaded fasteners are the most common type in industrial and commercial use. They use helical threads to create clamped, adjustable joints that can be disassembled and reassembled repeatedly.
- Bolts: Externally threaded fasteners designed to pair with a separate nut. They pass through clearance holes in the workpiece and are tightened from the opposite side. Common variations include hex head bolts, heavy hex structural bolts, carriage bolts, and eye bolts. A common misconception is that any large threaded fastener is a bolt; by definition, bolts require a nut to function.
- Screws: Externally threaded fasteners designed to form or engage threads directly inside the workpiece material, no nut required. Variations include machine screws, sheet metal screws, self-tapping screws, wood screws, and set screws. Screws are used when access is limited to one side of the assembly.
- Nuts: Internally threaded fasteners that mate with bolts and threaded rods. Standard types include hex nuts, heavy hex nuts, nylon insert lock nuts, wing nuts, and coupling nuts. Nuts are always sized and strength-graded to match the bolt they are paired with.
- Washers: Thin flat plates placed under bolt heads, nuts, or screw heads to distribute clamping force across a wider surface area. Variations include flat washers, lock washers, fender washers, and hardened structural washers. While often treated as accessories, they are classified as fasteners and are critical for joint reliability.
- Threaded rod / Studs: Also called all-thread, these are headless, fully threaded bars used for custom-length fastening, hanging loads, and heavy machinery assembly. Double-end studs are threaded on both ends and used extensively in engine and pressure vessel construction.
2. Permanent Fasteners (Non-Removable)
Permanent fasteners create joints that are not intended to be disassembled without destroying the fastener itself.
- Rivets: The most common permanent fastener, with a formed head on one end and a shank that is deformed on the opposite side after installation. Variations include solid buck rivets - the strongest type, used in aerospace and heavy equipment - and blind rivets, also called pop rivets, which can be installed entirely from one side.
- Weld studs: Fasteners welded directly to a workpiece surface to create a threaded mounting point. Used extensively in sheet metal fabrication and automotive body assembly.
- Eyelets & grommets: Reinforced ring fasteners used to create durable holes in fabric, leather, and thin sheet metal for routing cables, lacing, or mounting.
3. Alignment & Retention Fasteners
These fasteners focus on positioning and holding components in place, rather than creating heavy clamping force.
- Pins: Precision fasteners used to align mating parts or retain components on shafts. Common types include dowel pins for exact alignment, cotter pins for securing nuts and shafts, roll pins for press-fit retention, and taper pins for self-locking precision alignment.
- Retaining rings / Snap rings: Also called circlips, these are circular spring steel fasteners that fit into grooves on shafts or inside bores to hold components in place axially.
4. Wall & Masonry Fasteners
Specialty fasteners designed to create secure mounting points in brittle or hollow base materials.
- Anchors: Also called wall anchors or masonry fixings. They expand or lock inside concrete, brick, block, or drywall to create a strong mounting point where standard screws cannot grip. Common types include wedge anchors for heavy concrete, sleeve anchors for general masonry, and toggle bolts for hollow drywall.
Regional & Industry-Specific Naming Differences
Fastener terminology is not universal. Names can vary significantly by region and industry, which is a common source of confusion in global supply chains.
- North American English: Uses "fasteners" as the primary umbrella term, with "hardware" as the general retail term. Specifications follow SAE and ASTM imperial standards, plus ISO metric standards.
- British / Commonwealth English: Prefers "fixings" or "fastenings" for general construction and wall hardware, with "fasteners" used more for industrial threaded hardware. Specifications follow BS and ISO metric standards.
Industry-specific jargon also varies. Construction teams often refer to structural fasteners and anchor bolts; electronics teams use terms like standoffs, spacers, and micro screws for precision enclosure assembly; and automotive teams refer to clips, retainers, and body bolts alongside standard threaded hardware.
One of the most common sources of confusion is the difference between bolts and screws. In casual speech, the two words are often used interchangeably, but in engineering terms, the distinction is clear: bolts use a nut, while screws thread directly into the workpiece. A threaded fastener that threads into a tapped hole is a cap screw, not a bolt, even if it looks identical.
Why Correct Fastener Naming Matters
Using the right name for a fastener is not just a matter of semantics - it has real practical and safety consequences.
1.Avoid purchasing errors.
- Ordering "screws" when you need "hex bolts with matching nuts and hardened washers" will result in unusable hardware and costly project delays.
2.Ensure structural safety.
- Using the wrong type of fastener in a load-bearing joint can lead to sudden failure. For example, using a standard sheet metal screw in place of a high-strength structural bolt in a forklift attachment can result in catastrophic failure under load.
3.Improve cross-team communication.
- Clear, accurate terminology ensures engineers, procurement teams, and assembly staff are all referring to the same component.
4.Simplify global sourcing.
- Standardized fastener names and grade designations allow consistent sourcing across international supply chains.
Fastener Expertise in Industrial Metal Fabrication
In professional metal manufacturing, from heavy structural equipment to precision electronic components, fastener selection and correct specification are never afterthoughts. Every assembled product is only as reliable as the fasteners holding it together, and reputable manufacturers engineer every joint with the appropriate fastener type, grade, and installation procedure.
Joyear Metalwork is an ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2004 certified metal manufacturing specialist with over 15 years of experience producing both heavy structural components and precision light-gauge hardware for material handling, construction, electronics, and industrial markets. Operating from a 5,000+ square meter facility with 300+ skilled employees, we serve over 100 cooperating partners worldwide with rigorous quality control across every product and assembly.
Our flagship forklift fork product line - including telehandler shaft forks and blank forklift blades - is engineered to meet or exceed ISO 2330 and ANSI/ITSDF B56.11.4 safety standards. Every mounting connection and attachment assembly uses correctly specified high-strength bolts, heavy hex nuts, and hardened washers selected for the required load capacity, ensuring reliable performance under ton-level operating loads over millions of work cycles. Our quality assurance department verifies all fastener specifications and installation procedures to maintain consistent, safe product performance.
On the precision side, our sheet metal fabrication capabilities include copper alloy precision stamping parts, prototype sheet metal stamping, 72-inch stainless steel piano hinges, and PCB welding terminals. These products rely on carefully selected machine screws, solid rivets, and alignment pins for proper assembly and function, with fastener sizes and grades matched to the specific mechanical and electrical requirements of each component. We also offer full ODM & OEM support from collaborative design optimization through volume production, helping customers select the right fastener types and grades for every joint to maximize reliability while minimizing cost.
Conclusion
So what is a fastener called? At the most general level, it is called a fastener - but that umbrella term covers dozens of specific product types, each with its own name, function, and ideal application. From bolts and screws to rivets, pins, nuts, washers, and anchors, each category of fastener serves a distinct purpose, and using the correct name ensures accurate communication, proper selection, and safe, reliable performance.
For industrial products and custom metal assemblies, working with an experienced manufacturing partner ensures that every fastener is correctly specified, properly installed, and matched to the load requirements of the final product.
For heavy fabrication and precision metal components built to international quality standards with properly engineered fastening throughout, explore the full range of manufacturing capabilities at Joyear Metalwork and request a consultation for your next project.
