06Fasteners · sold singly · gauged before bagging
We'll sell you six screws. Nobody needs a bag of fifty.
Screws and bolts sold by the piece in Austin: machine screws, wood and sheet-metal screws, nuts, washers, wall anchors and toggles. Bring the old screw or tell us the thread. We check pitch on a gauge and count out what the job takes, from $0.15 a piece.
- Pitch checked on a gauge
- Counted, not weighed
- Ships in an envelope
Gauged, then counted
- Machine screws
- $0.15–$0.90
- Anchors and toggles
- $0.30–$2.40
Machine screws by count
Machine screws and bolts sold by the piece, pitch checked first
An appliance back panel is missing two screws. A dishwasher bracket needs four. A hinge on a cabinet door needs one. Nobody should drive across Austin for a blister pack of 25 that is "close". We keep machine screws in UNC, UNF and metric coarse, in zinc-plated steel and 18-8 stainless, and we sell them by the piece.
The mistake we see most is a metric screw forced into an imperial hole, or the other way round. An M4 × 0.7 and a #8-32 are within 0.17 mm of each other in diameter. The pitch is different, so it starts, binds after two turns and strips the hole. That is why every screw goes on a gauge before it goes in the bag, and why we ask for the old screw rather than a description.
Stainless where it gets wet: under sinks, washer cabinets, outdoor fittings. Zinc steel everywhere else; it is stronger at the same size and costs less. Head style matters for clearance. A pan head on a panel that wanted a flat countersunk head stands proud and catches.
| Series | Sizes | Materials | Heads |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNC | #4-40 to 3/8-16 | Zinc steel, 18-8 stainless | Pan, flat, hex washer |
| UNF | #10-32, 1/4-28 | Zinc steel, 18-8 stainless | Pan, socket cap |
| Metric coarse | M3 to M8 | Zinc steel, A2 stainless | Pan, flat, socket cap |
| Nuts and washers | To match the above | Steel, stainless, nyloc | Hex, flange, fender |
06.2Reference · threads per inch and pitch
Thread-pitch table for the sizes people bring in
Diameter first, then pitch. If two rows sit within a few hundredths of a millimetre, that is the pair that gets mixed up. The table scrolls sideways on a phone.
| Size | Major dia. | Coarse | Fine | Confused with | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #4 | 2.84 mm | 40 TPI | 48 TPI | M3 × 0.5 | Switch plates, small electronics |
| #6 | 3.51 mm | 32 TPI | 40 TPI | M3.5 × 0.6 | Electrical boxes, covers |
| #8 | 4.17 mm | 32 TPI | 36 TPI | M4 × 0.7 | Appliance panels, brackets |
| #10 | 4.83 mm | 24 TPI | 32 TPI | M5 × 0.8 | Hinges, motor mounts |
| 1/4 | 6.35 mm | 20 TPI | 28 TPI | M6 × 1.0 | Frames, furniture, feet |
| 5/16 | 7.94 mm | 18 TPI | 24 TPI | M8 × 1.25 | Brackets under load |
| M3 | 3.00 mm | 0.5 mm | 0.35 mm | #4-40 | Small appliance housings |
| M4 | 4.00 mm | 0.7 mm | 0.5 mm | #8-32 | Imported appliance panels |
| M5 | 5.00 mm | 0.8 mm | 0.5 mm | #10-24 | Washer and dryer brackets |
| M6 | 6.00 mm | 1.0 mm | 0.75 mm | 1/4-20 | Shelving, drum supports |
Wall anchors and toggles
Wall anchors chosen by the wall and the load
Tell us two things: what the wall is and what is hanging on it. Half-inch drywall, plaster on lath, concrete block and poured concrete each want a different anchor. A ribbed plastic anchor in drywall is fine for a towel ring and wrong for a TV bracket. A toggle bolt in hollow block works; a plastic sleeve in hollow block spins.
We stock plastic expansion anchors, self-drilling zinc anchors, spring and strap toggles, and steel sleeve anchors for masonry. For anything over about 50 lb, or anything a person will pull on, like a grab bar, the answer is a stud or blocking, and we will say that before selling you a toggle.
Anchors are sold by the piece with the matching screw. The screw that comes in a big-box anchor kit is often too short for the bracket you are mounting, so we size the screw to the bracket thickness plus the anchor length.
| Wall | Light load | Medium load | Indicative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2" drywall | Ribbed plastic | Strap toggle | $0.30–$2.40 |
| Plaster on lath | Self-drilling zinc | Spring toggle | $0.40–$1.80 |
| Hollow block | Toggle | Toggle, larger | $0.80–$2.40 |
| Poured concrete | Plastic sleeve | Steel sleeve anchor | $0.30–$1.90 |
How a fastener order runs
Bring the old screw if you have it. A photo next to a ruler is the next best thing. A description like "small silver screw" is not enough, and we will ask again.
- Old screw, photo or the threadSize, length under the head, head style, material.
- Gauge checkPitch on a thread gauge, length on a caliper, before it is counted.At the counter while you wait
- Counted into a bagThe exact number, labelled with size and thread.
- Pickup or envelopeSmall counts ship flat in an envelope.