If you’re a boatie, you already know: stainless is non-negotiable. You wouldn’t trust your hull to mild steel, so why trust your hardware?

What exactly goes into making this ultra-tough steel?

Discover top-quality nuts, bolts, and fasteners with Bolt-In Co, the Sunshine Coast’s trusted supplier. Get the right fastener for the job—because solid work starts with the best hardware!

How to Organise a Custom Wire Rope Balustrade Solution with Bolt-In Co Sunshine Coast Are you looking to enhance a property with a sleek, modern wire rope balustrade solution, custom-made for your project so you all you need to worry about is the installation? Bolt-In Co is here to make the process easy. We specialise in stainless steel wire rope balustrade solutions that provide safety, style, and durability. Here’s what’s involved when you organise a custom balustrade solution with Bolt-In Co Sunshine Coast.

An important note: Wire rope balustrades are a fabulous indoor / outdoor option to create an effective and stylish balustrade solution. We sell only high quality products which are in a stainless steel grade suitable for coastal applications, and engineered to last.

Like other building products, you can avoid many problems simply by shopping with a supplier dedicated to quality products and results! For custom balustrade solutions on the Sunshine Coast, that’s Bolt-In Co!

How to Organise a Custom Wire Rope Balustrade Solution with Bolt-In Co:

1. Measure up Your Job First, you’ll need to know the details about your wire rope lengths. We cut these to size for you, so you will need to know:

a. How long your wire rope runs are between each terminating post.
b. How many of each run you will need taking into account legislative requirements.

*Internal wire rope installation by Pizzica Properties PTY LTD

2. What type of Wire Rope will you use?

The next question to answer is what type of wire rope you would like to use in your project. Wire rope comes in a variety of thicknesses and different ropes have different price points. You can review our wire rope options here, or if you’re not sure about this, just ask our team and we can guide you towards the right type of wire rope for your balustrade project. Typically all wire rope balustrades for residential applications are 3.2mm diameter.

*External wire rope installation by Swan Built Carpentry Sunshine Coast

3. What type of fittings will you use?

Fittings are essential to create the connections between your wire ropes and posts. There are a variety of fittings available – check out this website page for more information on our fittings. Alternatively, ask our team and we can guide you towards the fittings you will need for your project.

4. Swaging

*Bolt-In Co Sunshine Coast Swaging Press

Swaging is the process of attaching the wire rope to the fittings. This creates a permanent bond of sufficient strength to endure the tension of the installed wire rope. There are two ways to approach swaging – we can do it for you, or, if you are purchasing wire rope from Bolt-In Co, we also hire swaging presses if you’d like to take care of your own swaging.

5. Get a Quote

Whether you’re a professional builder or a D.I.Y enthusiast, if you’ve ever built something, you will know the essential role of fasteners in any construction project. You will also be aware of the detrimental consequences of corrosion on steel elements outdoors. Outdoor steel elements, including fasteners, are faced with corrosion due to elemental conditions such as rain, dirt, bacteria or even electrical current. Corrosion is a long-term problem that will eat away at the integrity of your fasteners, and subsequently the integrity of your structure. When undertaking a project, it is essential to select fasteners that are suitable for the environment they will be functioning in. For fasteners on the Sunshine Coast, drop into Bolt-In Co at Wises Road for all of your nuts and bolts needs. We also ship Australia-wide, and offer great prices on a wide range of high quality components. 

Different Types of Outdoor Fasteners

Fasteners are hardware designed for joining (or fastening) two or more items together. Common examples of outdoor fasteners include nuts, bolts, hooks, brackets, clamps, nuts, washers, rivets bolts, anchors, screws, and nails.

Corrosion on the Sunshine Coast

Corrosion is a natural process which causes the deterioration of metal, generally due to exposure to a various range of elements. One of these is moisture, and another is salt. In a coastal area such as the Sunshine Coast, the outdoor environment is highly corrosive due to high humidity (moisture), rainfall, and south-easterly winds blowing salt-laden air inland. The closer you are to the beach, the greater the amplification of these conditions. 

How to Stop Your Outdoor Fasteners Corroding

The key to preventing your outdoor fasteners corroding is awareness of the issue and purchasing a suitable grade of steel for the project - for example, a grade with corrosive resistance. The recommended standard for residential construction of corrosion resistant grade is SS316 steel, a combination of materials that is granted its resistant properties from the inclusion of the molybdenum alloy. In comparison with other grades of stainless steel, SS316 has a stronger resistance to corrosion. While 316 steel is one of the strongest and most resistant materials, the
appropriate maintenance must be applied in conjunction to avoid corrosion on outdoor appliances.

Practicing Maintenance on Your Outdoor Fasteners

The next best thing in addition to selecting an appropriate grade of steel for your fasteners, is the practice of longevity. Practicing maintenance and cleaning your fasteners is important to monitor the integrity of your structure over the long term. An affective way of preventing your steel from corroding is the use of insulation or a protective coating. A protective coat could include simply painting your outdoor fasteners. Cleaning your stainless steel is essential to remove the build-up of salts and grime that will kick off corrosion on your fasteners.

In Conclusion

Having looked at corrosion and its consequences, its clear that corrosion resistant steel is the primary component to prevention. Here in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast our local team of experts have the ability to provide you with the highest quality fasteners, for the best price. Come visit us on Wises Rd at Bolt-In.co Sunshine Coast!

Steel fasteners come in a variety of materials, shapes, sizes and costs. Understanding their mechanical properties is useful to determine the best fastener for a specific application. We think it's an interesting topic, and we hope you do too. At Bolt-In Co on the Sunshine Coast, we have a large range of high-tensile, stainless steel and galvanised fasteners. Join us for this brief review of the the mechanical properties of fasteners, and don't hesitate to contact us if you have any related enquiries.

Tensile Strength

Tensile strength is an important property to begin with. It refers to the maximum amount of stress that can be withstood by a fastener before failure when axial tension is applied. This refers to the type of tension where the fastener is pulled in two opposite directions along its length. The tensile strength is how much tension it can take before it breaks. Tensile strength is measured in PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) or Mpa (Megapascals), depending on where you are in the world. To get an idea of the forces at work, a low strength plastic fastener may have a tensile strength of only 1,000 to 5,000 psi. A high-tensile grade 12.9 fastener (exceptionally strong) may have a tensile strength of up to 180,000 psi.

Yield Strength

Whereas tensile strength (above) refers to the maximum stress or load a material can withstand before breaking (when subjected to axial tension), yield strength measures the amount of stress that the fastener will tolerate before it permanently deforms to a specific degree. Deformation has two stages: elastic (the fastener will return to its original shape after the load is removed) or plastic (permanently changed). Yield strength indicates the load limit before plastic deformation occurs. Like tensile strength, yield strength is measured in psi or mpa. Yield strength may range from 100 psi (plastics, rubbers) to 150,000 psi for some advanced steel alloys.

Shear Strength

Shear strength is another important mechanical property of fasteners. It refers to the maximum amount of stress a fastener can withstand when subjected to oppositional parallel forces applied to the cross-sectional area of the fastener. The shear strength is calculated by dividing the force at which the fastener fails by the cross-sectional area of the fastener being tested. Shear strength may range from 100psi (plastics, rubbers) to 50,000 psi or higher for high-strength steel allows used in structural and automotive applications.

Hardness

Fastener hardness is measured with a variety of different tests, such as Rockwell Hardness Testing, Brinell Hardness Testing, Vickers Hardness Testing and others. You would think hardness would always be useful, but too much hardness isn't always a good thing. Materials that are too hard may be brittle, whereas materials that are too soft may lack the required strength. Like all things with fasteners, it's about an optimal compromise between properties, applications, costs and codes. 

Fatigue Strength

Fatigue strength is used to measure the performance of fasteners under repeated loading and unloading cycles. In this case, the test is concerned with understanding how well the bolt will do in applications of variable stress. Examples include fasteners for aircraft or automobiles. In fatigue strength testing, loads are applied, removed and re-applied in a controlled manner to create a fatigue curve, expressing the applied stress and the number of cycles to communicate the fatigue strength of the fastener.

Ductility

Ductility is used to describe the ability of a bolt to undergo plastic deformation without fracturing - in other words, how much a bolt can deform plastically when subjected to tensile loads. Ductility is expressed as a percentage of elongation or reduction in the area of the material being tested. This is different to yield strength (above) which measures the amount of load a fastener can take before it undergoes plastic deformation.

Corrosion Resistance

Corrosion resistance is an important consideration when assessing fasteners. We're located on the Sunshine Coast which includes marine environments where the ability of nuts and bolts to withstand corrosion is vital. Various coatings and materials can enhance a bolt's resistance to corrosion. For example, stainless steel 316 has a high degree of corrosion resistance, making it suitable for marine applications.

Modulus of Elasticity

The modulus of elasticity (Young's Modulus) measures a fastener's stiffness or ability to deform elastically in response to an applied stress.

Environmental Resistance

Some fasteners are designed to withstand extreme environmental conditions, such as high or low temperatures, exposure to chemicals, or UV radiation.

Torsional Strength

Torsional strength is the ability of a fastener to resist twisting forces without deforming or breaking. This property is essential for threaded fasteners like bolts and screws.

Vibration Resistance

Fasteners used in applications prone to vibration should have the ability to resist loosening or self-loosening over time.

Ease of Installation

Ease of installation includes properties like thread engagement and the availability of self-locking features to prevent loosening under load. 

What's the Most Important Mechanical Property if a Steel Bolt?

The mechanical properties of fasteners create a composite picture of the capabilities of a given fastener. The most important mechanical property is the one required for the application.  For example, high tensile strength may not be as relevant in carpentry as it is in aircraft or automobile manufacture.

For assistance with your nuts and bolts on the Sunshine Coast QLD, please contact our team for more information and assistance with high-tensile, stainless steel, and galvanised fasteners.

Bolt grades serve the important purpose of communicating the mechanical properties of bolts. In this way, properties of fasteners such as strength, safety, reliability, consistency, and cost-effectiveness can be matched to required applications to achieve an optimal result. Like all things with nuts and bolts, things can be a little complex! In this article, we review bolt grade systems - what they are, how they work and how they differ from each other. Let's check it out!

Bolt Grades Overview

Bolts come in many different shapes and sizes. They're made of a variety of materials for a range of purposes. To understand their capabilities and determine the applications they are suitable for, they are assigned grades, which are like ratings that explain their properties.

The grades they are assigned come from standards (or systems). These standards are not identical - they are developed by different nations and industries to evaluate and present information about fasteners. Examples of different standards include:

ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials)
AS (Australian Standards)
DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung)
BS (British Standards)

When you're talking about bolt grades, it's important also understand which standard it relates to, in order to properly understand what it means.

What do Grades Indicate?

Bolt standards help engineers and builders make informed decisions about which fasteners to use in different situations. Different standards provide different sets of information about fasteners, but generally they are concerned with strength, tensile strength, yield strength, materials, application suitability, performance under load, durability compatibility, and safety.

Which Grade is Best?

With fasteners, it's important to understand that suitability is more important than cost. In other words, you don't need the most expensive fastener - you only need the fastener which is mechanically suitable for the application. Since grades describe the properties of fasteners, the best grade is relative to the application.

Which Standard Should I Use?

Standards are not uniform in their conclusions. They are all essentially trying to resolve the same problem (the correct fastener to use, and how to use it) in ways that reflect the local (or industry-specific) practices and regulations, and heritage of practice. Accordingly, it's important to refer to the most current and relevant standards to ensure proper selection, installation, and performance of fasteners - it will depend on what you're working on and where you are working on it. If you're not sure, simply ask our team. We are here to help!

What are high tensile fasteners? They are a specific type of fastener designed to withstand high levels of stress and tension. ‘Tensile strength’ refers to the ability of a material to resist forces without breaking or permanently deforming, and accordingly, high-tensile nuts and bolts represent a particularly strong type of fastener. This doesn’t always mean they’re the best option. Like all situations, the correct solution will depend on the engineering requirements of your project to assess and determine the correct type of fasteners for the job. On this page, we look further into High Tensile options to explore this important type of fasteners. For fasteners on the Sunshine Coast, please contact our team for a quality range of high tensile products in different grades and thread pitches. 

How are High Tensile Fasteners Different from other Fasteners?

Generally, fasteners are differentiated by the materials they are made with, the process by which they are made, the fastener dimensions, the measurement system (metric or imperial) and the thread pitch (course or fine). With that in mind, the difference between high tensile fasteners and other types of fasteners include:

Materials:

High tensile fasteners are made from carbon or alloy steel. Other types of fasteners are made from different metals; for example, stainless steel fasteners are made from a variety of stainless steel alloys, and titanium bolts from titanium. 

Process:

High tensile fasteners are heat treated to achieve their tensile strength. This process achieves strength by reducing internal stresses in the material, reducing brittleness, hardening and toughening. While other types of fasteners may also be heat treated, it is a mandatory aspect of high tensile bolts with a view to achieving enhanced strength. 

Dimensions

Bolts come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Some of the characteristics which may be seen in high tensile bolts that differentiate them from lower strength bolts include a thicker shank & larger head diameter, although these larger aspects are not necessarily indicative of a high tensile bolt. 

Thread Pitch

While high tensile bolts are available in both course and fine thread pitches, fine thread pitche offers greater strength, higher resistance to vibration, better precision, and versatility (a fine thread pitch is more suitable for smaller diameter bolts). Fine thread pitches are commonly used in automotive bolts for these reasons. 

System

Bolts are available in metric and imperial systems, and high tensile fasteners are no exception. The system is important because when matching a bolt, the system must also be matched to ensure an accurate fit. Bolt-In Co stocks high tensile bolts in both metric and imperial systems, in course & fine thread pitches (metric) and UNF / UNC threads (imperial). 

When to Use High Tensile Fasteners

High tensile fasteners are used when superior strength and durability are necessary. Examples of high tensile fastener applications include:

Structural Applications

Infrastructure construction projects like bridges & buildings may utilise high tensile fasteners. 

Automotive & Aerospace

With high levels of stress and vibration, automotive and aeronautical engineering relies on high tensile fasteners. As mentioned above, a higher thread pitch is often utilised for a stronger result. 

Heavy Machinery & Equipment

The machinery and equipment utilised in industries such as mining, agriculture and construction utilise high tensile bolts, where high levels of stress and vibration are also a factor. 

Marine Applications

High Tensile fasteners may also be used in offshore and marine applications where high levels of stress, tension and vibration require a stronger fastener. 

When not to Use High Tensile Fasteners

Using high tensile fasteners should only be done when necessary - otherwise, they may be a more expensive solution for a project that doesn’t require them. Examples of when high tensile may not be the best solution include:

Low-Stress Applications

There are many less expensive fasteners which are suitable for low-stress applications. 

Corrosive Environments

Balancing the need for strength and corrosion resistance will depend on the specific application. Stainless steel fasteners offer a higher level of corrosion resistance than high tensile fasteners. 

High Temperature Environments

High tensile fasteners may lose their strength and durability at high temperatures. In these cases, titanium or nickel alloys may be more appropriate solutions. 

Grading the Strength of High Tensile Bolts

The SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) grading system is a common system use to grade high tensile bolts. This system uses a numeric grade to indicate the tensile strength. The higher the grade, the stronger the fastener. It’s not the only system used. Other systems, such as ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) is another example. 

High Tensile Fasteners at Bolt-In Co

Enquire with Bolt-In Co Sunshine Coast for the fasteners for your project. We have a wide range of high tensile in stock, and can easily order products in if we don’t stock them (depending on quantity).