Fasteners are often the smallest parts in a project, but they play one of the biggest roles in performance. The right fastener can improve stability, speed installation, reduce maintenance, and help displays or fixtures stand up to daily use.
Whether you’re assembling retail displays, installing signage, supporting fixtures, or sourcing parts for commercial, construction, automotive and industrial applications, choosing the right fastener starts with understanding the job it needs to do.
This guide is designed to walk you through the major fastener categories, explain what each one does best, and help you match the right solution to your specific application.
Common Types of Fasteners and When to Use Them
Fasteners come in many shapes, sizes, and materials, but the right choice always depends on the job. Understanding the role each fastener plays can help you choose a solution that supports stronger assemblies, smoother installation, and reliable long-term performance.
Anchors: For Secure Holding Power
Use: Use anchors when fastening into drywall, concrete, masonry, hollow walls, or other base materials where a standard screw or bolt needs additional support or holding strength.
Applications: Anchor fasteners are ideal when reliable, heavy-duty holding power is required for retail displays, signage, store fixtures, and a wide range of commercial and industrial applications.
Selection: Kinter’s in-stock anchor selection includes drop-in anchors, sleeve anchors, toggle bolts, wedge anchors, wall grabbers, hollow wall anchors, lag shield anchors, expansion anchors, conical plastic anchors, and other specialty options.
Find the right anchor fastener for your next job.
Bolts: For Strong Structural Connections
Use: Use bolts when an application requires strength, load capacity, and a dependable threaded connection. Bolt fasteners are ideal for assemblies that need to stay secure under pressure or repeated use.
Applications: Bolts are commonly used across furniture assembly, millwork, structural applications, and commercial and industrial uses where reliable fastening performance matters. For retail environments, they can support display construction, store fixtures, and other durable assemblies.
Selection: Kinter’s in-stock bolt selection includes hex head bolts, carriage bolts, plow bolts, structural A325 and A490 bolts, joint connectors, stripper and shoulder bolts, specialty flange bolts, whiz-lock styles, and more.
Take a closer look at bolt fastener varieties.
Eye Bolts and Hooks: For Hanging and Connection Points
Use: Use eye bolts and hooks when an application needs a reliable attachment point for rigging, hanging, lifting, connecting, or securing components.
Applications: Eye bolt and hook fasteners are well suited for retail displays, signage, hanging systems, commercial applications, industrial uses, and other installations that require secure connection points.
Selection: Kinter’s in-stock eye bolt and hook selection includes forged and turned eye bolts, J bolts, U bolts, screw eyes, screw hooks, hook bolts, turnbuckles, cup hooks, eye nuts, and square U bolts.
Review Kinter’s eye bolt and hook fastener varieties.
Guides and Levelers: For Stability and Adjustment
Use: Use guides, glides, and levelers when fixtures, furniture, store displays, or equipment need to sit evenly, adjust smoothly, protect surfaces, or remain stable in real-world environments.
Applications: Guide and leveler fasteners are ideal for store displays, fixtures, furniture, commercial equipment, and industrial applications where stability, surface protection, and adjustability are important.
Selection: Kinter’s in-stock guide and leveler selection includes hex leg levelers, adjustable and swivel leg levelers, spring and hydraulic auto-adjusting glides, metal and plastic base styles, low-profile cushioned options, nail-on glides, insert glides, bumpers, casters, and more.
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Nuts and Washers: For Secure, Finished Assemblies
Use: Use nuts when an application requires a secure, dependable threaded connection between fastened components.
Applications: Nut fasteners are used across fixtures, furniture, automotive, structural, and industrial applications where assemblies need to stay secure and perform reliably.
Selection: Kinter’s in-stock nut selection includes standard hex, jam, and square nuts; heavy hex structural nuts, cap and acorn nuts; flange, wing, and coupling styles; locking nuts, U-nuts and J-nuts; rivet nuts, T-nuts, weld nuts, threaded inserts and threaded standoffs.
Learn more about nut fasteners.
Pins and Keys: For Alignment, Retention, and Load Transfer
Use: Use pins and keys when parts need to align precisely, stay securely retained, rotate, connect, or transfer load within an assembly.
Applications: Pin and key fasteners are commonly used across machinery, equipment assembly, automotive, agricultural, industrial, and commercial applications where reliable alignment and dependable performance are required.
Selection: Kinter’s in-stock pin and key selection includes woodruff keys, hex keys, square keys, cotter pins, clevis pins, dowel pins, roll pins, spiral coil pins, taper pins, hitch pins, threaded rods, double-end studs, and more.
Get more information on pin and key fasteners now.
Rivets: For Permanent, Vibration-Resistant Joining
Use: Use rivets when an application requires a permanent fastening solution with reliable joining strength and vibration resistance.
Applications: Rivet fasteners are commonly used for sheet metal, panel assembly, automotive, aerospace, general manufacturing, commercial, and industrial applications where a durable, lasting connection is needed.
Selection: Kinter’s in-stock rivet selection includes all-aluminum and all-steel dome rivets, blind rivets, solid rivets, semi-tubular rivets, flat head, round head, oval head, truss head, and countersunk head profiles.
Learn more about rivet fasteners.
Screw Fasteners: For Strong, Precise Fastening
Use: Use screws when an application requires strong, precise fastening across materials such as wood, drywall, sheet metal, electronics, machinery, or construction materials.
Applications: Screw fasteners are commonly used in woodworking, drywall installation, sheet metal applications, electronics, machinery, heavy-duty construction, commercial projects, industrial assemblies, retail displays, and store fixtures.
Selection: Kinter’s in-stock screw selection includes cap screws, lag screws, machine screws, drywall screws, particle board screws, self-drilling screws, sheet metal screws, SEMS screws, set screws, thread-cutting screws, thread-forming screws, thumb screws, wood screws, timber screws, and socket cap styles in common head and drive options.
Learn more about screw fasteners.
Socket Products: For High-Strength Performance and a Clean Finish
Use: Use socket product fasteners when an application requires high-strength fastening performance, precision, and a clean, low-profile finish.
Applications: Socket products are ideal for precision machinery, tooling, equipment assembly, industrial fabrication, and other applications where secure fastening and a finished appearance matter.
Selection: Kinter’s in-stock socket product selection includes standard socket cap screws, button socket cap screws with flange, flat socket cap screws, low-head socket cap screws, Torx button socket styles, cup-point socket set screws, and solid shaft collars with set screws.
See more socket product fastener information.
Washers Fasteners: For Load Distribution, Surface Protection, and Vibration Resistance
Use: Use washers when an application needs even load distribution, surface protection, spacing, sealing, or added vibration resistance between fastened components.
Applications: Washer fasteners are commonly used across automotive, structural assembly, plumbing, electrical, general manufacturing, commercial, and industrial applications where a secure, protected connection is needed.
Selection: Kinter’s in-stock washer selection includes flat washers, fender washers, finishing washers, SAE/USS washers, Belleville washers, cup washers, square and bevel washers, wave washers, sealing washers, split lock washers, internal and external tooth lock washers, and metric DIN washer options.
Read about washer fasteners and flat and lockwasher varieties available to you.
Miscellaneous Fasteners: For Specialty Needs and Finishing Details
Use: Use miscellaneous fasteners when an application calls for specialty hardware for wiring, plumbing, assembly, hanging, sealing, finishing, spacing, or retaining components.
Applications: Miscellaneous fasteners are commonly used across retail display assembly, signage, store fixtures, wire management, plumbing, commercial installations, and industrial applications where the right small component helps complete the job.
Selection: Kinter’s in-stock miscellaneous fastener selection includes S-hooks, C-hooks, wire clips, cable ties, hose clamps, wire-rope clamps, grommets, retaining rings, drill bits, nails, plugs, bushings, pipe nipples, shims, and more. When a fastener is “hard-to-find,” trust Kinter to help!
Review all of our miscellaneous fasteners.
How to Choose the Right Fastener
Choosing the right fastener starts with understanding the application. The best option should support the materials being joined, meet the strength requirements of the assembly, and fit the way the finished product will be used and maintained.
Before sourcing fasteners, ask:
- What materials are being joined or supported?
- Is the connection permanent or removable?
- What is the size and type of fastener you need?
- Will the fastener need to support weight, resist vibration, or allow adjustment?
- Will the fastener be visible to shoppers, team members, or end users?
- Does the application require corrosion resistance, a specific material, or a certain finish?
- Is the part needed quickly or in large quantities?
- Is there an existing part number to match, replace, or cross-reference?
Answering these questions upfront can help narrow the selection and ensure the fastener performs as expected in the real-world environment. It can also help reduce installation issues, avoid unnecessary replacements, and keep projects moving on schedule.
Finding the Right Fastener Distributor
From anchors, bolts, screws, and rivets to guides, levelers, washers, hooks, and specialty hardware, Kinter helps customers source the right fastener for the job as a full-line fastener distributor, stocking over 30K different standard and specialty fasteners.
With broad inventory, next-day shipping on many in-stock items, and KinterCare support for special sourcing, Kinter makes it easier to keep projects moving.
Need help finding a fastener?
Contact KinterCare to identify the right part, request a quote, or source a special fastener for your application.