Square Nuts

Square nuts are a fastening solution that is named after the distinctive square shaped head of the nut. They are a four sided nut, which sets them apart from the commonly used six sided hex nut. Square head nuts have largely been superseded by hex nuts, but there may still be some specific applications where they offer advantages. For example, they are commonly used alongside square headed bolts and screws.

The biggest difference between hex nuts and square nuts is the obvious difference in shape. Hex nuts have six edges and square nuts have four, this means that you will need different tools to grip them and tighten them. Pliers or an adjustable wrench may be your best bet for tightening square headed nuts, for hex nuts you will likely be best off with a socket wrench. The different shape of square nuts makes them better for certain specific applications than hex nuts. While hex nuts are more common in use, square nuts do provide anti-rotation and slide-in installation benefits.

One of the biggest advantages of using square nuts is that they provide some anti-rotation benefits when compared to hex nuts. The square shape of the nut helps to prevent rotation that may occur during installation. When using a hex nut, there is a possibility of the nut rotating while tightening. Another advantage offered is the ability to slide-insert square nuts into channels or tracks before securing them with a bolt. This slide-in feature can make assembly faster and easier in projects that require frequent adjustments or component changes. Similarly, square nuts are commonly used for channel based assemblies where they will perfectly fit into the channel's slots. This increases the ease of adjustment and application of components along the length of the channel. Sometimes the uncommon aesthetics of the square head nut may also be used to provide a more unique finish than hex nuts.

Square nuts are often used in applications that utilise channels or tracks. The shape of the nut allows it to easily fit through the channel and also allows for easier adjustment. The resistance to rotation that square nuts provide is also useful for this tightening along the length of the channel. There are specific use cases in furniture assembly and woodworking where hex nuts might not be as easily accessible as a square nut. Similarly, square nuts have specific uses in the automotive industry where they are found as fasteners on certain vehicle parts and components.

The most commonly used term to describe this component is square nuts. We call them stainless steel square nuts to place an emphasis on the high quality grade of material that we use for the product. Customers might also know refer to them as square threaded nuts or square head nuts. A technically minded user may use the DIN standard number to specify the part, and for our range of square nuts this would be din562.

We're pleased to offer a wide range of metric thread sizes for square nuts, from M2 up to M10. Our top selling square nuts are the m6 square nut and the m8 square nut. UK customers also commonly purchase m3 square nuts and m4 square nuts and use them for a variety of different projects and applications. If you need a metric thread size that isn't listed, or you require some non-metric sizes, please let us know on our contact us page. As we can still supply parts that aren't part of our standard catalogue!

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