Overview of Stainless Fasteners

 

Stainless fasteners are used in all walks of life. They are used in the home, workplace, schools, banks, grocery stores, department stores, in the transportation industry, the medical industry, the military and many, many more. They are used in every town, city, and country in the world. Bolts, screws, rivets, anchors, latches, and locks are used by everyone, and are made from many different kinds of materials. But stainless steel is the toughest, most durable and long lasting material used.

Stainless steel fasteners were non-existent in the 1700's. England was making wooden screws. It wasn't until the 1800's that they were manufactured using steel. The United States began making stainless fasteners around the time of the Civil War and they were in high demand, although they were far from perfect. top commercial general contractors When the United States expanded and began moving west, the railroad ordered them and large manufacturing companies in Cleveland, Ohio became known as the steel manufacturing capital of the country. Over the next 100 years they were perfected. During the World Wars the United States continued to be the leader in the manufacturing of stainless steel fasteners. In 1964 the International Organization for Standardization developed the universal thread system, changing from the common standard ISO Inch System to the ISO Metric System. The United States is the only country still using the ISO Inch System. Other countries have changed to the metric system.

As time went on other countries began to manufacture fasteners, and suddenly the United States had competition. Countries like Japan and China manufactured them at a lower price than the United States, and sales in the U.S. began to drop. By the mid to late 1900's complaints were heard about their quality. residential general contractors There was an investigation held by the U.S. Subcommittee, which found that the majority of faulty parts were made in the overseas countries however with the damage to the reputation, The Fastener Quality Act (FQA) came into place in 1990. Suddenly the United States sales of stainless fasteners began to rise, and now the stainless steel fastener business has risen to over $14 million a year. In the 1960's there were over 450 companies, and now there are thousands; there were 50,000 people all over the United States working in the stainless steel manufacturing business, now there are millions.

Because of the FQA, specifications and government codes must be met in all steel manufacturing industries. Foreign sales are still an issue in the United States, but the U.S. still leads in the manufacturing of stainless steel nuts, bolts, washer, screws, locks, and other types of accessories. Carpenters, plumbers, architectures, electricians, automobile manufacturing companies and the space industry all use stainless steel fasteners, and companies must build them to the required manufacturing specifications required by law. They can be purchased in hardware stores, department stores, grocery stores, and on the internet.