Ask the Expert

Question: What information do I need to provide when ordering bolts or requesting a quotation to ensure that I receive the correct product?

Answer: Below is list of information to provide and an explanation of how each factor effects price and lead time.

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Question: Does commercially available mild steel all thread rod meet ASTM F1554 grade 36?

Answer: In almost all cases, commercially available all thread rod will not meet F1554 grade 36.

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Question: Can high strength bolts be hot-dip galvanized?

Answer: Some high strength bolts can be galvanized while others cannot.

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Question: Can welding be performed on high strength anchor bolts and fasteners?

Answer: The short answer is that in most cases, welding is not allowed on high strength bolts.

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Question: What is the difference between a bolt with rolled threads and one with cut threads and does a fastener with a reduced body and rolled threads meet ASTM specifications?

Answer: Threads of a mechanical fastener, regardless of whether it is a headed bolt,rod, or bent bolt, can be produced by either cutting or rolling.

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Question: Can a rod with a welded nut be substituted for a bolt with a forged head?

Answer: When a rod with a nut is substituted for a bolt with a forged head, two issues come into play. In-house mechanical testing performed by Portland Bolt on headed bolts versus rods with a nut, both from the identical lots of steel, the rod with a nut developed up to 12% less strength than the comparable headed bolt.

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Question: Are SAE Grade 2, 5, and 8 bolts available in diameters over 1½”?

Answer: No, SAE only covers bolts up to and including 1½” diameter. SAE J429 (1999), the specification that covers Grade 2, 5, and 8 fasteners, states, “This SAE standard covers the mechanical and material requirements for inch-series steel bolts, screws, studs, SEMS, and U-bolts used for automotive and related industries in sizes to 1½ in. inclusive.”

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Have you ever had a fastener company try and talk you into substituting A193 grade B7 all thread rod for F1554 grade 55 anchor rods, claiming it’s “better?” Have you allowed them to substitute an all thread rod with a nut tack welded in lieu of a headed bolt? These are scenarios that come up [...] Read More...

A comprehensive look at the differences between fastener manufacturers and fastener distributors. This article covers potential considerations to take when choosing a bolt supplier, as well as comparisons between several different types of bolt suppliers. Read More...

Question: How do I determine the strength of a specific diameter of bolt?

Answer: In most cases, the strength of a given material used to make a fastener has strength requirements or parameters described as pounds per square inch (psi) or thousands of pounds per square inch (ksi). This is helpful when analyzing what grade of material should be used for a given application, but this doesn’t tell us the actual strength of that diameter of material. In order to calculate the actual strength values of a given diameter, you would use the following formulas:

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Question: How much thread engagement is recommended, i.e. how many threads should extend beyond the nut?

Answer: This is a difficult question to answer. Depending on your application, the answer could be anywhere from ¾ engagement, up to having two full threads extend beyond the nut. Look at these conflicting answers found in three separate technical publications.

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Question: Will imported A307 grade A hex bolts meet the requirements of F1554 grade 36?

Answer: Anchor bolts which are embedded in concrete and used for structural anchorage purposes can assume several forms.

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Question: What is the Pullout Strength of Portland Bolt’s Anchor Bolts?
Answer: This is a question that we are asked on a regular basis, and one that we do not have a clear answer for due to the variety of factors involved in making this calculation.

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Question: Does Portland Bolt sell metric anchor bolt sleeves?

Answer: Portland Bolt does not sell metric anchor sleeves but we do provide them all the time using a soft imperial conversion.

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Question: What is the length tolerance for a bolt?

Answer: ASME B18.2.1 has a table that deals with the length tolerance for square, hex, heavy hex, and askew head bolts.

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Question: Can I weld to your malleable beveled washers?

Answer: Along with shear plates and round malleable washers, malleable beveled washers are made with ASTM A47 cast malleable iron.

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Question: What is the difference between the two types of anchor bolt sleeves that Portland Bolt stocks?

Answer: Portland Bolt inventories two different lines of anchor bolt sleeves, Wilson and Contec.

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Question: Do torque charts for tensioning fasteners apply to anchor bolts?

Answer: The AISC Steel Construction Manual, 13th Edition has this to say about anchor rod nut installation.

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Question: What forms of payment does Portland Bolt accept?

Answer: Portland Bolt cannot ship an order until it has been paid for in some fashion.

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Question: Can I get a copy of the Certification documents before I place my order?

Answer: This question comes up with some regularity at Portland Bolt and by necessity the answer is no.

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Question: Can the Anchor bolts Type ASTM F1554 Grade 36 be replaced with ASTM A307 Grade 36?

Answer: ASTM A36 is a steel grade, not a bolt specification. A307 and F1554 grade 36 are ASTM specifications covering bolts.

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Question: Can I substitute Grade 5 or A449 bolts for F1554 grade 55 bolts?

Answer: In most circumstances the answer is no. For Grade 5 the answer is never.

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