Newest FAQs
Portland Bolt is open from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. To be able to accommodate the needs of our customers across the country, we stagger the workday between our salespeople. Our Interactive Shipment Destination Map provides detailed shipping information showing that the second-largest concentration of Portland Bolt shipments is the... Read more
Portland Bolt is often asked which grade should be used in a structural application. More specifically, when asked what grade is required for a particular fastener that we are receiving an inquiry on, companies will often reply “it’s a structural grade” or “it’s for a structural application”. This usually is the result of a fastener being specified... Read more
ASTM standards are typically called out by their ASTM number and year of revision, for example F1554-07. Occasionally, when small revisions are made at ASTM that do not necessitate a full year revision, the year is annotated with a letter. We fielded a chat recently where this question came up. Below is the correspondence and... Read more
The answer to this question is yes! All three grades within the ASTM F1554 specification, Grade 36, Grade 55, and Grade 105, can be either hot-dip galvanized or mechanically galvanized. The issues of hydrogen embrittlement and/or mechanical properties being alerted during galvanizing are not an issue with any of these three grades. In Section 7... Read more
There are many grades of nuts available in the marketplace, from your “run of the mill” nuts like you’d find at a hardware store, to specialized high strength structural nuts. These nuts are made from different materials and get their strength in different ways. Low strength nuts are made from a variety of materials and... Read more
There are several ASTM specs which cover castings, including A47, A48, A536, and A668. ASTM A47 A47 covers malleable castings intended for general use up to temperatures around 750⁰ Fahrenheit. A47 castings come in one grade, available in metric and imperial. Common forgings specified to A47: Shear Plates, Beveled Washers ASTM A48 A48 covers gray... Read more
The “X” designates the connection type (bearing-type connection with threads excluded from the shear plane) and has nothing to do with the bolt itself. Therefore, an A325 structural bolt used in this type of connection will have no different markings than an A325 bolt used in a different type of connection (N or SC). All A325... Read more
The term “high strength” is a somewhat ambiguous fastener term. Most people in the industry would interpret the phrase “high strength” to refer to any bolt that has been quenched and tempered (heat treated) to develop its strength. Additionally, the ASTM specification F1554 Grade 55 is commonly referred to as being manufactured from a “high... Read more
AASHTO is the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. This organization sets standards for highway design and construction. As it relates to bolts, often times, bolts and other materials will be shown on plans for state transportation projects as having an AASHTO designation. These AASHTO numbers typically will correlate directly to a particular... Read more
I have noticed in specifications from multiple organizations that ASTM A193 Grade B7 bolts are selected along with ASTM A194 Grade 2H nuts. I know that from ASME B16.5 Flanges and Flanged Fittings, the recommended high strength bolt is ASTM A193 Grade B7. However I cannot find in ASTM A193, A194, ASME B16.5, B18.2.1, B18.2.2, B31.1... Read more