Fastener Materials

There are three main grades of carbon steel for fasteners:

• Low-carbon steel (max 0.32%) offers excellent ductility, good structural performance, and lower production costs for consumer goods and parts.
• Medium-carbon steel (0.32% to 0.6%) has enhanced toughness and strength for structural applications, automotive assemblies, and heavy equipment.
• High-carbon steel (0.6% to 1.2%) provides outstanding hardness, strength, wear resistance, and shock resistance for heavy-duty machinery.

Carbon steel fasteners are an excellent choice for general-purpose industrial applications and manufacturing processes that require hardness and toughness.

Alloy steels use chromium, molybdenum, silicon, or manganese for increased hardness and tensile strength. Chromoly steels also provide good corrosion resistance and heat resistance for automotive drivetrain components.

Alloy steel fasteners are popular for high-stress structural applications, agricultural machinery, industrial systems, and heavy equipment. Common examples include self-tapping screws, self-piercing rivets, and other thread-forming fasteners. 

Stainless steel is ideal for healthcare facilities, food and beverage manufacturing, food processing, and kitchen/home appliances. We offer fasteners in 302, 304 (18/8), and 316 stainless steel.

Grade 304 is used for general-purpose corrosion needs, 302 SS is tailored to food and beverage applications, and 316 SS provides enhanced resistance to saltwater corrosion.

Aluminum is ideal for rivets. Aluminum fasteners are also heavily used in the aerospace, aviation, defense, and power generation industries because of the metal’s exceptional strength-to-weight ratio and environmental corrosion resistance. We create aluminum rivets and fasteners from 2024-T4, 2011-T3, 1000-series, 6061, and many 5000- and 6000-series alloys.

Copper fasteners serve both consumer and industrial markets. Copper rivets are popular in consumer goods (e.g., jeans and bags) for style. In industrial applications, copper fasteners are valuable for their exceptional corrosion resistance, thermal properties, and electrical conductivity. We use CDA 102, CDA 110, and other grades for custom copper fasteners.

We manufacture a variety of brass fasteners, including pins, rivets, studs, screws, SEMS, and bolts. Brass delivers outstanding corrosion resistance in marine applications, extreme temperatures, and other demanding environments. Standard grades include CDA 260 and CDA 270, but we also work with custom grades per client specifications.

At Valley Fastener Group, we specialize in custom fasteners made from high-grade materials. Our rivets, screws, bolts, and other cold-headed fasteners have an impeccable reputation for quality and precision. We work extensively with automotive manufacturers, consumer goods companies, and countless other industrial OEMs that need reliable, high-performance fasteners. Request a quote today to find the perfect solution for your needs.