Fasteners

Fasteners is a term which describes a hardware commodity that includes bolts, nuts, screws, washers, pins, rivets, clamps, nails, anchor hardware, rings, and decorative hardware. These fasteners can be manufactured by cold forming, screw machining, stamping, extruding and molding. Fasteners are generally small and can be held in the palm of a hand. but some bolts can exceed 4 inches in diameter and 100 inches in length. Manufacturers use fasteners to assemble products. For example, a bumper can be assembled to a car frame by using bolts, nuts and washers, or a home is assembled using a variety of nails, stampings and bolts. Materials used for making fasteners are endless and include steels, stainless steels, plastics, fibers, brass, copper, bronze, and monels. China and Taiwan are the source for 90% or more of the world's standard fasteners.

Standard fasteners are made in accordance with specifications published by such standards organizations as ANSI (American National Standards Institute), SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), and ASTM (American Society of Testing Materials). Different organizations govern specifications of fasteners made in other countries such as DIN in Europe and JIS in Japan.

Prices of fasteners are governed primarily by the free-market rules of supply and demand, but also by the relative values of international currencies. China, in 2009, is the world's largest producer and consumer of fasteners.

Sonfast Corporation is a small, U.S. based distributor and importer of fasteners. Sonfast was organized under the laws of Maryland in 1979 and in 2009 has warehouses in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica.

Fastener Catalog

A "Fastener Catalog" is available at www.sonfast.com and includes 24,000 standard fasteners for easy on-line purchasing. The Sonfast Fastener catalog includes screws, nuts, bolts, washers, rivets, anchor hardware, rings, and a proprietary line of door and window hardware. The on-line Fastener Catalog is a one-stop source for OEM purchasing agents, buyers and MRO (Maintenance and Repair) buyers to shop for their parts. Most items are available from stock and can be shipped the same day as ordered.