Newest FAQs
20’ lengths of all thread rod are not commercially available off the shelf and would have to be custom made to order. In most instances, all thread rod is cut to length and it is more economical to use more sticks of standard 12 foot and shorter sizes. If a 20 foot connection is needed,... Read more
A325 structural bolts start at ½” diameter with the shortest length available being 1-1/4”. As far as the ASTM specification is concerned, there is not an official documented reason as to why they are not readily available; however when asked to provide 1” length, we have found that they are not easily obtained in the marketplace.... Read more
ASTM F3125 Grades A490 and A325 structural bolts are mass-produced through 1-1/4” diameter. However, there is an exception for 1/2” A490 bolts. Compared to other diameters, these are not commonly used. Therefore, 1/2” diameter A490 bolts are not mass-produced and are not readily available in the marketplace. There are a couple of ways to work around this. First,... Read more
In most situations you can. A leveling nut is a term that refers to the application of the nut rather than the physical dimensions of the nut. Many times they are called out as “jam” or “half” nuts because they can be cheaper, do not need to provide structural value, and are just used for leveling purposes. ... Read more
No. In 2015, ASTM changed the diameter parameters from 1/4”- 4” to 1/2”- 4”; eliminating 1/4” and 3/8” diameters from the specification. This was in part due to the lack of material availability that had the test reports or traceability in these smaller diameters that conformed to the F1554 requirements. If your project requires F1554... Read more
Unlike shear plates, split rings are not made to a particular specification. Shear plates are made to a dimensional specification, ASTM D5933 and are made from a malleable casting meeting the ASTM A47 Grade 32510 specification. This is a specification that covers ferritic malleable castings intended for general use. Other products which are made to... Read more
Although these terms are used interchangeably, lags should technically be referred to as a screw and not as a bolt. A bolt is a fastener with machine thread that can accept a nut. A bolt is properly assembled and tightened by rotating the nut. A screw, on the other hand, is a fastener that is... Read more
Under the new F3125 and original A325 specification, fully threaded structural bolts are allowable if the length of the bolt does not exceed 4 times the diameter (for more information please refer to our article: What is an A325T bolt?). We recently had a customer ask about how close the threads need to be to... Read more
Portland Bolt does not have a traditional catalog or price list. The reason for this is because the majority of fasteners supplied by Portland Bolt are custom made on a per order basis. Once manufactured, the parts are shipped out immediately to the end user, so a price list would not be easy to compile. Portland... Read more
For most tie rod assemblies that Portland Bolt provides, the clevises would be forged per ASTM A668 Class A, while the turnbuckles would be manufactured per ASTM F1145 class B. ASTM A668 is a general forging specification whereas F1145 covers turnbuckles specifically. If higher strength clevises are required to develop the strength of high strength... Read more
