Specialty & everyday screw sizes
Not everything is metric. These pages cover the imperial, self-tapping and job-specific fasteners people actually search for — license plates, PC drives, wall plates, cabinet pulls, tripods, furniture, boats and more.
License plate screws#14 x 3/4" self-tapping (most US domestic cars & trucks)US-market bumpers usually take a coarse self-tapping screw that cuts its own thread into a plastic or sheet-metal boss. Import vehicles use a real machine thread (usually M6) into a captive nut or plastic clip. If the screw turns forever without biting, the plastic boss is stripped — go one size up or fit a nylon plate clip.PC case, hard drive & SSD screws6-32 UNC x 3/16" — 3.5" hard drives, PSU, expansion slot covers, case side panelsThe single most confusing mix in the whole PC world: 3.5" drives are imperial 6-32, 2.5" drives are metric M3. They look nearly identical. Forcing a 6-32 into an M3 hole destroys the drive's threads.Camera, tripod & rig screws1/4"-20 UNC — universal camera baseplate, quick-release plates, cage accessoriesCamera bodies are imperial worldwide (1/4-20), but the accessory holes drilled into cages are usually metric M4. Do not force an M6 into a 1/4-20 hole — they are close but not compatible.TV wall mount (VESA) screwsM4 x 10–16mm — small TVs and monitors (VESA 75x75 / 100x100)The screen side is metric; the wall side of the same mount kit is often imperial lag bolts. Length matters more than thread here — too long and you bottom out against the panel electronics. Add spacers rather than a longer screw.Eyeglass, sunglass & hinge screws1.4mm x 2.0–3.0mm — hinge screws on most metal and plastic framesOptical screws are quoted by thread diameter alone (1.4mm), not with the M prefix, and the same frame often takes three different lengths at hinge, pad arm and temple. A drop of thread locker or a nylon-patch screw stops them backing out.Wall plate, outlet & switch screws6-32 x 1/2" — outlet and switch cover plates (oval-head)Standard US electrical hardware is 6-32; 8-32 shows up on ganged commercial plates and fixture straps. Longer 6-32 screws are the fix when a plate sits proud of thick tile.Cabinet handle, pull & knob screws8-32 — the standard US cabinet knob and pull thread8-32 and M4 are close enough to start by hand and then bind — if it feels gritty after two turns, back it out. Thicker doors or added backplates need longer screws; buy an assortment in 1/2" steps.Door hinge, strike & latch screws#9 x 1" — standard residential hinge screwsHinge and strike screws are wood screws, not machine screws. The classic fix for a sagging or kick-in-prone door is replacing one screw per hinge and both strike screws with 3" screws that reach the framing.Toilet seat & bathroom fixture screws1/4"-20 x 2–3" plastic or stainless — toilet seat hinge boltsMetal bolts seize with corrosion; nylon bolts snap. Plastic seat bolts with a wing nut are the common replacement and never rust into the porcelain.Ceiling fan & light fixture screws8-32 x 1/2–1" — fixture straps, canopies and crossbarsNever mount a fan on a plain light box — use a fan-rated box. Green screws in these kits are the ground screws and are always 10-32 or 8-32.Watch, jewelry & micro screws1.2mm and 1.4mm — bracelet link screws and case-back screwsWatch link screws often come as a screw and a threaded sleeve pair — losing the sleeve is worse than losing the screw. Blue thread locker is normal on link screws.Phone & tablet repair screwsM1.2 x 2–3mm — internal shields and bracket screws on most Android phonesPhone screws are strictly length-sorted — a screw 0.5mm too long punches through a board or display. Use a magnetic mat and photograph each stage. Apple documents drive types, not thread sizes, so most iPhone screws are ordered by model, not by M-size.Self-tapping screws for plastic housingsØ1.7–2.0mm x 4–6mm — small consumer electronics housingsThese are thread-forming (PT / Plastite / "D-style") screws, quoted by shank diameter, not an M size. Reusing the same hole too many times strips the boss — go 0.2mm up in diameter or use a brass insert. A metric machine screw will feel loose in a boss made for a self-tapper.Flat-pack furniture & bed frame screwsM6 x 12–70mm — the standard cam-lock bolt / connector bolt threadNearly all flat-pack hardware is metric even in the US. Losing one bolt does not mean buying a new kit — measure the barrel nut too, since the thread must match it, not the wood.Bicycle & e-scooter screwsM5 x 12–20mm — bottle cages, brake and shifter clamps, disc-brake adaptersTorque matters more than size on carbon and alloy parts — most bike bolts are 4–6 Nm and strip easily. Disc rotor bolts are T25 M5 and should always get thread locker.Appliance & HVAC sheet-metal screws#8 x 1/2" hex-head self-drilling — ductwork, furnace panels, appliance backsHex-head sheet-metal screws ("zip screws") drive with a 1/4" nut driver. Reusing the same hole in thin sheet metal spins free — move over, or step up to #10.Skateboard & longboard hardware10-32 x 7/8"–1" — standard deck-to-truck mounting boltsAdd 1/8" of bolt length for every 1/8" of riser. Countersunk (flat) heads sit flush in the deck; button heads do not.Guitar & instrument screws#4 x 5/8" — pickguard and control-plate wood screwsUS-built instruments are largely imperial wood and machine screws; import bridges are metric. Mixing them cross-threads the bridge posts, which is an expensive fix. Always drill a pilot hole in a maple neck.Rack mount & server screwsM6 x 16mm + cage nut — the modern 19" rack standardNever mix cage-nut sizes in one rack — an M6 screw started into an M5 cage nut destroys both. Nylon washers keep painted rails from chipping.Drone & FPV screwsM2 x 4–8mm — motors to arms, camera plates, stack mounting on 3" buildsMotor screws that are 1mm too long punch straight into the motor windings — always test-fit with the arm. Nylon-insert nuts and thread locker are standard because vibration backs everything out.Small engine & outdoor power equipment screwsM5 / M6 machine screws — carburetor, air-box and cover hardware on imported enginesShear pins are meant to break — replacing one with a hardened bolt destroys the gearbox. Engine covers on imported units are metric even when the deck is imperial.Boat & marine screws#8 and #10 x 3/4–1-1/2" 316 stainless — deck hardware, trim, cleatsUse 316 (A4) stainless, not 304 — 304 pits and streaks in salt within a season. Bed every fastener that goes through the deck in sealant or you invite core rot.
Buy these screws at TechSpare Warehouse
In stock and shipped from South Carolina. Our black screws are Phillips wafer head (low profile); match the head style and length to the original before you order.
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M6 x 16mm Black Wafer Head Rack Screws for Rittal DK 7094.100 / 7094.110 / 7094.140 19-inch Rack – 20-Pack Replacement
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M6 x 16mm Black Wafer Head Awning & Box Screws for Thule Awning 326 / 327 / 328, Conduit Box 317 & Xpedition 820 / 821 (50333) – 8-Pack Replacement
$6.99Choose size
