Types of screws: When is which screw used?
There are different types of screws with a wide range of threads and screw profiles. Which one is right for you depends not only on the material but also on how tightly the screw needs to be tightened.
What is the difference between wood and metal screws?
- wood screws
are screwed directly into the material and therefore have a point at the end of the screw. - Metal screws
are not normally screwed directly into the material : For this purpose, a suitable hole must first be drilled into the metal, then they are screwed tight with a nut.
Exceptions to this are self-drilling metal screws, but these are not suitable for every metal.
Screw profiles
For proper screwing, the profile of the screw and the bit must match exactly . This is the only way to ensure neither the screw nor the bit are damaged and prevent slippage.
Profiles for simple screw work
There are a variety of profiles, some common ones for simple screw work are:
- Phillips
- Pozidriv
- external hexagon
They are sufficient for simple tightening and multiple screwing and unscrewing.
Tighten the screw particularly tightly
However, if the screw needs to be tightened particularly tightly, then the following are suitable:
- Inbus® or
- Torx® screws are best.
The many corners and edges in the profile of the screw head prevent slipping and the screw can be easily tightened even at the stop.
Matching products
Security profiles
For particularly complicated components or items that should only be unscrewed with authorization, there are so-called security profiles . These are custom-made products for which there is often no tool available in mass production. A good example of this is one-way slotted screws. These can only be screwed in one direction and, due to their design, cannot be opened again. These are particularly secure, but Torx® "Tamper Resistant" screws are also relatively theft-proof and can only be opened with the help of specially manufactured tools.
