Your First Choice for Fasteners and Fixings in the UK

Your Number One Choice for Fasteners and Fixings in the UK

In a market as technically demanding, commercially competitive, and operationally critical as the UK fasteners and fixings industry, the question of which supplier to trust is not one to be taken lightly. A supplier to trust with your procurement, your specifications, and ultimately your production. The consequences of a poor fastener supply partnership can ripple into production delays, engineering failures, and costs that far exceed whatever short-term saving a cheaper or less capable supplier might have appeared to offer.

Here at Rapid Industrial Fasteners, we pride ourselves on being an established fasteners and fixings supplier. Combining in-house bespoke manufacturing capability with a comprehensive distribution operation to offer a breadth and depth of service that no comparable supplier can match.

A Business Built on Both Sides of the Fastener Industry

The UK fastener market contains many distributors, businesses that source and supply standard and specialist fasteners from domestic and international manufacturers. It also contains manufacturers who produce fasteners to order.

Far fewer businesses operate with genuine competence and capacity on both sides of that divide simultaneously.

We manufacturer bespoke specialist fasteners to custom drawing and specifications, whilst also stocking and distributing an extensive range of standard and non-standard fasteners. Complete across a comprehensive portfolio of materials, grades, dimensions, and standards.

This dual capability is not a marketing construct, it is a genuine operational reality. One that delivers tangible advantages to customers at every stage of their fasteners and fixings procurement process.

For customers whose requirements fall within a standard product range, we offer the depth of stockholding, technical knowledge, and responsive service as a specialist distributor.

For customers, whose requirements cannot be met from our standard range, we manufacturing to the exact specification required. Covering dimensional specifics, material grades, thread forms, head configuration, or any other parameter.

And, for customers, whose requirements spans both categories, there is a single, seamless supply relationship rather than the fragmented and administratively burdensome experience of managing multiple suppliers.

This integrated capability is, at its core, what makes us the number one choice for fasteners and fixings across the world.

Precision Without Compromise

Our bespoke manufacturing capability is both a differentiating and significant asset. In an industrial landscape where the demands placed upon fasteners and fixings are becoming increasingly sophisticated, the ability to produce to exact specifications, is a capability of genuine and growing commercial value. Notably driven by the requirements of aerospace, defence, energy, precision engineering, and advanced manufacturing.

Specialist Materials

One of the most frequent drivers of bespoke fastener requirements is the need for a component in a specialist material that standard catalogue products do not cover. The range of materials in which we can manufacture encompasses the full spectrum of industrial fastener alloys.

View our extensive lists here.

Our material breadth is not incidental. It reflects a deliberate investment in the knowledge, equipment, and supply relationships needed to work competently with demanding alloys. It positions us as a supplier capable of meeting the most exacting material specifications across the full range of industries and applications it serves.

Comprehensive, Responsive and Technically Informed

Alongside our manufacturing capability, we operate a professional fastener distribution centre. Combining the breadth of our product range with the technical knowledge and customer service standards that distinguish a specialist supplier from a commodity vendor.

The foundation of any effective fastener distribution operation is the range and depth of its stockholding. Our customers need to be able to source the fasteners and fixings they need in the right size, grade, material, and standard. Without facing the delays and cost implications of special-order procurement for every non-standard requirement.

We a comprehensive stockholding across bolts, nuts, screws, washers, studs, pins, rivets, and a full range of associated products. Covering standard grades and materials as well as the specialist and higher-grade products that more demanding applications require.

Speed of Response

The name Rapid Industrial Fasteners reflects a genuine operational commitment to speed and responsiveness. In manufacturing and maintenance environments, fastener requirements are often urgent. A production line cannot wait, a critical maintenance window is open for a finite period, a project delivery date is fixed. The ability to respond rapidly to customer enquiries, process orders efficiently, and despatch stock promptly is a commercial capability that we’ve deliberately built into our operational model.

For customers whose businesses depend on getting the right fastener to the right place at the right time, this responsiveness is not a peripheral nicety. It is a core requirement that we consistently deliver upon.

Technical Expertise

Perhaps the most undervalued aspect of a specialist fastener distributor’s offering is the technical knowledge that sits behind the product range. Fastener selection is not always straightforward. The correct specification of a fastener for a given application requires an understanding of whole range of requirements. In particular, load, environmental conditions, material compatibility, thread engagement, torque and preload, surface treatment. A range of other additional technical factors that interact in ways that are not always intuitive. Getting these decisions wrong can have consequences ranging from premature component failure to safety-critical incidents.

Our teams at Rapid Industrial Fasteners bring deep technical knowledge to every customer interaction. All our customers receive technically informed guidance. Focusing on our grown expertise is one of the most important dimensions of the value, that we deliver to our customers.

The Rapid Industrial Fasteners Difference

In a market served by many distributors and manufacturers, many  offer competent and professional services within their niche. What distinguishes us as the number one company for fasteners and fixings in the UK, is a combination of factors that no comparable supplier can match.

If you’re looking for expert advice and quality manufacturing, our teams are ready to assist.

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1.1/5 Dowel Manufactured from 347 Stainless Steel

A precision-manufactured fixing solution, designed to meet requirements across high-temperature and high-stress industrial environments.

Our latest bespoke component exemplifies the kind of specialist fastener manufacturing capability that modern industries require. From Aerospace Engineering to Power Generation infrastructure, many sectors rely upon bespoke manufactured components, when off-the-shelf products can’t quite meet the specification.

In an era where industrial performance demands are pushing the boundaries of material science, the specification of the correct fastener for the correct application has never been more critical.

What is 347 Stainless Steel and Why Does It Matter?

When engineers and procurement specialists are sourcing high-performance fasteners and fixings for demanding applications, the choice of base material is paramount. 347 Stainless Steel is an austenitic chromium-nickel stainless steel that has been stabilised through the addition of Niobium. A refractory metal element that fundamentally transforms the alloy’s performance characteristics under thermal stress.

The stabilisation with Niobium is not incidental. It is the defining feature that sets 347 Stainless Steel apart from standard austenitic grades such as 304 or 316. Niobium effectively prevents sensitisation (the migration of chromium carbides to grain boundaries during prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures). Meaning for environments where fasteners are repeatedly cycled through high temperatures, 347 maintains its corrosion resistance and structural integrity in ways that un-stabilised grades cannot.

Material Properties

Understanding the full property profile of 347 Stainless Steel is essential for those making informed fastener selection decisions. The following characteristics make this grade a compelling choice across a range of specialist applications:

High-temperature service capability – 347 maintains structural integrity and corrosion resistance at service temperatures of up to 900°C. This makes it an outstanding material choice for components operating within or adjacent to heat-intensive systems. Be it within, jet engine assemblies, turbine housings, furnace structures, or power plant components.

Excellent creep strength – creep is the tendency of a material to deform permanently under sustained mechanical stress at elevated temperature. One of the primary failure modes for fasteners in high-temperature applications. 347 offers superior creep strength compared to many alternative grades, making it a preferred specification for long-term load-bearing fixings within thermally aggressive environments.

Outstanding weldability – one of the most practically significant properties of 347 is its excellent weldability. The Niobium stabilisation prevents weld decay, a phenomenon that can severely compromise the corrosion resistance of the heat-affected zone in welded assemblies. For fabricators and structural engineers working with stainless steel structures that incorporate welded fastener interfaces, this characteristic simplifies the fabrication process and supports higher-quality, more durable joint integrity.

Durability and Long Service Life – when total cost of ownership is factored into fastener procurement decisions, the durability of 347 presents a compelling commercial case. Reduced maintenance intervals, lower rates of in-service replacement, and decreased risk of corrosion-related failures all contribute to a lower lifetime cost (despite a higher initial material value compared to standard grades).

Niobium stabilisation – the presence of Niobium as a stabilising element is a differentiating feature that merits its own emphasis in any technical specification. Niobium forms stable carbides in preference to chromium, thereby preserving the free chromium content of the alloy and maintaining the passive oxide layer that gives stainless steel its fundamental corrosion resistance. In applications where fasteners are in sustained service at elevated temperatures, this stabilisation mechanism is critical.

Application Landscape

Our bespoke 1.1/5 dowel in 347 Stainless Steel have been expertly manufactured to serve industries and application environments where standard fasteners are insufficient.

The Aerospace sector operates at the very frontier of fastener performance requirements. Components must withstand extreme thermal cycling, vibration, mechanical load, and exposure to aggressive chemical environments. 347 Stainless Steel dowels are well suited to aerospace sub-assemblies, engine mounting systems, and structural components where elevated temperature performance and material traceability are mandatory. With increasing demand for lightweight, high-performance alloy components across both commercial and defence aviation, the specification of precision bespoke fasteners from proven high-grade materials continues to grow.

Requirements can be complex. Standard fasteners certainly hold their respective solution base within many sectors. However, for industries with unique specifications spanning Power Generation, Precision Manufacturing, Chemical and Petrochemical, bespoke manufacturing is undoubtedly the go-to solution.

Bespoke Manufacturing

Bespoke fastener manufacturing offers several important advantages for engineers and end users. Standard fastener ranges, however comprehensive, cannot always accommodate the dimensional requirements of every application. Bespoke manufacturing ensures the precise production to exact drawing specifications. Eliminating compromise and ensuring fit, function, and interchangeability without adaptation.

Competitive Lead Times

Whilst bespoke manufacturing has historically been associated with extended lead times, here at Rapid Industrial Fasteners, we ensure the production capability and material stockholding to turn around precision bespoke components in commercially competitive timeframes.

If you are working on an application that demands precision-engineered fasteners or fixings, with a specialised material, our team is available to discuss your specific requirements.

We manufacture bespoke dowels, bolts, studs, screws, washers, pegs, pins, nuts, (an endless list) to drawings across a comprehensive range of high-performance materials.

Whether your requirement is a single project component or a production batch for an ongoing programme, we have the capability, material knowledge, and quality management systems to support your specification from enquiry through to delivery.

Our teams are always ready to assist.

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The Engineering Legacy Behind One of Our Industry’s Most Trusted Fastener Standards

5/6 UNF Screw 12.7mm

Few fastener specifications carry the weight of history, technical rigour and cross-border standardisation quite like the UNF (Unified National Fine thread).

Whether you are specifying components for a critical structural assembly or sourcing reliable fixings for a high-vibration environment, our 5/6 UNF Screw at 12.7mm represents a benchmark in fastener engineering that has stood the test of time.

Post-War Origins of a Global Standard

To appreciate the true value of UNF threading, it is essential to understand where it came from and why it was created. The UNF thread standard was formally established in 1949, emerging directly from the industrial and political complexities of the post-Second World War period. During the war, manufacturing collaboration between the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, had exposed a significant and costly problem. The three nations were producing threaded fasteners that were fundamentally incompatible with one another. British Standard Whitworth threads, which had dominated British engineering since the Victorian era, did not align with the American National thread forms being used across the Atlantic. This incompatibility caused very real logistical headaches during wartime production and maintenance operations. Where machinery, vehicles and equipment, frequently needed servicing using components sourced across national boundaries.

In response to this challenge, engineers and standards bodies from all three nations came together to develop a unified solution. The result was the Unified Thread Standard, which encompassed both the Unified National Coarse thread, known as UNC, and the Unified National Fine thread, known as UNF. This agreement in 1949 resolved decades of manufacturing friction and laid the foundation for a shared, interchangeable inch-based fastener system that could be relied upon across borders, industries, and applications.

It was one of the earliest and most successful examples of international industrial standardisation, and its legacy is still felt across global supply chains today.

What Defines UNF Threading and Why It Matters

The defining characteristic of UNF threading is its thread pitch. Compared to UNC fasteners of the same diameter, UNF threads feature a finer pitch, meaning more threads per inch are packed into the same length of shank. This seemingly small engineering detail has profound practical consequences for the performance of a fastener in service.

The increased thread density of UNF fasteners creates a significantly larger contact area between the male and female threads when assembled. This translates directly into enhanced grip strength, greater resistance to loosening under dynamic loads, and superior performance in applications where vibration is a persistent concern. In environments such as engine bays, structural joints subject to cyclic loading, aerospace assemblies, and precision instrumentation, these properties are not merely desirable but essential. A fastener that loosens under vibration can compromise the integrity of an entire assembly, with consequences ranging from costly maintenance downtime to catastrophic structural failure.

Specification and Application

The specific designation of a 5/6 UNF Screw at 12.7mm refers to a fastener that combines the dimensional precision of the UNF thread form with a shank length of 12.7mm, equating to precisely half an inch in imperial measurement. This length positions the fastener comfortably within the range favoured for medium-depth thread engagement in relatively compact assemblies. Making it highly versatile across a broad spectrum of industrial and engineering applications.

UNF in the Modern Fastener Market

Despite being a standard that dates back to the late 1940s, UNF threading remains firmly embedded in the contemporary fastener market. Demand is driven not only by the maintenance and servicing requirements of legacy equipment built to UNF specifications, but also by the continued preference among engineers for fine-threaded fasteners in new designs where vibration resistance and precision torque control are priorities.

 

Our commitment to quality, technical innovation, and customer support has established us as a trusted partner for fastening solutions. With advanced manufacturing technology, comprehensive quality systems, and deep materials expertise, we deliver fasteners that perform when failure is not an option.

For further information, please contact us today.

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