Key Elements: The Finishes
Nails can be Bright, Cement Coated, Galvanised, Stainless Steel or Aluminium.
These different finishes, coatings or material of nails give different levels of protection of resistance to rusting or other special properties to certain applications.
Bright finish is without any form of protection and is the most economical choice, but the nails will start to rust before nails that have a protective treatment. Used in applications where no protection is required, for example a one way disposal pallet. As all standard nails come with this finish, no abbreviation is used to identify it in SKU codes.
Galvanised Nails. Galvanising, or coating with Zinc, is the best way to prevent nails from corroding. The zinc does not protect the steel of the nail, but is corroded first. The thicker the zinc coating, the longer it will be before the nail is attacked. The thickest coating is called hot dipped and is applied by dipping the nails into a bath of molten zinc.
Galvanised protection is measured in Microns (each Micron is 0.000001 of an metre thick). The thicker the micron coating the better the protection level of the galvanised nails. Stanley galvanised nails offer 8, 13, 50 micron levels and these are identified in SKU codes as follows:
- G8 = 8 Micron - Used predominantly in the UK market for Fencing & Garden products.
- BG = 13 Micron - Give better protection than G8 and are minimum requirement for certain regions.
- G50 = 50 Micron- Used in construction markets, generally twice the cost of standard finish fasteners.
Stainless Steel nails are used when other finishes are not sufficient and need the maximum protection we can offer. For example: stainless steel nails are ideal motorway fencing where a fastener’s life is very important or in applications which are exposed to salt water. Our stainless steel nails are identified in SKU codes as either BI or SS (Short for BosInox & Stainless Steel).
Aluminium. A limited range of fasteners are available in this material, but they do have some advantages.
Where a timber joint has to be held and later cut, aluminium nails are used as it is a softer material, reducing the impact on the saw blades and machinery of the joiner/ manufacturer. This material, being softer, cannot be made into long lengths of fastener or be driven into some harder species of timber. However, the lighter properties of aluminium nails are an advantage and also offer better rust resistance than galvanised nails. Identified in SKU codes as AL or ALU.