Cylinder screws hexagon socket partial threaded ISO 4762-stainless A2 M6x160 mm

Stainless steel refers to alloyed or unalloyed steels that contain at least 10.5% chromium and less than 1.2% carbon. Colloquially, stainless steel is also referred to as stainless steel (NiRo), although not all stainless steel is the same as "stainless".

Compared with a Phillips-head screw of the same size, a hex socket screw can withstand around ten times the torque. Hex socket screws are well suited to bolted joints where the screw heads are difficult to access due to the design of the structure. Hex socket screws can be countersunk to save space if protruding screw heads are a problem.

Austenitic stainless steels derive their different strength grades from cold working to varying degrees. The number 80 following the grade designation indicates the tensile strength as one-tenth for bolts. A bolt in strength class 70 therefore has a tensile strength of 700 N/mm². For nuts, the number 70 indicates a stress under test load of 700 N/mm².

Stainless steels are defined in DIN EN 10088-1 as iron alloys containing at least 10.5 per cent chromium and no more than 1.2 per cent carbon. The multi-part DIN EN ISO 3506 series of standards applies to mechanical fasteners made from stainless steels. Grade A2 is classified as non-acid-resistant. Austenitic stainless steels cannot be heat-treated and achieve their different strength classes through cold working to varying degrees.