The three basic types are carriage bolts, stove bolts, and machine bolts. Other types include the masonry bolt and anchor, toggle bolt, and expansion bolt, which are used to distribute weight when fastening something to a hollow wall. Machine bolts are manufactured in two gauges: fine-threaded and coarse. Carriage and stove bolts are coarse-threaded. Bolt size is measured by shank diameter and by threads per inch, expressed as diameter by threads (for example, 1/4 X 20). Carriage bolts are available up to 10 inches long, stove bolts up to 6 inches, and machine bolts up to 30 inches. Larger sizes usually must be special ordered.
Bolts gain additional strength through the use of a nut or washer as an anchor. Here are some of the more common bolts to keep in your toolbox: Carriage Bolts: Carriage bolts are used mainly in making furniture. They have a round head with a square collar and are tightened into place with a nut and wrench. The collar fits into a prebored hole or twists into the wood, preventing the bolt from turning as the nut is tightened. Carriage bolts are coarse-threaded and are available in diameters from 316 to 3/4 inch and lengths from 1/2 inch to 10 inches. Stove Bolts: Stove bolts aren't just for stoves; they are quite versatile and can be used for almost any fastening job. They are available in a wide range of sizes, have a slotted head -- flat, oval, or round, like screws -- and are driven with a screwdriver or tightened into place with a nut and wrench. Most stove bolts are completely threaded, but the larger ones may have a smooth shank near the bolt head. Stove bolts are coarse-threaded and are available in diameters from 532 to 1/2inch and lengths from 3/8 inch to 6 inches. Machine Bolts: Machine bolts have either a square head or a hexagonal head. They are fastened with square nuts or hex nuts and are wrench-driven. Machine bolts are manufactured in very large sizes; the bolt diameter increases with length. They are either coarse-threaded or fine-threaded and are available in diameters from 1/4 inch to 2 inches and lengths from 1/4 inch to 30 inches. Masonry Bolts and Anchors: These work on the same principle as the lag bolt or screw; a plastic sleeve expands inside a predrilled hole as the bolt is tightened. Hollow Wall Bolts: Toggle bolts and expansion bolts are used for fastening lightweight objects, such as picture frames, to hollow walls. Toggle bolt wings are opened inside the wall by a spring. Expansion bolts are inserted into an expansion jacket, which expands as the bolt is tightened. The bolts are available in diameters from 1/8 to 1/2 inch and lengths up to 8 inches for walls as thick as 13/4 inches.
Bolt vs Screw Though many times confused by amateurs, bolts and screws are different types of fasteners. Bolts are headed fasteners with external threads suitable for non-tapered nut. They require a nut (or some other thread) as a counter - to lock the joint. The bolts are made with uniform threads satisfying the standard specifications such as UNJ, UNR, MJ etc. and are used in most industrial applications secured with a spring-washer or a locktite. To sum it up, bolts are designed to use as a fastener placed through already drilled holes in the machine parts and these requires a nut to tighten it from the other end. Screws are headed externally threaded types of fasteners without meeting the standard specifications of the bolts. They are shafts with provision at one end to turn the screw and have a helical thread on its surface, which is capable of piercing strongly into the surface. They do not require a nut and are used mostly in home-based application such a connecting a picture to the wall. It is actually the simplest example of converting torque into linear force. Head types Depending up on the design of the heads the screws/bolts are named differently. Pan head is a low disc with chamfered outer edge. Hexagon head bolts are generally used for bigger loads. Socket head is a cylinder with (usually) Hex socket (Allen) opening those bolts usually have the smallest head. Flat head or countersunk screws are conically shaped with tapering inner face and flat outer face. It will allow the screw to sink into the material providing flat surface. There are also many special types of bolts with different heads including oval or raised head, bugle head, cheese head. Even square head screws are present as well as there are headless screws and bolts. Bolt and Screw types