Shoulder bolts are versatile pieces of hardware that you might need to use at your facility for any of a number of different possible applications.

You need to learn a little bit about what shoulder bolts are and how they are used to take full advantage of the various applications this hardware type offers.

The following are five facts you really need to know about shoulder bolts:

Usually, shoulder bolts need to be specially ordered and aren't available from general hardware suppliers.

One of the first things to realize if you need to supply your facility with shoulder bolts is that they may not be regularly stocked by your hardware provider. Instead, you may have to put in a special order for them.

This means that you'll need to plan ahead to meet your hardware requirements because you cannot simply restock shoulder bolts at any time. 

The design of shoulder bolts includes three basic components.

All shoulder bolts are divided into three main components. A shoulder bolt consists of a head at the top, shoulder in the middle, and thread at the bottom.

These components are broken down into several key measurements that describe the dimensions of a shoulder bolt. These measurements include variations in the size of the head diameter, shoulder length, head undercut, thread length, and shoulder diameter. 

Components such as cam followers, gears, pulleys, and sprockets can be used in combination with shoulder bolts.

Shoulder bolts offer a great deal of versatility in terms of the applications they can be used for because so many attachments and components can be added to them to get various jobs done.

Just a few of the numerous add-on components include cam followers, gears, pulleys, and sprockets. 

An installed shoulder bolt will leave a journal.

It's standard practice for an installed shoulder bolt to allow some unthreaded portion to remain after the bolt is put in place. The journal is then used as either a dowel or shaft when the shoulder bolt is used as part of machinery design.

Finding the right shoulder bolt depends on sizing the shoulder length and ball bearing measurements properly.

Probably the two most important measurements when it comes to finding the right shoulder bolts for your unique needs are the shoulder length measurement and the ball bearing measurement.

These measurement are important for placing the shoulder bolt properly within the larger context of the machinery piece it is used for.