What Is The Length Of A 6d Nail?

Image credit: KYTan/Shutterstock.com

Nails are used in a variety of structure tasks, for box making, furniture edifice, etc. Though non equally tightly defined as auto screws and basics which must mate with one some other, nails are standardized to some degree, specially those used for structural purposes. The following article tabulates some of the standard nail sizes and briefly describes the wide range of nails available through nail length charts.

Standard Smash Sizes/Nail Measurements

The blast size charts below illustrate industry standards for blast sizes and their dimensions. Under "nail size," the "penny size" (aka, pennyweight) refers to a standard nail unit. Nails are measured in pennies, believed to be from older times when nails were sold by the penny. At the fourth dimension, the abridgement for pennies was d, so nail sizes are described every bit 2d nails, 3d nails, etc. So a sixteen penny nail is too described as a 16d nail, and 8 penny nails are abbreviated as 8 d nails. Pennyweight does non correspond exactly to nail weight, gauge, or other measurements, all the same; for example common 10d nails are 3" long with a 5/16" head bore and a 9 approximate shank.

Though nonetheless in common use, the penny system is considered obsolete, and some international vendors do not use it. The shank diameter and length refer to the shaft part of the blast, called the shank, which is driven into the surface. The head is, of class, the top portion struck to drive the boom into the material.

Table 1 - Boom Sizes (Mutual Nails)

Smash Size		Shank Diameter	Shank Length	Head Diameter
Penny Size	Approximate	Nominal	Nominal	Approx.
2d nails	15	0.072	1"	3/sixteen"
	xiv	0.083	1"	thirteen/64"
3d nails	14	0.083	1.25"	13/64"
4d nails	12	0.109	one.5"	1/4"
5d nails	12	0.109	ane.75"	ane/4"
6d nails	11	0.12	2"	17/64"
8d nails	10	0.134	ii.5"	9/32"
10d nails	9	0.148	3"	5/16"
12d nails	9	0.148	three.25"	5/16"
16d nails	8	0.165	three.5"	xi/32"
20d nails	6	0.203	4"	13/32"
30d nails	5	0.22	4.5"	7/sixteen"
40d nails	4	0.238	5"	15/32"
60d nails	4	0.238	6"	17/32"

Table 2 - Nail Sizes (Box Nails)

Nail Size		Shank Bore	Shank Length
Penny Size	Guess	Nominal	Nominal
3d	fourteen-ane/2	0.076	1.25"
4d	14	0.080	one.5"
5d	fourteen	0.080	1.75"
6d	12-1/2	0.098	2"
7d	12-1/2	0.098	ii.25"
8d	eleven-1/2	0.113	2.5"
10d	10-one/2	0.128	3"
16d	10	0.135	3.5"
20d	ix	0.148	4"

Table 3 - Smash Sizes (Annular & Threaded Nails)

Nail Size	Shank Diameter	Shank Length
Penny Size	Nominal	Nominal
6d	0.12	two"
8d	0.12	2.5"
10d	0.135	three"
12d	0.135	iii.25"
16d	0.148	3.5"
20d	0.177	4"
30d	0.177	4.v"
40d	0.177	5"
50d	0.177	v.five"
60d	0.177	6"
70d	0.207	seven"
80d	0.207	8"
90d	0.207	9"

Nail Types

A diversity of nail types be. Nails are designed to resist both pullout and shear, with shear strength determined mainly by the shank bore and pullout strength affected by that and the shank'due south design. Nails used for framing typically take smooth shanks as they are generally used in supporting lateral loads where pullout resistance plays only a pocket-size role. Thus, the common nail serves adequately in this setting.

Pullout resistance is increased by adding rings or threads or both to the shank. These so-called deformed-shank nails are used in other aspects of construction to ensure that the nail does not pull out due to current of air buffeting or pedestrian traffic, for instance. Threaded-shank nails rotate as they are driven into forest or masonry, while ring-shank nails promote a wedging action between the blast and the woods fibers. Band-shank nails are often used in softwoods while spinous shanks increase the holding power of nails in hardwood.

Box nails are slightly smaller than common nails and are used where belongings strength is less of a concern, such every bit for crate making and like non-structural applications.

Nail material varies from bright steel for indoor use to electro-galvanized or zinc-dipped coated for exterior applications. Stainless steel is used every bit well where nails may be visible such as for hanging natural siding. Other special materials, such every bit copper, are available for unusual applications. While nearly nails are fabricated from wire, some nails are "cutting," such as those use for nailing into masonry surfaces.

Boom heads vary according to the application, as well. For instance, roofing nails incorporate thin, broad heads that both lay flat nether succeeding shingles and provide a wide bearing surface confronting the fabric to keep it from fierce. Finishing nails accept small heads that grip the wood slightly but enable the nails to be sunk beneath the surface and later on puttied over. Floor nails used to install subfloors also accept wider, flat heads – and are usually ring shanked as well – again to lie flat beneath the finished flooring and to provide protection from boards working loose and developing squeaks.

Specialty nails abound. Double-headed, or duplex, nails are used for temporary construction, such as setting scaffolding, where one head allows for the nail to be driven fully into the wood while the second head provides a way of pulling the nail out once the job is completed. Spring-head roofing nails are used for attaching corrugated covering. Upholstery nails take wide, domed heads to requite article of furniture a finished look.

Some nails are coated, such every bit sinker nails, to increment pullout resistance. Concrete coatings applied to nail shanks are intended to roughen up the shank surface for a better seize with teeth on wood. Vinyl coatings on nails are intended to cook upon driving and then reharden to improve the nail shank adhesion to the wood.

Woods screws have taken some of the marketplace share away from nails owing to the development of powered drivers. Deck structure is one such instance where threaded fasteners dominate as the screw provides splendid holding power confronting current of air-borne uplift. For structural framing piece of work, nails continue to be the preferred fastening method considering of their superior shear strength.

Summary

This article presented a brief give-and-take of smash dimensions and standard nail sizes. For more than information on related products or processes, consult our other guides or visit the Thomas Supplier Discovery Platform to locate potential sources of supply or view details on specific products. For a detailed technical discussion of nail pullout resistance, refer to this commodity by the USDA'south Forest Products Laboratory.