Fasteners
Construction Fasteners: Beam Clamps, Anchors, Strut & Hardware
Safe-Fast stocks a focused selection of structural and mechanical fasteners for commercial construction, industrial maintenance, and MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) installation work. These are the hardware components that connect pipe hangers to beams, secure conduit and duct to structure, anchor threaded rod to concrete, and assemble Unistrut/channel framing systems — the essential connectors that keep mechanical and electrical systems attached to the building. Products are organized across four application groups:
- Beam Clamps & Beam Attachments — for suspending pipe, duct, conduit, and cable tray from structural steel flanges without drilling or welding:
- Big Mouth Beam Clamp (3/8") — SKU: TH-BC-BM. Wide-mouth jaw design accommodates a range of flange thicknesses without adjustment tools; 3/8" threaded rod connection. For suspending pipe or duct from structural steel flanges. Call for pricing.
- Beam Clamps, Plain Finish (Standard) — traditional malleable iron beam clamps in multiple rod sizes (3/8", 1/2") for threaded rod hanger installations. Flange thickness range: 1/8"–1/4".
- Beam Strap Hangers — formed steel straps that wrap around a beam flange to create a pipe or conduit support point. For round structural members and light-duty hanger applications where a bolt-style clamp is not required.
- Concrete & Masonry Anchors — for attaching threaded rod, pipe hangers, and structural supports to concrete, block, and masonry:
- Sleeve Anchors, Stainless Steel — Sleeve-All pre-assembled expanding sleeve anchors for use in all solid base materials (concrete, brick, block, stone). Available in acorn, hex, rod coupler, and flat head styles for a wide range of embedment depths and load configurations.
- Sleeve Anchors, Zinc (Rod Coupling Style) — zinc-plated sleeve anchors with rod coupler head for direct threaded rod attachment in standard interior concrete and masonry applications. Multiple diameter and length combinations available.
- Heavy Duty Screw Anchors (Rod Coupling) — heavy-duty screw-style concrete anchors with an integrated rod coupling head; no-nut installation into concrete. Higher shear and tensile values than standard sleeve anchors in the same embedment depth for demanding MEP hanger loads.
- EZ Anchors — self-drilling drywall and light masonry anchors for lighter-duty attachment points in gypsum board, CMU, and similar substrates where pre-drilling is not practical.
- Threaded Rod & Coupling Hardware — for assembling and extending threaded rod hanger systems:
- Hex Rod Couplings — standard hex-profile zinc-plated steel couplings for joining two lengths of all-thread rod in hanger assemblies. Available in 3/8"-16, 1/2"-13, and additional thread sizes.
- Carriage Bolts, Zinc — round head square-neck carriage bolts for wood-to-metal and wood-to-wood connections in structural blocking, hanger boards, and equipment mounting applications. Multiple diameter and length options.
- Forged Eye Bolts — forged steel shouldered eye bolts for lifting, rigging, and suspension applications. Forged (not bent) construction provides significantly higher working load limits than bent-wire eye bolts; suitable for overhead rigging attachment points in equipment and structure.
- Strut Channel & Framing Hardware — for Unistrut-compatible channel framing systems used in pipe racks, equipment supports, electrical raceways, and mechanical equipment mounting:
- Half-Slot Strut (Unistrut-Compatible) — standard 1-5/8" × 1-5/8" half-slot steel strut channel for building open framing systems, cable tray supports, pipe racks, and equipment platforms. Compatible with standard Unistrut fittings and hardware.
- Channel Nuts with Spring — spring-loaded channel nuts (also called spring nuts or strut nuts) that snap into strut channel slots for quick, tool-free positioning before tightening. 3/8"-16 and 1/2"-13 thread sizes for most strut applications.
- 4-Hole 45° Strut Angle Bracket — formed steel bracket for making angled connections within strut framing systems; used to brace, angle, or transition strut channel runs at 45°.
- Mod Truss Screws — self-drilling screws for connecting modular truss components and light-gauge steel framing members without pre-drilling; for metal stud, track, and light structural steel framing assembly.
Many fastener products in this category are sold in bulk quantities and are priced on request. For availability, pricing on quantities, or assistance selecting the right anchor or fastener for a specific load or substrate, call Safe-Fast at 1-800-723-3620 or visit one of our three locations in Eau Claire, La Crosse, or St. Paul.
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Construction Fasteners — Frequently Asked Questions
Both attach to structural steel to create a pipe or conduit support point without drilling or welding, but they work differently and suit different beam profiles:
- Beam clamps grip the flange of a structural I-beam, W-beam, or channel using a jaw mechanism. The Big Mouth design accommodates a range of flange thicknesses without resizing; standard beam clamps are fixed for a specific flange thickness range (1/8"–1/4"). A threaded rod drops from the clamp to support the pipe, duct, or conduit below.
- Beam strap hangers wrap around a beam flange or round structural member — a simple formed strap that creates a hanger point. They are faster to install on lighter loads and work on round or irregular structural shapes where a jaw-style clamp cannot get a purchase.
For heavier loads (pipe filled with fluid, large duct, cable tray), use a beam clamp with a rated load capacity. Beam strap hangers are generally suitable for lighter conduit, small tubing, and signal cable applications.
Both are expansion-type concrete anchors for attaching threaded rod and hardware to concrete, block, and masonry, but they differ in installation method and load capacity:
- Sleeve anchors use a pre-assembled expanding sleeve that is inserted into a pre-drilled hole. As the nut is tightened, the cone pulls into the sleeve, expanding it against the hole walls. They are available in multiple head styles (hex, rod coupler, acorn, flat head) and are the standard choice for most MEP pipe hanger and conduit support applications in concrete.
- Heavy duty screw anchors (rod coupling style) are screw-type concrete anchors that cut threads directly into the base material as they are driven in — no expansion sleeve. They provide higher shear and tensile values in the same hole diameter as a sleeve anchor, making them the correct choice for higher load applications, cracked concrete, and where anchor removal and re-use is anticipated.
For critical structural connections, always verify anchor selection against published load tables for the specific anchor size, embedment depth, and base material.
Channel nuts with spring (also called spring nuts or strut nuts) are the primary fastening component used to attach fittings, pipe clamps, equipment brackets, and hardware to Unistrut-compatible strut channel. They work as follows:
- The spring-loaded nut is held at an angle and inserted through the open slot of the strut channel
- When released, the spring rotates the nut 90°, capturing it behind the channel lips so it cannot pull out
- The nut can slide freely along the slot for positioning before a bolt or threaded rod is tightened
- When tightened, the nut locks firmly against the back of the channel flanges
This design allows assemblers to position fittings at any point along a strut run without measuring and drilling individual holes — a significant time saving in pipe rack and equipment support work. Standard thread sizes are 3/8"-16 for most pipe clamps and fittings, and 1/2"-13 for heavier equipment connections.
Forged eye bolts are manufactured by heating steel and pressing or forging the eye shape — this aligns the grain structure of the steel and produces a significantly stronger connection at the eye. They have published working load limits (WLL) for straight pull and angular pull and are suitable for overhead lifting, rigging, and suspension anchor points.
Bent (or screw) eye bolts are manufactured by bending wire or rod into an eye shape — the grain structure is not optimized at the bend, making the eye the weakest point. They have substantially lower load ratings and are not rated for overhead lifting or rigging. They are appropriate only for light-duty, non-critical attachment points such as cable routing, low-load guide wires, and non-load-bearing connections.
For any application where a load will hang from an eye bolt or where it is part of a rigging assembly, always specify a shouldered forged eye bolt with a published WLL. The shoulder ensures the eye bolt seats fully against the surface under load — plain shank forged eye bolts must be used with a corresponding nut and washer to prevent pull-through. Consult Safe-Fast's Lifting & Rigging category for compatible rigging hardware.
Half-slot strut channel (also called Unistrut-compatible channel, slotted channel, or framing channel) is a cold-formed steel structural member with a continuous open slot on one face. The slot accepts spring channel nuts, allowing pipe clamps, beam clamps, angle brackets, and fittings to be attached at any point along the channel without drilling.
The standard profile is 1-5/8" × 1-5/8" (P1000 series). This dimension is common across most manufacturers — Unistrut, Superstrut, PHD, Power-Strut, and others — and spring nuts and fittings from one manufacturer are generally interchangeable with channel from another, provided the slot width and back depth match.
"Half-slot" refers to the slot pattern — slots punched at 1-7/8" on center along the channel back for anchoring the channel to structure with bolts. This is the standard for most MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) applications in commercial construction. Full-slot (continuous slot on the back) is also available for applications requiring attachment at any point on all faces.
For bulk strut channel or custom-cut lengths for a project, call Safe-Fast at 1-800-723-3620.