A wing nut is torque by hand: the span of the wings is the lever, and the standard fixes span, height and thread per size. Pressed nuts are light and cheap, cast nuts are stronger and rounder in the hand, rod-wing nuts are the biggest lever of all. Beyond M12 in pressed form, beyond M24 in cast, or in any fine pitch, stainless above M12, or a span for a gloved hand, the wing nut is machined.
EKINSUN LTD is a custom parts manufacturer that machines wing nuts and wing screws to drawing: a longer span, a fine or left-hand pitch, a taller body for a long stud, 316L or brass above the stock sizes, a wing screw with a shoulder. The stock ranges below are read from a 2026 catalogue; the form table explains pressed against cast; the negative-space table marks the edge of the catalogue.
"M16 wing nuts in stainless for a tarpaulin frame; the crew wears gloves, so the wings need to be wider than the DIN ones."
Span for a hand is a real specification; DIN 315 does not offer it.
| Form | Standard | Stock range | Stock materials | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pressed wing nut (German form) | DIN 315 | M3–M12 | 304 stainless; zinc and black steel M3–M16; nylon M3–M12 | stamped and formed; light, low cost |
| Cast wing nut (American form) | DIN 315 (cast) | M4–M24 | 304; brass M4–M20; zinc steel | solid, rounded wings; stronger and better in the hand |
| Rod-wing nut | maker series | M6–M12 | 304 | two welded rods as wings; the longest lever, for tarpaulin and scaffold fittings |
| Wing screw | DIN 316 | M3–M12 (pressed), M4–M16 (ingot / cast) | 304; zinc steel M4–M8 | the male part: wings on a screw |
| Ingot thumb screw | maker series | M4–M16 | 304 | a flat oblong head between wing and thumb screw |
| Z-handle and lobe knob screws | maker series | M4–M12 | 304; plastic-headed steel | see clamping knobs and levers |
| Nylon wing nut | — | M3–M12 | nylon 66, white and black | insulating; see plastic fasteners |
| Situation | Form | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Light duty, indoor, opened often, small sizes | pressed DIN 315 | cheapest, lightest; the sheet wings are enough for hand torque at M3–M8 |
| Outdoor, frequent use, M8 and up, gloved hands | cast wing nut | solid wings do not bend, rounded edges do not cut |
| The biggest hand torque with no tool at all | rod-wing nut | the rods are the longest lever a wing nut offers |
| The threaded part must stay with the removable panel | wing screw DIN 316 | nothing to lose on the bench |
| Stainless above M12, or any fine pitch | machined wing nut | the stock stops there |
| A span, height or wing shape for a specific hand, guard or tool clearance | machined wing nut | wings milled to your span; body turned to your height |
Read the pitch before you order the wing nut. Lay a steel rule along ten thread crests and divide by ten: 10 mm over ten pitches is a 1 mm pitch (M6 coarse), 12.5 mm is M8 coarse, 15 mm is M10 coarse, 17.5 mm is M12 coarse. A reading that is not a round number of millimetres is an inch thread, and a reading that is shorter than the coarse pitch for that diameter is a fine thread. If diameter, pitch and the size range in the table all agree, buy the stock part. If any of the three is off the shelf, that is the one we make. The full measuring routine, including the inch traps →
| What you need | In the catalogue? | What we make |
|---|---|---|
| Pressed wing nut M3–M12 or cast wing nut M4–M24 in 304 or zinc steel, coarse pitch | Yes | Buy it from stock. No one-off competes with a pressed or cast wing nut. |
| Wing screw DIN 316 M3–M16 in 304 | Yes | Stocked; buy it. |
| A wing nut in a fine or left-hand pitch, any size | No | Machined from bar with milled wings and the thread cut to your reading; from 1 piece. |
| Stainless wing nuts above M12 pressed, or above M24 cast; brass above M20 | No | Machined in 304, 316L or brass. |
| A wing span or wing shape for gloved hands, a guard or a tool clearance | No | Wings milled to your span; edges radiused. |
| A taller body to cover a long stud, or a low body for a tight space | No | Turned to height; wings unchanged. |
| A wing screw with a shoulder, a captive washer or a dog point | No | Machined; thread length to your panel. |
| A wing nut in aluminium 6061 or 7075 | Partly | Machined on request for light, low-preload fittings; not offered where the joint is torqued hard, and we say so. |
| Material | Designation | Where it fits here |
|---|---|---|
| Stainless 304 | 1.4301 / A2 | stock pressed and cast wing nuts, wing screws; outdoor frames |
| Stainless 316L | 1.4404 / A4 | machined to order for marine and pool hardware |
| Free-machining stainless | 303 / 1.4305 | custom machined wing nuts with milled wings |
| Carbon steel, zinc or black | low-carbon; malleable iron for cast forms | stock indoor wing nuts M3–M16 |
| Brass | CW614N / C36000 | stock cast wing nuts M4–M20; electrical and decorative |
| Aluminium 6061 | AlMg1SiCu | machined light wing nuts for low-preload fittings |
| Aluminium 7075 | AlZn5.5MgCu | machined where a light, harder wing nut is wanted |
| Nylon 66 | PA66 | insulating wing nuts M3–M12 |
A pressed wing nut is stamped from sheet and formed; it is light and cheap and stocked to M12. A cast wing nut is a solid casting with rounded wings; it is stronger, kinder to the hand and stocked to M24. Both are DIN 315 forms.
As much as a hand can put on the wings, which depends on the span and the person; that is why the span is the specification that matters. A rod-wing nut gives the most, a pressed nut the least. A wing nut is never the fastener for a joint that must be torqued to a value.
Not from stock. Fine and left-hand pitches, sizes above the stock ranges and stainless above M12 pressed or M24 cast are machined with milled wings, from 1 piece.
Yes. The wings are milled to the span you specify and the edges radiused; the thread stays standard, so the fitting underneath is unchanged.
EKINSUN LTD is a custom parts manufacturer that machines wing nuts and wing screws in 304 and 316L stainless, steel, brass and aluminium, in any pitch and span, from 1 piece, with a quote within 12 hours.
No list price; the drivers are material, the milled wings, the pitch and quantity. A batch of 304 wing nuts in a fine pitch is a short turning and milling job; a single 316L rod-wing nut above M20 is priced as the fabricated part it is. The quote states which.
Thread and pitch, wing span, body height if it matters, material, quantity, and for a wing screw the thread length. A photo of the fitting works. From 1 piece, quote within 12 hours.
Wing nuts and wing screws machined to span, pitch, height and material — from 1 piece, quote in 12 hours.