What Kind Of Hardware Is It? Take Stock Of The Types Of Hardware In Life

What kind of hardware is it? Take stock of the types of hardware in life

Are the leftover hardware pieces on your hands from home renovations randomly placed in drawers, and soon they become rusty? If the precision screws and drill bits in the factory are not packaged properly, they will hit each other during transportation and become scrapped and damaged. Although the individual hardware is small in size, if the packaging method is incorrect, the losses will be very heavy. Today we are going to talk about how steel plates, screws, tools and other hardware items should be packaged, especially the two key aspects of anti-rust and anti-collision.

Big hardware is bundled with steel straps most securely

What are the packaging methods for heavy-duty steel such as steel plates, I-beams, channel iron, etc., which are called hardware parts? They are heavy in weight per piece and are not susceptible to slight scratches on the surface. The main purpose of packaging is to prevent them from being scattered and hurting people during transportation. The most commonly used one at the moment is to use galvanized steel strips for tic-tac-toe bundling. Steel The thickness of the belt is generally between 0.9 mm and 1.2 mm. The 2025 Shanghai Baosteel Group steel factory report shows that more than 90% of I-beams and channel iron use this four- or six-lane steel belt bundling method, and the weight of each bundle is controlled between 2 tons and 5 tons, which is convenient for forklift loading and unloading.

When handling steel bars and flat irons with a length exceeding 6 meters, in addition to using steel straps for bundling, plastic or rubber corner protectors need to be put on both ends. The cost of this kind of corner protection is only a few cents, but it can effectively prevent the steel belt from cutting the binding rope. In the actual operation process, workers will first use two parallel wooden squares to pad the bottom of the steel so that the forklift forks can be inserted smoothly, and then apply four steel strips in a vertically crossing manner. For the steel belt tightener, the tension needs to be adjusted to between 400 and 600 Newtons. If it is too loose, it will shake. If it is too tight, it will make dents on the surface of the steel.

Plastic bags for small hardware plus desiccant to prevent rust

The small hardware containing nails, hinges, door catches, screws, etc. is large in quantity, but the single volume is really small, extremely small. Such products are particularly afraid of humid environments and are particularly prone to rust. The professional approach is to use thickened PE plastic bags for vacuum packaging. The weight of each bag ranges from 1 kilogram to 5 kilograms, and a pack of silica gel desiccant weighing between 2 grams and 5 grams should be placed in the bag. The new national standard for hardware packaging will be implemented in January 2026. This new national standard requires small hardware products to be stored in an environment with a humidity of 80% for 30 days without rust spots. Vacuum packaging is the mainstream solution that can meet the standard.

Products with coated surfaces such as lock cylinders and hinges must be wrapped with a layer of bubble wrap outside the plastic bag. The bubble film with a bubble diameter of 10 mm to 15 mm can play a buffering role and prevent the bag from being punctured by sharp corners. An actual case of a hardware export company in Nantong, Jiangsu shows that after switching to vacuum packaging and adding desiccant, the corrosion rate in containers shipped to Southeast Asia dropped from 8% to 0.3%. When consumers take the product home and unpack it, they will also comment favorably because the hardware is as bright as new.

Tools are fixed with blister box slots

Tools such as pliers, screwdrivers, and drills have irregular shapes. If they collide with each other, the cutting edges will be damaged or the handles will be scratched. The most practical packaging method is customized blister boxes. The material used in the blister box is PVC or PET, with a thickness between 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm. It is softened by heating and then covered on the mold, and then evacuated to form a groove that completely matches the shape of the tool. For a pair of wire pliers with a length of 200 mm, the depth of the groove of the blister box needs to be accurate to 15 mm and the width is 30 mm. After the pliers are stuck in it, even if it is shaken hard, it will not fall out.

The back of the blister box usually has a layer of paper card heat-sealed on it. The product specifications and usage instructions are printed on the paper card. At the 2025 Hardware Exhibition in Hangzhou, this packaging method accounted for more than 65% of tool exhibits. After home users buy it home, the blister box can be reused to store small parts. For industrial users with large quantities, the socket wrench set purchased by the automobile repair shop uses a blow molded tool box with a partition board for placement. Each tool has an independent clamping position. The box is made of high-density polyethylene material, which is anti-fall and resistant to oil stains.

Specially shaped hardware should be wrapped with stretch film

Some hardware with special shapes, such as springs, wire cutters, and long chains, may be difficult to bundle or blister. At this time, what are the packaging methods for hardware parts , and stretch film has become the best choice. The stretch film, called stretch film, has a thickness in the range of 0.02 mm to 0.03 mm and exhibits a stretch rate of 200% to 300%. Workers stack 10 to 20 similar products on a small pallet and wrap 3 to 5 layers tightly with stretch film. The retraction force of the film firmly stabilizes all parts into a whole.

What kind of hardware will be in March 2026? Taking stock of the types of hardware in daily life, there is a hardware factory in Yongkang, Zhejiang. When processing a batch of special-shaped door handles, they used this method to successfully solve the packaging problem. The length of each door handle is 35 centimeters, and there is a curve in the middle. If packed in a carton, the gap would be too large. So they switched to using stretch film, packaging every 5 pieces into a package, and put a kraft paper envelope on the outer layer. After being put into the carton, they would not loosen even if they were squeezed against each other. The stretch film is waterproof and will not rust if exposed to rain for a short period of time. However, you need to pay attention to the packaging methods of hardware parts . The stretch film cannot come into contact with sharp corners, otherwise it will be easily punctured, so a piece of masking paper should be attached to the sharp corners for protection.

Export hardware must be added with anti-rust oil and vapor phase anti-rust paper

Exported hardware needs to be transported by sea. The high-salt and high-humidity environment at sea is a fatal test for steel. Just relying on plastic bags and desiccant is not enough. The professional approach is to apply a thin layer of anti-rust oil to the hardware before packaging. The thickness of the oil film should be controlled within the range of 0.005 mm to 0.01 mm. It should neither be too thick to cause sticking to your hands, nor too thin to cause failure. Then use vapor phase anti-rust paper to wrap each part. Vapor phase anti-rust paper will slowly volatilize anti-rust gas molecules at normal temperature. These gases will be adsorbed on the surface of the metal to form an invisible protective film.

In 2025, among the hardware containers used for export at Tianjin Port, those products that adopt the solution of adding anti-rust oil and adding vapor phase anti-rust paper will have a qualifying rate of 99.2% when they arrive in North America and Europe. However, for those products that have not used this solution, when they are unboxed and inspected after the 45-day voyage, the threads often show red rust. Vapor phase anti-rust paper is also particular about the dosage. Each cubic meter of packaging space requires at least 50 grams of anti-rust paper containing active ingredients. After packaging is completed, all gaps must be sealed with tape to prevent gas leakage. Within two hours after opening the package, the anti-rust gas will completely evaporate and will not affect the subsequent use of the hardware.

After reading this article, have you ever looked at the pliers and screwdrivers in the toolbox at home? Are they in a rusty state or are they shiny and brand new? Feel free to share your practical tips on hardware storage and rust prevention in the comment area, and don’t forget to like and forward it to friends around you who love hands-on operations.