Retainer Weld Nuts in Plain Steel

Weld Nut with a Floating Cage Nut for Misaligned Holes

Retainer weld nuts, also known as bridge weld nuts or floating cage nuts, have a floating nut held within a "cage" or retainer to allow off-center or misaligned screws to be installed. The retainer itself is welded to a workpiece while the nut is allowed to float freely and help compensate for building inconsistencies.

These types of weld nuts are well suited to projects with hole misalignment and blind assembly. Floating Retainer Weld Nuts come in plain steel.

You can find these nuts used in many applications including:

  • Fork Lifts
  • Rail Cars
  • Ocean Containers
  • Automobiles
  • Furniture
  • Applicances
  • And Many More!

Retainer Weld Nuts sizes are displayed as the Thread Size (Diameter x Thread Pitch) for the Nut within the Retainer Cage

NOTE: Measurements below are for the ENTIRE Retainer Assembly

Size Length Thickness Width
1/4" 1-3/4" 7/16" 9/16"
5/16" 2" 33/64" 25/32"
3/8" 2" 33/64" 25/32"
1/2" 2-1/4" 17/32" 15/16"

FAQs

What are weld nuts used for?

Weld nuts are a special type of nut designed to be spot welded to another object. They come in many varieties, including projection weld nuts, retainer weld nuts, and round base weld nuts.

What is a retainer nut?

Retainer nuts, also known as floating cage nuts, have a floating nut held within a "cage" or retainer to allow off-center or misaligned screws to be installed. These fasteners help compensate for building inconsistencies.

How do weld nuts work?

Weld nuts add threading to existing objects by being welded to them. While there are many kinds of weld nuts, they generally fall under two categories for how they are welded: spot welding and projection welding. In either case, weld nuts are designed to be easy to weld to the base material.

What is the difference between spot welding and projection welding?

Spot welding uses a pair of electrodes with pointed tips to heat and join pieces of metal. It is ideal for applications using carbon steel and in automation. Projection welding is very similar to spot welding, using heat generated by an electrical current to join metals together. However, the electrodes used in projection welding carry more current than those used in spot welding, allowing thicker materials to be welded together. During the weld, the projections themselves absorb the heat and form the weld. It is ideal for joining metal components with embossments.

What are weld nuts made out of?

The vast bulk of weld nuts are made out of carbon steel or stainless steel due to the methods currently used to spot weld and projection weld materials together.