Eye Nut

Rated or not: which eye nut is which

An eye nut is a nut with an eye on top: it screws onto a bolt, stud or threaded rod to give you a ring to attach a shackle, hook, rope or cable to. They look alike, but only some are rated, and that decides what you can use them for.

• •DIN 582 eye nuts (rated): Hobson's data sheets say they are approved and certified for lifting, can be loaded straight (axial) or at an angle, and are stamped with the working load for axial loading, plus CE, the material grade, the size and an arrow for the axial direction. Hobson lists them as connection points for anchoring, rigging, pulling, lifting or hoisting, threaded onto steel equipment, machines and structures or bolted through steel or timber sections, for use with ropes, cables, shackles and hooks. Test certificates are on Hobson's website.
• •316 collar eye nuts, round collar and cone collar (not rated): Hobson's Did You Know sheet marks both "Not rated for lifting".
• •Galvanised mild steel eye nuts, M16 to M24 (not rated): Hobson's product type for them is energy eye nut, and it publishes no data sheet or rating for them.
• •Lifting, rigging or tying off a load needs a rated DIN 582 eye nut used within its WLL, or a fitting your engineer specifies. Do not use the collar or mild steel eye nuts for any load job: Hobson publishes no capacity for them. Anchoring people (fall arrest) needs a height safety anchor rated for that use, not an eye nut.

DIN 582 eye nut WLL by size and angle

The WLL stamped on a DIN 582 eye nut is for a straight pull in line with the thread. At an angle each eye nut carries less, as Hobson's data sheets set out below. The angle (β on Hobson's drawing) is measured between the sling leg and the vertical. Hobson's tables stop at 60 degrees from vertical, so do not load a DIN 582 eye nut at a wider angle. The same values apply to every finish; always work to the WLL marked on the eye nut.

Collar and galvanised eye nuts (not rated)

These eye nuts have no published rating and are not for lifting. The round collar eye nut's specification reads HEC 582, but unlike the DIN 582 eye nuts above it is not rated. The cone collar eye nut has a cone shaped collar.

316 stainless, galvanised or zinc eye nuts?

• •316 stainless (A4): DIN 582 from M6 to M30, and the collar eye nuts from M6 to M24, for wet and coastal work. Hobson's stainless article notes that 316 still needs a good surface finish and rain washing or cleaning to stay bright, and is not made to sit in seawater.
• •Hot dip galvanised: DIN 582 in C15E steel from M10 to M20, and the mild steel eye nuts. Hobson's finish comparison rates hot dip galvanising as high corrosion resistance, recommended for long-term outdoor use.
• •Zinc yellow passivate: DIN 582 in C15E steel from M6 to M24. Low corrosion resistance, a little more than zinc plated: for low-corrosion environments or temporary fixing.
• •Zinc plated: DIN 582 in C15E steel from M10 to M16, for indoor and non-corrosive environments.
• •Use a nut, bolt or stud of a matching material, so the joint does not rust from the weakest part first.

Using a DIN 582 eye nut within its rating

Hobson's data sheets give the ratings and markings, not fitting or inspection instructions. Follow the instructions supplied with the eye nut and your lifting procedures. What the sheets do set out:

1. Work to the WLL stamped on the eye nut. Each DIN 582 eye nut is marked with its working load for axial loading, CE, the material grade, the size and an arrow for the axial direction.
2. For a straight (axial) pull, the stamped WLL applies. For angled or two-leg lifts, use the reduced value from the table for the leg angle; Hobson's tables stop at 60 degrees from vertical.
3. The WLL is for the eye nut only. The bolt, stud or rod it screws onto, and its thread engagement, must itself be rated or specified for the load. Hobson publishes no lifting rating for threaded rod.
4. General practice, not from Hobson's sheets: the set-up is only as strong as its weakest part, so the shackle, hook and sling need to be rated for the load too. For a set-up not covered by Hobson's tables, ask before you lift.

Eye nuts in Adelaide

Allmat supplies DIN 582 eye nuts, 316 collar eye nuts, eye bolts, shackles and threaded rod to riggers, fabricators, builders and trade across Adelaide and South Australia. Add them to a quote with the rest of your hardware and we will price the lot.

Questions