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Selection Guide:
Swage Standoff Fasteners

When designing or selecting a swage standoff for your next electronic hardware project, first decide whether a swage spacer or standoff is best for your application. Then use the below guide in finding the right swage size to have included.  

Swage standoffs are readily available in all common threads, in both inch and metric sizing. 

Swage standoffs come with female threads on both ends of the part, with the swage shank being unthreaded. This allows for a screw or male standoff to be installed into either side. In shorter lengths, the thread will go through the entire part. Longer length standoffs are threaded to a minimum thread depth on each end.

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Step 1 - Swage Length

As the swage end will be pressed onto the board, the proper swage length is critical to obtain the desired fit. Different lengths are provided for all off the common circuit board thicknesses.

Panel Thickness (inch) Lyn-Tron Code Shank Length (±.003)
1/64" AA 0.037"
1/32" A 0.075"
1/16" B 0.105"
3/32" C 0.135"
1/8" D 0.165"
3/16" E 0.230"
1/4" F 0.290"
1/32" H 0.062"
1/16" I 0.094"
3/32" J 0.125"
1/8" K 0.156"
3/16" L 0.219"
1/4" M 0.281"
Panel Thickness (mm) Lyn-Tron Code Shank Length (±.008)
0.8mm A 1.9mm
1.6mm B 2.7mm
2.4mm C 3.4mm
3.2mm D 4.2mm
4.8mm E 5.8mm
6.4mm F 7.4mm

Step 2 - Swage Diameter

As the swage end will be pressed onto the board, the proper swage length is critical to obtain the desired fit. Different lengths are provided for all off the common circuit board thicknesses.

Step 3 - Inner Diameter (ID)

The inside diameter available will always be equal to, or slightly larger than your spacer’s clearance hole or swage standoff’s internal thread size. This will allow for the screw to pass through the spacer and the swage section without interference.

Screw Size Lyn-Tron ID Code Clearance Hole Range (Inch)
#0 00 0.062"-0.072"
#2 02 0.088"-0.098"
#4 04 0.114"-0.124"
#6 06 0.140"-0.150"
#8 08 0.166"-0.176"
#10 10 0.192"-0.202"
#12 12 0.218"-0.228"
1/4" 25 0.252"-0.262"
5/16" 31 0.315"-0.325"
3/8" 38 0.377"-0.387"
Screw Size Lyn-Tron ID Code Clearance Hole Range (Metric)
M1.6 16 1.67mm-1.93mm
M2 20 2.07mm-2.33mm
M2.5 25 2.57mm-2.83mm
M3 30 3.07mm-3.33mm
M3.5 35 3.57mm-3.83mm
M4 40 4.07mm-4.33mm
M5 50 5.17mm-5.43mm
M6 60 6.17mm-6.43mm
M8 80 8.37mm-8.63mm

Step 4 - Outer Diameter (OD)

A swage standoff will be a thru-hole component of the circuit board. The drill size you use to create the hole in the circuit board will correspond to a similar sized swage outside diameter. This will create a clearance fit, but once swaged your standoff will be held firmly in place. Some twisting should be expected under heavy torq, but super-torq standoffs should be chosen to minimize this further.

Outside Diameter Tolerance
Inch 1/8" (0.125") - 3/8" (0.375") ±.005
Metric 4.5mm - 10mm ±.13

Step 5 - Thread Size

Swage standoffs are readily available in all common thread sizes, in both inch and metric series. While most commonly found with each end having the same size thread, different thread sizes are available upon request.

Step 6 - Material & Plating Options

Materials and platings for swage standoffs include: aluminum, brass, steel, stainless steel and nylon. When deciding on a material and plating/finish, there are many properties that can be considered. The most common ones include corrosion and rust resistance, magnetism, electrical conductivity, strength to weight properties, color, and cost. 

Review the chart below to see which standard material has the right properties for your application’s environment.

Materials Corrosion Resistance Magnetic Electrical Conductor Strength to Weight Color Plates
Stainless Steel High Slightly Yes - Poor Above Average Grey Available
Steel Low Strongly Yes - Poor Average Grey Available
Aluminum Average No Yes - Average Very Above Average Grey Available
Brass High No Yes - Below Average Average Yellow Available
Nylon High No No Average White and can be dyed to other colors No

For an explanation of RoHS, Conflict Minerals, WEEE, and REACH visit our Technical Section.

Installation Instructions

1. Insert body of the swage standoff into the anvil.
2. Install the swage shank through the previously drilled hole in the circuit board.
3. Using an arbor press or other similar tool, put the punch onto the swage shank.
4. Push down on the swage shank until it rolls over onto the board.

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