FF-S-92 New Rev C – Machine Screws

Have you ever wondered how come you can go to any hardware store and get the specific screw you need for the job or part you’re working on?  For those of us in the specifications business, it’s simple.  Standards!  But these types of publications can come from many sources.  Of course, industry trade groups have actually started to develop such standards for specific applications in their fields.  But another major source of these types of specifications is our U.S. government.  So the new FF-S-92, Revision C, “Screw, Machine, Slotted, Cross-Recessed or Hexagon Head,” is a good example of this.

First of all, you’re probably wondering why the title is so garbled!  This goes back many long years ago when the catalogs of standards were only available in paper format (yes, there was a time before the internet!).  There were indeed many government publications used for federal procurement, including the Department of Defense.  And finding the right specification or standard to call out in your contract was a challenge for government procurement agents.

There were two tools used to correctly find documents in those days.  The first was the catalog that indexed specifications according to the FSC (Federal Supply Classification) numbers.  You can do a similar search on the Document Center website in the left hand pull down menu.  The second was the alphabetical index.  Of course, finding screws based on a regularly written title would be challenging (the FF-S-92 would have read “Slotted, Cross-Recessed or Hexagon Head Machine Screw).  By putting the title basically backwards, the words move from the most general (screw) to most specific (slotted, cross-recessed or hexagon).  Thus, the mixed up title protocol was born!

A document like the FF-S-92 will have regularized sections, first the scope paragraph and then reference documents.  In this case, the requirements section comes next.  This will provide you with the details of the materials available, including a table showing you the mechanical properties of non-ferrous machine screws. This links the material with the applicable document, composition or class, condition, and so on.

Section 5 covers quality assurance requirements.  This reminds us that we’re looking at a specification used in procurement, where verification of quality for parts is an essential part of every transaction.  The document finishes off with packaging requirements and notes.  Here we learn that the changes from the previous edition (Revision B) are so extensive that lines have not been added to the margins where changes have been made.

Now you’ll want to get a copy.  You can go to the Document Center webstore at www.document-center.com and order it in paper format, for pdf download or as part of our multi-user Standards Online subscription service.  And if you have questions, you are always welcome to contact our staff by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’re your Standards Experts!

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Claudia Bach

Claudia Bach is the President of Document Center Inc. and a world-wide recognized expert on Standards and Standards Distribution. You can connect with her on Google+

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