---
title: "What Are Clevis Pin Used For?"
description: "Clevis Pins are used for precise location and light shear duty between two parts. Catalogued 3 mm to 20 mm. Typical industries, sizing and material selection."
url: https://engineeringhardware.com/applications/cad-svg-101-clevispin/
source: Engineering Hardware & Fasteners
---

# What Are Clevis Pin Used For?

Pins · ISO / DIN · Application guide

Typical applications, the industries that specify clevis pin, and how to choose the right size, material and finish for the joint.

Clevis Pins are used for precise location and light shear duty between two parts. They are manufactured to ISO / DIN, and selection is driven by the nominal diameter, the fit and tolerance the assembly requires, and the service environment.

- **Primary duty:** Precise location and light shear duty between two parts
- **Governing standard:** ISO / DIN
- **Nominal diameter range:** 3 mm to 20 mm
- **Category:** Pins

Application notes are general engineering guidance. Verify the property class and any approval requirement against your own design calculation.

![What Are Clevis Pin Used For? application image](https://engineeringhardware.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Dowel-Pins-—-ISO-8734-／-DIN-6325-Applications1.webp)

The primary duty of Clevis Pins is precise location and light shear duty between two parts. Below: the sectors that specify them in volume, the checklist used to select the right size and material for the application, installation notes, and the known limits of the type. Stocked across roughly 3 mm to 20 mm, they cover general to heavy-duty work.

## Typical Applications for Clevis Pin — ISO / DIN (Series 101)

The most common settings where these are specified:

- **Machine alignment:** dowelling mating housings so they reassemble in the same position.
- **General machine building:** fastening covers, brackets, motors and sub-assemblies on production equipment.
- **Maintenance & repair (MRO):** a stocked size for servicing existing plant where the original fastener spec must be matched.
- **Fabrication & metalwork:** bench and on-site assembly of steel frames, enclosures and weldments.
- **Jigs & fixtures:** precise location of tooling plates and locating features.

## How to Specify Clevis Pin — ISO / DIN (Series 101) for Your Application

- **Size:** Select on nominal diameter, then on the hole tolerance and fit class — the fit, not the diameter alone, determines whether the part locates or slips. This product spans 3 mm–20 mm; check the full table below for the exact dimensions of each size.
- **Material:** Choose the material and finish for the service environment — plated steel for general use, stainless for corrosion resistance.
- **Environment:** For damp, coastal or chemical exposure prefer A4/316 stainless or a suitable coating; indoors, plated steel or A2 is usually sufficient.
- **Standard:** This is a trade-series article rather than one covered by a published dimensional standard, so dimensions can differ between manufacturers. Quote the dimensions you need — or the part you are replacing — rather than a standard number.

## Installation & Assembly Practice

- Ream the hole to the specified fit class; a dowel pressed into a drilled-only hole will not locate accurately.
- Press pins in with steady force rather than hammer blows where possible, and chamfer the hole entry.

## Common Selection Mistakes with Clevis Pin — ISO / DIN (Series 101)

- Using a dowel pin as a load-carrying shear bolt — dowels locate, they are not sized for sustained shear.
- Ignoring the fit class: a locational fit and an interference fit need different hole tolerances.

## Where Clevis Pin — ISO / DIN (Series 101) Are Not the Right Choice

Not for carrying significant tensile or repeated heavy shear loads — use a bolt or a keyed joint for that.

Custom manufacturing · Made to drawing

## Need a clevis pin outside the standard range?

End form, hardness and surface finish are all variable; the diameter tolerance is the one that decides the process. Made by cold heading or turning.

Minimum order from 2,000 pieces; samples within 7 days of drawing approval.

[Custom pin manufacturing](https://engineeringhardware.com/custom/pins/)[Send a drawing](https://engineeringhardware.com/custom/pins/#rfq)

## Technical Drawing

Dimensioned line drawing of 3 Clevis Pin — ISO / DIN (Series 101). Side view and top view, drawn to the dimensions in the table below and redrawn for any size selected.

- **Length L (mm):** 16
- **Head diameter (mm):** 5
- **Cotter pin hole (mm):** 1.0
- **Material:** Carbon steel

## Dimensions & Specifications (ISO / DIN)

| Nominal diameter (mm) | Length L (mm) | Head diameter (mm) | Cotter pin hole (mm) | Material | Reference standard |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 3 | 16 | 5 | 1.0 | Carbon steel | ISO 2341 / GB/T 882 |
| 4 | 20 | 7 | 1.2 | Carbon steel | ISO 2341 / GB/T 882 |
| 5 | 25 | 8 | 1.6 | Carbon steel | ISO 2341 / GB/T 882 |
| 6 | 32 | 10 | 1.6 | Carbon steel | ISO 2341 / GB/T 882 |
| 8 | 40 | 12 | 2.0 | Carbon steel | ISO 2341 / GB/T 882 |
| 10 | 50 | 15 | 2.5 | Carbon steel | ISO 2341 / GB/T 882 |
| 12 | 63 | 18 | 3.2 | Carbon steel | ISO 2341 / GB/T 882 |
| 16 | 80 | 22 | 4.0 | Carbon steel | ISO 2341 / GB/T 882 |
| 20 | 100 | 28 | 4.0 | Carbon steel | ISO 2341 / GB/T 882 |

Inside the plant

## Manufactured in our own plant

This part is cold-formed, threaded, heat-treated and finished in-house. The stages below are where its class and finish are actually decided.

1. ![Wire rod feeding into a cold heading machine](https://engineeringhardware.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/09-wire-rod-feed-cold-heading-machine.webp) 01 **Cold heading** Wire rod is drawn to size and cold-formed into blanks. Forming rather than cutting keeps the grain flow continuous around the head, which is where a bolt is most likely to fail. Head dimensions and under-head radius checked at set-up and per shift.
2. ![Thread rolling machine producing bolt threads](https://engineeringhardware.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/03-thread-rolling-machine-bolt-production.webp) 02 **Thread rolling** Threads are rolled between hardened dies rather than cut. Rolled threads are stronger in fatigue than cut threads and hold pitch and flank angle far more consistently across a batch. Go / no-go ring gauges to ISO 965 tolerance class 6g.
3. ![Baskets of bolts staged for heat treatment](https://engineeringhardware.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/05-heat-treatment-baskets-black-bolts.webp) 03 **Heat treatment** Quench-and-temper brings carbon and alloy steel to the property class ordered — 8.8, 10.9 or 12.9 — with the furnace charge tracked so a finished lot can be traced back to it. Core hardness and tensile tested per lot to ISO 898-1.
4. ![Zinc plated bolts in a treatment basket](https://engineeringhardware.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/23-zinc-plated-bolts-treatment-basket.webp) 04 **Surface treatment** Zinc, zinc-nickel, hot-dip galvanizing, black oxide, phosphate and Dacromet, selected against the service environment rather than against the price list. Coating thickness and neutral salt spray hours to ISO 9227.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How do I choose the right size of Clevis Pin — ISO / DIN (Series 101)?

Select on nominal diameter and on the fit the assembly requires. This product is available from 3 mm to 20 mm; the full dimension table on this page lists each size.

### What material should Clevis Pin — ISO / DIN (Series 101) be for outdoor use?

For damp, coastal or chemical environments specify A4 (316) stainless or a suitably coated steel. For indoor or dry use, A2 (304) stainless or zinc-plated steel is normally adequate.

### Are Clevis Pin — ISO / DIN (Series 101) made to a recognized standard?

Yes — they are manufactured to ISO / DIN, so dimensions are interchangeable between suppliers when you quote the standard on your order.

### What are Clevis Pin — ISO / DIN (Series 101) used for?

Precise location and light shear duty between two parts. They are supplied to ISO / DIN.

### Can I get a quote for Clevis Pin — ISO / DIN (Series 101) in the size and material I need?

Yes. Use the technical drawing and quote form on this page to set the size and options, then send the exact configuration to our team for pricing and lead time.

## Related Pages

Product page: [Clevis Pin — ISO / DIN (Series 101) — specifications & sizes](https://engineeringhardware.com/fastener/cad-svg-101-clevispin/)

### Clevis Pin — ISO / DIN (Series 101) Specification Guides

### Related Fastener Applications