Pins · Trade series (gravity pins) · Application guide

What Are Gravity Pins Used For?

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

Gravity Pins are used for locating a tube or frame connection with a pin held in position by its gravity stop. They are manufactured to Trade series (gravity pins), and selection is driven by the size designation, the fit and tolerance the assembly requires, and the service environment.

Primary duty: Locating a tube or frame connection with a pin held in position by its gravity stop
Governing standard: Trade series (gravity pins)
Category: Pins

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

Gravity Pins are selected when an assembly calls for locating a tube or frame connection with a pin held in position by its gravity stop. This application guide to the Trade series (gravity pins) type covers concrete end-uses, the specification checklist, correct installation, and where an alternative fastener performs better.

Typical Applications for Gravity Pins

The most common settings where these are specified:

Scaffolding: Gravity pins secure tube sections while allowing rapid removal.
Adjustable frames: Pig-tail and toggle forms stay with the tubing assembly.
Temporary works: Galvanized pins suit repeated setup and teardown.
Field equipment: Hole diameter and usable length define the connection.

How to Specify Gravity Pins for Your Application

Size: Match the size to the mating part — see the dimension table below for each option.
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 product is supplied to Trade series (gravity pins). Quoting the standard on your order guarantees interchangeable dimensions between suppliers.

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 Gravity Pins

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 Gravity Pins 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 gravity pins outside the standard range?

Diameter, length, tolerance class, hardness and end form are specifiable. Ground diameters are held after heat treatment rather than before. Made by cold heading or turning.

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

Custom pin manufacturing Send a drawing

Technical Drawing

Customize the parameters below — every spec field is editable, and the drawing redraws to match the values you choose. Changing the size will snap the other fields to that size's standard values; you can then override any individual value.

Dimensioned line drawing of tubing gravity pin Gravity Pins to Trade series (gravity pins). Side view and top view, drawn to the dimensions in the table below and redrawn for any size selected.

Mating tube / hole: 1-1/2~1-5/8 in pipe OD; 9/16 in hole
Material / compliance: zinc-plated carbon steel

Sends the selected values to the quote form below.

Request a Quote

The form below follows the current technical drawing configuration. Change the drawing values above and the request details update automatically.

Request a Quotation

Specification

Item / category Standard Size(s) Material / finish Quantity

Business Information

Company * Contact Name * Email * Phone (with country code) Country / Region

Notes

Dimensions & Specifications (Trade series (gravity pins))

Form	Pin diameter (in)	Usable length (in)	Overall length (in)	Mating tube / hole	Material / compliance
tubing gravity pin				1-1/2~1-5/8 in pipe OD; 9/16 in hole	zinc-plated carbon steel
pig-tail scaffold pin	1/4	1-11/16	2-3/4		galvanized steel; OSHA/CalOSHA compliant
toggle gravity pin	3/8	2-3/4	3-7/8		galvanized steel

Video: What Are Gravity Pins Used For? in use

Third-party video, selected automatically for this topic. It is not produced by Engineering Hardware and is not a specification source — use the tables on this page for dimensional data.

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.

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.
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.
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.
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

What material should Gravity Pins 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 Gravity Pins made to a recognized standard?

Yes — they are manufactured to Trade series (gravity pins), so dimensions are interchangeable between suppliers when you quote the standard on your order.