---
title: "What Are Indexing Plungers Used For?"
description: "Indexing Plungers (Trade series (GN 817)) are used for manual release and positive indexing with a retractable pin. Catalogued M8×1 to M24×2."
url: https://engineeringhardware.com/applications/indexing-plungers-gn-817/
source: Engineering Hardware & Fasteners
---

# What Are Indexing Plungers Used For?

Pins · Trade series (GN 817) · Application guide

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

Indexing Plungers are used for manual release and positive indexing with a retractable pin. They are manufactured to Trade series (GN 817), and selection is driven by the thread size, the fit and tolerance the assembly requires, and the service environment.

- **Primary duty:** Manual release and positive indexing with a retractable pin
- **Governing standard:** Trade series (GN 817)
- **Thread size range:** M8×1 to M24×2
- **Category:** Pins

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

![What Are Indexing Plungers Used For? application image](https://engineeringhardware.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Indexing-Plungers.webp)

The primary duty of Indexing Plungers is manual release and positive indexing with a retractable pin. 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 M8 to M24, they cover general to heavy-duty work.

## Typical Applications for Indexing Plungers

The most common settings where these are specified:

- **Tooling and workholding:** manual indexing of fixture positions with a retractable pin.
- **Agricultural machinery:** adjustable hitch, guard and linkage positions.
- **Conveyor systems:** hand-released changeover points that re-engage positively.
- **Access equipment:** folding frames and platforms held at selected positions.

Product catalog

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## How to Specify Indexing Plungers for Your Application

- **Size:** Match the nominal size to the mating thread or hole. This product spans M8–M24; 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 product is supplied to Trade series (GN 817). 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 Indexing Plungers

- 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 Indexing Plungers 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 indexing plungers outside the standard range?

Tolerance class is what a special pin usually turns on — a locating pin and a retaining pin want very different fits in the same nominal size. 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 M8×1 Indexing Plungers to Trade series (GN 817). Side view and top view, drawn to the dimensions in the table below and redrawn for any size selected.

- **Pin diameter (mm):** 4
- **Pin stroke options (mm):** 4 / 6
- **Types:** B / BK / C / CK / G / GK
- **Housing:** blackened steel
- **Pin:** hardened steel
- **Knob:** polyamide

## Dimensions & Specifications (Trade series (GN 817))

| Thread size | Pin diameter (mm) | Pin stroke options (mm) | Types | Housing | Pin | Knob |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| M8×1 | 4 | 4 / 6 | B / BK / C / CK / G / GK | blackened steel | hardened steel | polyamide |
| M10×1 | 5 | 5 / 8 | B / BK / C / CK / G / GK | blackened steel | hardened steel | polyamide |
| M12×1.5 | 6 | 6 / 9 | B / BK / C / CK / G / GK | blackened steel | hardened steel | polyamide |
| M16×1.5 | 8 | 8 / 12 | B / BK / C / CK / G / GK | blackened steel | hardened steel | polyamide |
| M20×1.5 | 12 | 12 / 15 | B / BK / C / CK / G / GK | blackened steel | hardened steel | polyamide |
| M24×2 | 16 | 16 / 20 | B / BK / C / CK / G / GK | blackened steel | hardened steel | polyamide |

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 Indexing Plungers?

Match the nominal size to the mating thread or hole. This product is available from M8 to M24; the full dimension table on this page lists each size.

### What material should Indexing Plungers 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 Indexing Plungers made to a recognized standard?

Yes — they are manufactured to Trade series (GN 817), so dimensions are interchangeable between suppliers when you quote the standard on your order.

### What are Indexing Plungers used for?

Manual release and positive indexing with a retractable pin. They are supplied to Trade series (GN 817).

### Can I get a quote for Indexing Plungers 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: [Indexing Plungers — specifications & sizes](https://engineeringhardware.com/fastener/indexing-plungers-gn-817/)

### Indexing Plungers Specification Guides

### Related Fastener Applications