Application guide for Split Cotter Pins to ISO 1234 / DIN 94. The core duty of the type is precise location and light shear duty between two parts. The typical industries, the how-to-specify checklist, assembly practice and the exclusion cases are set out below. Stocked across roughly 0.6 mm to 13 mm, they cover general to heavy-duty work.
Typical Applications for Split Cotter Pins
The most common settings where these are specified:
- Jigs & fixtures: precise location of tooling plates and locating features.
- Linkages & hinges: pivot points carrying light shear.
- 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.
How to Specify Split Cotter Pins 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 0.6 mm–13 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 product is supplied to ISO 1234 / DIN 94. 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 Split Cotter 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 Split Cotter 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 split cotter 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.
