McMaster-Carr Supply Company is a privately held, family-owned industrial supplier that has served businesses and manufacturing facilities for more than a century. The company specializes in Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) products and provides a broad selection of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fabrication, safety, and utility supplies.
Electronic Hardware
McMaster-Carr is a major source of hardware used in the design, assembly, and maintenance of electronic devices and equipment. Components such as screws, fasteners, standoffs, nuts, and washers are essential for securing circuit boards, internal components, and protective enclosures.
These hardware components provide structural support, maintain secure electrical and mechanical connections, and make electronic assemblies easier to manufacture, service, and repair. They are available in a wide range of sizes, materials, thread types, and configurations to meet the requirements of different applications. Selecting the appropriate hardware is particularly important in environments where equipment may be exposed to vibration, heat, corrosion, or other demanding operating conditions.
Common electronic hardware available from McMaster-Carr includes:
- Machine screws
- Standoffs and spacers
- Nuts and washers
- Fasteners
- Connector hardware
- Mounting hardware
- Enclosure hardware
McMaster-Carr also offers numerous standoff configurations, including NAS standoffs, motherboard standoffs, hex standoffs, MBS standoffs, and D-Sub connector jackscrews. Available designs include male-to-male, female-to-female, male-to-female, self-locating, shoulder, and front-mount configurations. Many products are available in both standard and metric sizes.
Company Overview
McMaster-Carr began as a small operation in Chicago serving local customers and has grown into a nationwide and international supplier. The company operates facilities in Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Cleveland, Ohio; and New Jersey, serving customers across a wide range of industries.
Its catalog contains hundreds of thousands of products, including screws, fasteners, standoffs, pumps, casters, tools, raw materials, electrical equipment, plumbing supplies, and industrial components. The company’s extensive inventory and distribution network allow customers to source many different types of products from a single supplier.
McMaster-Carr is often regarded as a one-stop source for industrial hardware and specialty components—particularly products that can be difficult to locate through conventional retailers.
Product Categories
McMaster-Carr’s product selection covers a wide range of industrial and commercial applications, including:
- Abrasives and polishing equipment
- Building and grounds supplies
- Electrical and lighting equipment
- Fabrication equipment
- Fastening and joining equipment
- Filtering equipment
- Flow and level control products
- Furniture and storage equipment
- Hand tools and hardware
- Heating and cooling equipment
- Lubrication products
- Material-handling equipment
- Measuring and inspection equipment
- Office supplies and signs
- Pipes, tubing, hoses, and fittings
- Plumbing and janitorial supplies
- Power transmission equipment
- Pressure and temperature control equipment
- Pulling and lifting equipment
- Raw materials
- Safety supplies
- Sawing and cutting equipment
- Sealing and shipping products
- Suspending equipment
Highlights
McMaster-Carr is recognized for its exceptionally broad product catalog, extensive inventory, and rapid fulfillment. Its customers range from individual engineers and designers to small businesses, manufacturers, universities, and large industrial organizations.
The company’s online catalog is particularly useful for engineers because products are organized by application and specification, making it possible to compare dimensions, materials, thread types, and other technical characteristics before ordering.
For more than 100 years, McMaster-Carr has helped support engineering, manufacturing, maintenance, and fabrication operations by providing access to a large selection of industrial components and materials through a single supplier.
McMaster-Carr and CAD Software
McMaster-Carr products can also be incorporated directly into engineering and CAD workflows. This is especially useful when designing assemblies that require commercially available hardware and components.
Using McMaster-Carr with SOLIDWORKS
McMaster-Carr provides a convenient way for engineers and designers to incorporate catalog components into . Many McMaster-Carr products include downloadable technical drawings and 3D CAD models, allowing designers to use accurate representations of purchased components in their assemblies.
The availability of CAD models can reduce the amount of time required to model standard hardware such as bolts, screws, nuts, washers, and other mechanical components.
Using McMaster-Carr with Autodesk Fusion
McMaster-Carr components can also be inserted into designs.
To insert a McMaster-Carr component:
- In the Design workspace, select the Solid or Surface tab.
- Select Insert > Insert McMaster-Carr Component.
- Select OK to open McMaster-Carr within the active Fusion document.
- Search for the desired component, such as a bolt or screw.
- Look for products that provide technical drawings and 3D CAD models.
- Select the desired part number.
- Open Product Detail and scroll to the available 3D formats.
- Select the appropriate file format and save the component.
- The component can then be inserted into the current Fusion design.
Editing McMaster-Carr Components in Fusion
After inserting a McMaster-Carr component into Fusion, certain properties can be modified. The editable fields include the part number, part name, and description.
To edit these properties:
- Select the component in the browser.
- Right-click the component.
- Select Properties.
- Modify the available fields as needed.
Overall, McMaster-Carr’s combination of a large industrial catalog, detailed product specifications, and CAD-model availability makes it a valuable resource for engineers, designers, manufacturers, and maintenance professionals.