• Thumb screws are designed to be tightened by hand.Hand holding screw image by Ricardo Verde Costa from Fotolia.com
  
  Thumb screws are a kind of fastener with either a flat vertical, or tall head that are manufactured to be tightened or loosened by hand. Sometimes wing nuts are also known as thumb screws.
  
  

Materials

• Thumb screws can be manufactured from a variety of materials, including aluminium, brass, nylon, steel and stainless steel and delrin.
  
  

Sizes

• Like other screws, thumb screws are available in a variety of sizes, from #0000, which have a diameter of 0.021 inches, to 3 inches.
  
  

Head types

• Thumb screws are often cut for Phillips head or slotted screwdrivers. They are also available in a wide variety of had types, including wing nut head, knurled and hexagon head.