● Zinc-Plated Steel: It is one of the popular and commonly used bolt materials for general purpose applications, usually indoor. Depending on the type of manufacturing, the color of the bolt may be bluish or yellowish tint. It is a low carbon steel with a Zinc coating that provides moderate corrosion resistance. They are very cheap to manufacture as well.

● Stainless Steel: One of the toughest bolt materials with very good corrosion resistance. As a result, stainless steel bolts are often used in industries, automobiles, ships (and other marine equipment) and outdoor objects in general. They are slightly expensive than the Zinc plated counterparts.

● Chrome / Nickel Plated Steel: Although stainless steel already consists of chromium, additional Chrome and Nickel plating of steel further increases the corrosion resistance. The other benefit of this plating is the surface of the bolt looks very shiny, smooth and polished.

● Hot-dipped Galvanized Steel: In this type, the steel is coated with even thicker layer of Zinc for increased corrosion resistance and thus making them suitable for outdoor use. Even the nuts and washers must be of the galvanized type for proper coupling.

● Brass / Bronze: These types of bolts have a natural resistance to corrosion as they are alloys of copper. They are generally expensive than other bolt materials and as a result they are often used in arts and decorative pieces.

● Alloy Steel: The Alloy Steel contains additional elements other than iron and carbon such as manganese, nickel, chromium etc. The result is a bolt with very good strength, corrosion resistance and wear resistance. It is often black in color due to additional black oxide coating.