M6 - Caged-nut - 9.5x9.5mm square hole - 0.7-1.6mm Sheet Thickness

A standard M6 cage nut (also known as a captive nut, or clip nut) is formed from a square steel nut in a spring steel cage which wraps around the nut. The sheet metal wings of the cage hold the nut in place, in a 9.5x9.5mm square hole that needs to be cut in the sheet metal. The m6 nut floats in the cage to allow for panel misalignment which is common in sheet metal parts. This  allows for quick and easy assembly from one side of the panel. At DamenCNC we use them to hold covers on our RTR controllers. They are also very common in 19 inch rack servers. This M6 variant is commonly used for heavy equipment like the servers themselves. And a lighter M5 version is often used for smaller equipment like switches.

Using cage nuts provides several benefits over standard threaded holes. It permits a range of choice of nut and bolt size (Metric vs English) in the field, long after the equipment has been manufactured. Second, if a screw is over-tightened, the nut can be replaced, unlike a pre-threaded hole, where a hole with stripped threads becomes unusable. Third, cage nuts are very easy to use on materials that are too thin to be threaded. Fourth, the nut allows for misalignment in the design and manufacturing, making it much more flexible..

The nut is slightly loose in the cage to allow for minor adjustments in alignment. This reduces the likelihood that the threads will be stripped during equipment installation and removal.

The dimensions of the spring steel clip determine the thickness of the panel to which the nut may be clipped. In the case of square-hole cage nuts, the clip dimensions determine the range of hole sizes to which the clip will securely hold the nut.

We offer a selection of nuts from stock that we also use in our own products/projects. If you need other items, please contact us. Many different sizes are available.

Component features:

• Thread size: M6
• Panel thickness: 0.7 to 1.6mm
• Designed for standard 9.5x9.5mm square holes (0.375 inch)
• Material cage: Spring steel
• Material nut: Mild steel