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Nickel Plated Brass Screw Options

We are a distributor of telecom accessories equipment. A customer has requested a nickel plated brass screw in the connection module (used for a connection of an outdoor to an indoor drop wire and the purpose of the screw is to secure the wires). The standard screw we use is a special thread passivated zinc alloy. Our screw supplier is telling us that it is very hard to make a similar screw with this kind of thread using nickel brass. Is this true? Does the material of the screw affect conductivity at all if the screw is only there to secure the incoming wires? Lastly, if we were to plate our standard screw (passivated zinc alloy) with brass and nickel, would this be a good back-up option if we can't get the nickel plated brass screw for this customer?

Susie Houh
Telecommunications - Oakville, Ontario, Canada
2004

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The customer is right in asking for a brass screw with Nickel. Zinc, zinc/alloy should not be used if your incoming wire is copper, but I dare say it may work if your zinc alloy is zinc-iron. Conductivity is the second criteria, first being compatibility. A Nickel-Brass plated Iron screw is hardly an option; as a zinc alloy plated screw will outperform the Nickel or Nickel brass on outdoor corrosion performance.

Khozem Vahaanwala
Saify Ind

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

2004