Brass Standoffs

Brass is the standoff you choose when the mount has to conduct. Machined from hex bar and nickel plated, these carry a ground path from the board’s mounting pad through the standoff to the chassis — which is exactly what you want for EMI shielding and exactly what you must avoid if the pad is not meant to be grounded.

Brass against nylon

Brass is stiff, holds thread accurately, takes repeated assembly without wear, and stays dimensionally stable with temperature. It conducts and it is heavier. Nylon insulates, weighs almost nothing and costs less, but creeps under sustained load and strips more easily. Pick brass for anything that will be opened and closed repeatedly, for heavier boards, and for every mount that carries ground.

Male-female and female-female

A male-female standoff has a threaded stud at one end and a tapped hole at the other: it screws into the chassis and takes a screw from the board side. A female-female is tapped both ends and needs a screw at each end. Male-female is the usual choice for the bottom layer, female-female for stacking a second board above the first.

Sizing

Length is the body length, measured across the hex — the male stud is extra and is stated separately. Every listing gives body length, across-flats, thread and stud length in millimetres and inches.