btsmith,

   You ought to show your screws and washers on your assembly drawings and parts lists.  If you are creating specification control drawings, you can tabulate them.  If you create a list of approved fasteners, you save drafting time, and you simplify purchasing, warehousing and assembly.

   What is it you are trying to accomplish?

               JHG

The goal is to ensure we are getting the same piece of hardware regardless of who we order it from. Past practice in our company was to create approved oems. Based on the quantities we purchase these oems tend to be distributors, we do not want to be locked into one single distributor.

drawoh,

   You need to prepare specification controls.  These provide a complete description of an off-the-shelf part that meets your requirements, and/or a list of approved manufacturers and part numbers.  If you can build a list of at least four different manufacturers, you should not have problems with availability.

   In the case of screws, you can provide MS or DIN numbers or any other standard that describe your part, and save you having to dimension everything.  

               JHG

Just my opinion but if you use mil spec hardware you will accomplish your goals. The only issue is that there are multiple specs you'd have to call out for a mish mash of hardware.

Tunalover

Tunalover,
That was my initial thought as well, is there an Ansi, ASTM, Mil, or other document out there that gives all the specs for the different hardware. I also don't want to have to buy and maintain a whole pile of specs either. Thanks for all the suggestions.

btsmith-
There is a Reference Guide I use put out by APC Components, Inc. that shows pictures of hundreds of hardware items and the associated specs:
APC Components, Inc.
75 Toledo Street
PO Box 255
Farmingdale, NY  11735
(631) 249-4079

I would contact them and see what it takes to get the Reference Guide.  They are a manufacturer and distributor of
commercial, military, and electronic hardware.
  

Tunalover

Often times you can write your own global fastener specs to cover all your fasteners much easier than you'd think. We have an internal spec that basically says....
• All stainless hardware shall be 300 series
• All indoor steel fasteners shall be zinc plated Grade 5 or better
• All outdoor steel fasteners shall be galvanized Grade 8 or better
• Don't buy anything else

Then the Purchasing Dept knows it has to be one of those 3 types.