Cheese Head Screws Manufacturer in India | Slotted Cheese Head Screws

Overview

Slotted Cheese Head Screws & Hexalobular Cheese Head Screws: Manufacturer & Exporter

A cheese head is a small cylinder with a flat top. It is narrower and taller than a pan head, so it drops into a counterbore, fits beside walls and ribs, and leaves room for a deep slot.

Exotic Alloy manufactures cheese head screws in Mumbai, India, for electrical, instrument, machinery and appliance makers. We stock across India and export to France, Europe, the Gulf and Africa. Heads are cold formed with the slot or socket, and threads are rolled.

Three drives, one head

ISO 1207 is the slotted cheese head (it replaced DIN 84), ISO 14580 the hexalobular version with a slightly taller head, and ISO 7048 the cross recessed version. The inch equivalent is the fillister head; for a lower, wider head see pan head screws.

ISO 1207 / DIN 84 ISO 14580 ISO 7048 Counterbore fit A2 / A4 stainless

Cheese head screw at a glance

Head: Cylindrical, straight sides, flat top
Drive: Slot; hexalobular T6–T50; cross recess
Length: From under the head
Threads: Metric coarse 6g
Grades: A2-70, A4-70; steel 4.8 / 5.8; brass
Related: Fillister head, socket cap, pan head

ISO 1207 M5 × 16 slotted cheese head screw, drawn to scale and sitting flush in a counterbore. Head outline simplified; top views compare the slotted and hexalobular M5 heads.

Specification

Cheese Head Screw Specification

The range we manufacture and supply.

StandardsISO 1207 (ex DIN 84); ISO 14580; ISO 7048

Size rangeISO 1207 M1.6–M10; ISO 14580 M2–M10; ISO 7048 M2.5–M8

ThreadMetric coarse 6g, fine to order

Lengths2–80 mm; longer to order

DriveSlotted; hexalobular T6–T50; cross recess type H or Z

GradesA2-70, A4-70 (ISO 3506-1); steel 4.8 and 5.8; brass

FinishPlain or passivated stainless; zinc plated or black steel; plain or nickel brass

OptionsDrilled heads for lock wire, captive washers, patches

CertificationMill certificate; EN 10204 3.1; PMI for stainless

PackingBoxes of 100 to 5000, bulk cartons, kits

Head types

Cheese Head vs Pan Head vs Socket Cap

At the same thread size, the cheese head is narrower than a pan head and much lower than a socket cap.

M5 heads at the same scale, from ISO 1207, ISO 14580, ISO 1580, ISO 7045 and ISO 4762.

Size	Cheese slotted ISO 1207, d_k / k	Cheese T-drive ISO 14580, d_k / k	Pan slotted ISO 1580, d_k / k	Socket cap ISO 4762, d_k / k
M1.6	3 / 1.1	–	3.2 / 1	3 / 1.6
M2	3.8 / 1.4	3.8 / 1.55	4 / 1.3	3.8 / 2
M2.5	4.5 / 1.8	4.5 / 1.85	5 / 1.5	4.5 / 2.5
M3	5.5 / 2	5.5 / 2.4	5.6 / 1.8	5.5 / 3
M3.5	6 / 2.4	6 / 2.6	7 / 2.1	–
M4	7 / 2.6	7 / 3.1	8 / 2.4	7 / 4
M5	8.5 / 3.3	8.5 / 3.65	9.5 / 3	8.5 / 5
M6	10 / 3.9	10 / 4.4	12 / 3.6	10 / 6
M8	13 / 5	13 / 5.8	16 / 4.8	13 / 8
M10	16 / 6	16 / 6.9	20 / 6	16 / 10

Maximum head diameter and height, mm. The cheese head is taller than the slotted pan head up to M8 and the same height at M10.

Dimensions

Cheese Head Screw Dimensions

ISO 1207 slotted cheese heads from M1.6 to M10 at the same scale, top view and profile with the slot.

Size	P	d_k head dia. max	k head height max	n slot nom	t slot depth min	Tap drill d − P	Clearance hole ISO 273 medium
M1.6	0.35	3	1.1	0.4	0.45	1.25	1.8
M2	0.4	3.8	1.4	0.5	0.6	1.6	2.4
M2.5	0.45	4.5	1.8	0.6	0.7	2.05	2.9
M3	0.5	5.5	2	0.8	0.85	2.5	3.4
M3.5	0.6	6	2.4	1	1	2.9	3.9
M4	0.7	7	2.6	1.2	1.1	3.3	4.5
M5	0.8	8.5	3.3	1.2	1.3	4.2	5.5
M6	1	10	3.9	1.6	1.6	5	6.6
M8	1.25	13	5	2	2	6.75	9
M10	1.5	16	6	2.5	2.4	8.5	11

ISO 1207:2011 slotted cheese head screws, product grade A, mm. ISO 7048 cross recessed cheese heads (M2.5–M8) have the same head diameter and height. Tap drill and hole are standard practice for reference.

Size	d_k max	k max	Drive hexalobular	A ref	t socket depth min / max	w wall min
M2	3.8	1.55	T6	1.75	0.71 / 0.84	0.5
M2.5	4.5	1.85	T8	2.4	0.78 / 0.91	0.7
M3	5.5	2.4	T10	2.8	1.01 / 1.27	0.75
M3.5	6	2.6	T15	3.35	1.07 / 1.33	1
M4	7	3.1	T20	3.95	1.27 / 1.66	1.1
M5	8.5	3.65	T25	4.5	1.52 / 1.91	1.3
M6	10	4.4	T30	5.6	1.9 / 2.29	1.6
M8	13	5.8	T45	7.95	2.66 / 3.05	2
M10	16	6.9	T50	8.95	3.04 / 3.43	2.4

ISO 14580:2011 hexalobular socket cheese head screws, mm. A is the reference size across the lobes; w the wall under the socket.

Size	d_k max / min	k max / min	n slot max / min	t min	ISO 1207 k for comparison
M1.6	3 / 2.86	1 / 0.88	0.6 / 0.46	0.45	1.1
M2	3.8 / 3.62	1.3 / 1.16	0.7 / 0.56	0.6	1.4
M2.5	4.5 / 4.32	1.6 / 1.46	0.8 / 0.66	0.7	1.8
M3	5.5 / 5.32	2 / 1.86	1 / 0.86	0.85	2
M3.5	6 / 5.82	2.4 / 2.26	1.2 / 1.06	1	2.4
M4	7 / 6.78	2.6 / 2.46	1.51 / 1.26	1.1	2.6
M5	8.5 / 8.28	3.3 / 3.12	1.51 / 1.26	1.3	3.3
M6	10 / 9.78	3.9 / 3.6	1.91 / 1.66	1.6	3.9
M8	13 / 12.73	5 / 4.7	2.31 / 2.06	2	5
M10	16 / 15.73	6 / 5.7	2.81 / 2.56	2.4	6

DIN 84:1990 (withdrawn, replaced by ISO 1207), mm. The heads match ISO 1207 except the lower heads of M1.6–M2.5.

Drives

Slotted, Hexalobular or Cross Recessed?

Drive	Standard	Head height (M5)	Choose it for
Slotted	ISO 1207	3.3 mm	Any screwdriver, easy to clean, traditional look
Hexalobular (T25 at M5)	ISO 14580	3.65 mm	Highest drive torque, little cam-out, automated assembly
Cross recess (H or Z)	ISO 7048	3.3 mm	Fast driving with common PH / PZ bits

Counterbores

Sinking Cheese Head Screws Flush

Because the sides are straight, a cheese head sits neatly in a counterbore: a short, flat-bottomed bore over the clearance hole. For a flush top the bore must be at least as deep as the head height k and wider than the head diameter d_k, with enough clearance for the screwdriver and for positional tolerance.

A cheese head is lower than a socket head cap screw of the same size, so it needs a shallower counterbore: 3.3 mm instead of 5 mm for M5. For high loads, a socket cap screw is still the stronger choice.

Example: ISO 1207 M5

Head: Ø 8.5 × 3.3 mm
Counterbore: Ø 9.5 mm (0.5 mm per side), 3.3 mm deep
Clearance hole: 5.5 mm (ISO 273 medium)
Tap drill: 4.2 mm
Bearing area: about 33 mm² (our calculation)

Calculator

Cheese Head Counterbore & Hole Calculator

Pick the size and drive, then the clearance you want round the head and how far below the surface it should sit.

Screw & seat

Size

Drive

Clearance per side, mm

Below surface, mm

Our calculation from the maximum head size in ISO 1207 / ISO 14580: counterbore Ø = d_k + 2 × clearance, depth = k + sink. Tap drill d − P; clearance hole ISO 273 medium; bearing area from d_k and the hole.

Result

9.5

mm counterbore Ø

3.3

mm counterbore depth

Head d_k × k:8.5 × 3.3 mm

Driver:blade, slot 1.2 mm

Clearance hole:5.5 mm

Tap drill:4.2 mm

Bearing area:33.0 mm²

Materials

Cheese Head Screw Materials & Finishes

Material	Class	Finish	Best for
A2 stainless (304)	A2-70	Plain, passivated	Instruments, enclosures, general use
A4 stainless (316)	A4-70	Plain, passivated	Marine, food, pharma and chemical equipment
Carbon steel	4.8, 5.8	Zinc plated, black	Machinery and dry assemblies
Brass	–	Plain, nickel	Electrical terminals, non-magnetic parts

Stainless A2

304 · 305

The grade in the photo.

304 305

Stainless A4

316

Chlorides and cleaning agents.

316 316L

Carbon steel

4.8 · 5.8

Economical machine screws.

1018 1022

Brass

Cold-heading brass

Conductive and non-magnetic.

C26000 C27000

Manufacturing

How Our Cheese Head Screws Are Made

1

Wire

Stainless, steel or brass wire, certified by heat or lot.

2

Cold heading

Cylindrical head with hexalobular or cross recess formed in one blow.

3

Slotting

Slots sawn or punched to ISO 1207 width and depth.

4

Thread rolling

Metric threads rolled to length.

5

Finishing

Passivation, zinc, black or nickel plating.

6

Inspection

Head, slot or socket and thread checked; lot sealed.

Applications

Where Our Cheese Head Screws Are Used

Electrical terminals

Terminal blocks, switchgear and connectors.

Instruments

Compact heads beside walls and ribs.

Machinery

Counterbored covers, slides and fixtures.

Electronics

Housings and heat sinks with T-drive screws.

Locks & hardware

Slotted cheese heads in lock bodies and fittings.

Food equipment

A4 stainless heads that are easy to clean.

Quality & testing

Cheese Head Screw Inspection & Certification

Check	Method	Applied to
Head diameter & height	Micrometer: d_k, k	Every lot
Slot	Width n and depth t gauges	Slotted lots
Hexalobular socket	GO / NO-GO gauge, depth t	T-drive lots
Thread	GO / NO-GO ring gauges	Every lot
Length	Measured under the head	Every lot
Material	PMI / chemical analysis	Stainless and brass lots

Every shipment includes

Mill certificate with heat number
Dimensional report
Lot number on every box

On request

EN 10204 3.1 certificate
Salt spray test for plated lots
Count-checked kits and labels

FAQ

Cheese Head Screw Questions, Answered

A cheese head screw has a cylindrical head with straight sides and a flat top, like a small round of cheese. It is narrower and taller than a pan head, so it fits counterbores and tight spaces and has room for a deep slot. Metric cheese heads are made to ISO 1207 (slotted, formerly DIN 84), ISO 14580 (hexalobular) and ISO 7048 (cross recessed).

DIN 84 was withdrawn and replaced by ISO 1207. Head diameter and slot are the same, and so is the head height from M3 upwards. For the small sizes ISO 1207 lists a taller head: 1.1, 1.4 and 1.8 mm for M1.6, M2 and M2.5, against 1.0, 1.3 and 1.6 mm in DIN 84.

The cheese head is narrower and taller, with straight sides; the pan head is wider and lower, with a domed top. For M5, the ISO 1207 cheese head is 8.5 mm across and 3.3 mm high, the ISO 1580 slotted pan head 9.5 mm across and 3 mm high. Choose cheese heads for counterbores and narrow spaces, pan heads for a larger bearing face.

Both have a cylindrical head of the same diameter, but the cheese head is much lower: for M5 both are 8.5 mm across, while the ISO 1207 cheese head is 3.3 mm high and the ISO 4762 socket cap 5 mm. Socket head cap screws are made for high strength and high tightening torque; cheese head screws for general and lighter-duty assembly.

ISO 14580 sizes: T6 for M2, T8 for M2.5, T10 for M3, T15 for M3.5, T20 for M4, T25 for M5, T30 for M6, T45 for M8 and T50 for M10. Slotted ISO 1207 heads take a flat blade matched to the slot, for example 1.2 mm for M4 and M5.

For a flush fit the counterbore must be deeper than the head height and wider than the head diameter: for M5 ISO 1207, at least 3.3 mm deep and more than 8.5 mm across, with a little clearance. Our calculator works out the counterbore for any size and clearance.

From the flat underside of the head to the end of the screw; the head is not included. An M5 × 16 cheese head screw is 16 mm under the head and up to 19.3 mm overall.

Most often A2 (304) and A4 (316) stainless steel, like the screw in our photo, steel in property class 4.8 or 5.8, zinc plated or black, and brass. Use A4 near the sea and in food, pharmaceutical and chemical equipment.