Torx® is a six-pronged fastener that provides better grip than Phillips or slot designs. It prevents slipping and is useful in electronic and tamper-proof applications. The sizing conventions use the letter T and a number, with T1 being the smallest and T100 being the largest.
Torx® head refers to a type of fastener that uses a six-prong pattern rather than a traditional Phillips or slot design. The shape resembles a star, so it is sometimes called a star or point screw. Torx® was originally created to provide a better grip than Phillips or slotted heads. A Torx® head screwdriver will tend not to pop out as well as a Phillips screwdriver if you use the correct size bit, so care should be taken not to overtighten the screw or bolt. There are a few variations of the original design, including External Torx® and Security Torx® sockets designed for tamper-proof applications.
One purpose behind the Phillips cross pattern is to promote cam-out before a screw can be overtightened. This means that many Phillips screwdrivers will slip off the screw head after reaching a certain torque. The screw or screwdriver is usually damaged when this happens, which can make them difficult to use in the future. Torx® bits were designed to prevent this from slipping, as there is no natural way for the bit to slide out of the Torx® screw head. This extra grip can be useful when loosening fasteners, although care must be taken not to overtighten or break a Torx® head screw.
When Torx® bits were first introduced, they were popular in electronic applications. Many consumers did not own any Torx® drivers, so the screws had the ability to provide some measure of tamper resistance. A variation on the Torx® head screw has been introduced specifically for tamper-proof applications. This type of Torx® is identical to the original, although each bit has an indentation that corresponds to a raised part in the screw head. A regular bit cannot be used in one of these security Torx® screws, as the head of the screwdriver will hit the raised part.
Another variation is the external Torx®, which is a type of socket. These tools resemble a traditional six- or twelve-sided socket, except they have a six-pronged design that is the inverse of a regular Torx® screwdriver or bit. The bolts designed for use with these sockets have heads that resemble traditional Torx® bits.
The sizing conventions used to differentiate Torx® heads do not correspond directly to any standard measurement or metric. Each Torx® size is instead indicated by the letter T and a number. The smallest of these sizes is T1 and the largest is T100. Security Torx® bits use the same sizes as traditional bits, while the external socket variety uses an E prefix that corresponds to various T sizes. For example, a T20 is equivalent to an E4, a T25 is equivalent to an E5, a T30 is equivalent to an E6, a T40 is equivalent to an E8, etc.
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