The call I almost missed
In March 2024, at 4:42 p.m. on a Friday, I was closing out rush orders at a construction fastener distributor. I've coordinated 300+ emergency orders in nine years, including same-day turnarounds for deck crews and facility managers. The phone rang. A two-person deck crew needed Simpson Strong-Tie hardware for a small pergola and railing job. Final inspection was Saturday at 8 a.m. Normal lead time: three days. They had less than 16 hours.
Their order was $180. Small. The kind of ticket some vendors push to the back of the queue. But I've been on the other side of that. When I was starting out, the vendors who treated my $200 orders seriously are the ones I still use for $20,000 orders. So we treated it like any other rush.
What was missing
They had most of the framing done, but the inspection required code-compliant connections. They needed a Simpson Strong-Tie Titen HD concrete screw anchor for anchoring a post base to a concrete patio. They also needed Simpson Strong-Tie decorative hardware for the railing, and a few coarse thread hex bolts for a beam connection. Their local big-box had generic fasteners, but not the exact listed parts. They'd already burned two hours driving between stores.
Then came the question: “What is a 5mm drill bit in fraction?” One of the crew had grabbed a 5mm masonry bit and wanted to know if it would work for the Titen HD anchor. It's tempting to think close enough is good enough. But close isn't the same as specified. A 5mm drill bit is about 0.1969 in. In fractional inch sizes, it's closest to 13/64 in. But if the anchor's published installation instructions call for a 3/16 in. bit, a 5mm bit isn't a match. It's larger by roughly 0.0094 in. That might not sound like much. In a structural anchor, it can be the difference between a snug, code-compliant installation and a call-back.
“I only believed the spec sheet after ignoring it once and eating a $800 redo,” I told him. “We're not doing that tonight.”
The scramble
I checked our inventory. We had the Titen HD concrete screw anchor in the diameter and length they needed. We had the decorative hardware—black powder-coated railing brackets and caps—in stock. We had coarse thread hex bolts in the right grade and size. We also carry a hand tools product range for installers: impact-rated bits, sockets, drill bits, and drivers. That meant we could send them the correct bit, not just the anchor.
One problem: the order was small enough that our regular freight wouldn't run until Monday. I called our after-hours courier. The quote was $95. On a $180 order, that's a 53% add-on. The client didn't blink. “Missing that inspection would've cost me a week of schedule and probably a $1,500 change order,” he said. We paid the courier, packed the order, and set a 6:30 a.m. Saturday delivery.
Why do rush fees exist? Because unpredictable demand is expensive to accommodate. But a small customer with a real deadline isn't an inconvenience. It's the job.
The turn
At 5:10 p.m., I caught a mistake. The crew had sent a photo of the anchor they'd picked up from a salvage bin. It looked like a Titen HD, but the head marking was wrong, and the threads were slightly different. I pulled up the current simpson-strong-tie product page on my phone. According to Simpson Strong-Tie's published product information (strongtie.com), Titen HD anchors must be installed with the drill bit diameter specified for each anchor size—not a “close” metric or fractional substitute. As of January 2025, that guidance still stands. I told the crew to set the salvage anchor aside.
They warned me about using the wrong bit. I didn't listen once, years ago, on a small concrete anchor job. The hole was slightly oversized, the anchor spun, and we had to epoxy and redrill. The redo cost $800 and a half-day. That's when I implemented a personal rule: if the spec sheet is available, read it. If it's not, call the manufacturer. Don't guess.
The delivery
Saturday, 6:28 a.m., the courier pulled up. The crew had the correct Titen HD anchor, the specified drill bit, the decorative hardware, and the coarse thread hex bolts. They finished the railing and the post base by 7:40 a.m. The inspector arrived at 8:05 a.m. and passed the connections.
Two weeks later, the same crew called back. They had won a larger deck project and needed a full package: structural connectors, anchors, fasteners, screws, brackets, plus more decorative hardware. The order was closer to $4,800. Not because we “earned” it with a discount. Because we'd treated a $180 emergency like it mattered.
What I took away
Three things, in this order:
- Small orders are not small. A $180 ticket can be a test. It can be a Friday-night panic. It can be the start of a relationship. Small doesn't mean unimportant—it means potential.
- Specs beat shortcuts. “What is a 5mm drill bit in fraction?” is a fair question. The answer is roughly 13/64 in. But the better answer is: check the anchor's installation instructions. For a Simpson Strong-Tie Titen HD concrete screw anchor, the required bit is the one listed in the current literature. Don't substitute a metric bit just because it's within a few thousandths.
- Verify current information. I learned this lesson in 2015. It was accurate as of January 2025, but product lines, code requirements, and drill bit recommendations can change. Verify current specs at strongtie.com and with your local building department before you install.
If you're a contractor or facility manager dealing with a rush order, my advice is simple: call early, send photos, and ask for the spec sheet. If you're a supplier, don't rank tickets by dollar amount alone. The small order on Friday might be the one that keeps a crew in business—and keeps you on their speed dial.
Prices and lead times vary by region and date; verify current availability and specifications before ordering.
