Buying Simpson Strong-Tie Hardware Without Wasting Money: A 7-Step Procurement Checklist

If you are the person holding the purchase order, this one is for you. I've managed our fastening and tool budget for seven years now, and I've been buying structural connectors and fasteners for a 22-person steel and post-frame crew since 2018. Our annual spend on Simpson Strong-Tie products and the tools we drive them with is roughly $110,000 (maybe $108,000, I'd have to check the run rate). This is the seven-step checklist I wish I had before I placed the first order.

If you're a one-person GC, the same steps apply. Scale down the quantities, not the checking.

The fundamentals haven't changed: a load path still needs engineering. But the execution has transformed. What was best practice in 2020 may not apply in 2025. Anchor design software is better, exterior coatings are better, and cordless nail guns are finally at the point where the air compressor question is a real question. If you don't update your buying process, you'll leave money on the table and maybe a headache at inspection.

Step 1: Start with the approved plan, not a catalog

A structural connector is not a commodity. The plan calls for a specific Simpson Strong-Tie model, finish, and fastener schedule for a reason. Do not substitute by SKU. The Simpson Strong-Tie brand is a starting point, not a license to wander.

In my first year, I made the classic specification error: assumed 'standard' meant the same thing to every vendor. It didn't. I ordered a generic bracket that looked close to the specified connector. It cost me a $600 redo and a two-week schedule delay.

Now the rule is simple: the only product number that matters is the one on the approved plan. If a product is backordered, the substitution goes back through engineering before we buy it.

Checkpoint: match the model number on the packing slip to the plan before you sign.

Step 2: Set up a code-and-approval folder before you order

For engineered anchors and connectors, the evaluation reports are public. ICC-ES reports live on icc-es.org, and Simpson Strong-Tie also publishes load tables and product data sheets. Save them to the project folder before the order, not after. File under the project name, not 'Misc.'

We didn't have a formal approval process. It cost us when the inspector asked for load documentation on a beam hanger and we spent half a day chasing a PDF that should have taken six seconds to find. That's a job cost, too.

If it isn't on the evaluation report, it isn't a structural fastener. That's our office rule now.

Every order now has a record: the evaluation report, the lot number, and a receiving photo. Checkpoint: save the lot numbers before the screws go to the trailer.

Step 3: Use Simpson Strong-Tie Anchor Designer before you pick an anchor

Anchor Designer is still free (as of January 2025, at least). It walks you through the design calculations so you can compare a wedge anchor, a Titen HD concrete screw, or another anchor without waiting for engineering. It also flags edge-distance and spacing issues before they become field problems.

On one sign-support job, the initial bid assumed oversized wedge anchors. Running the numbers in Anchor Designer showed a smaller Titen HD at the required embedment could handle the load. That change saved about $650 on 96 anchors. More importantly, the printout gave the inspector a clear answer.

The numbers said 'smaller is fine.' My gut said it looked too small. I ran the calc again, reviewed the ACI 318 provisions, and accepted it. Data won.

Checkpoint: save the Anchor Designer file name, date, and version with the submittal.

Step 4: Simpson Strong-Tie Outdoor Accents screws are not the default exterior screw

Outdoor Accents screws come in colors that match deck boards and railing, which makes them easy to order. They have their own load ratings and listed applications. For exposed wood-to-wood connections where the data sheet permits them, they are a solid choice.

Just don't treat them as a color-matched substitute for the connector on the approved plan. If the plan calls for a Strong-Drive SDS screw, a screw with the same head color is not an automatic replacement. A screw that looks right is not the same as a screw that is right. Put another way: the coating is not the load path.

I learned this after a crew used coated deck screws on a guardrail because the head color matched the specified structural screw. The inspector caught it. No one got hurt, but it was a full redo and the scariest inspection of my career.

Checkpoint: read the data sheet before you match the color. Then read it again.

Step 5: Buy the rotary hammer drill before the concrete pour

Concrete anchors need a rotary hammer drill. A regular drill in hammer mode will burn bits and give you inconsistent holes. A rotary hammer drill uses an SDS-style shank and an actual hammering mechanism. For Titen HD concrete screws, the packaging lists the required bit size. Use it.

We rented a rotary hammer for $85/day twice before buying one. The third time, we bought a mid-range corded SDS rotary hammer for about $450. The payback was two rental cycles. If you're already on a cordless battery platform, check tool-only pricing, but don't make the crew wait for a rental again.

Checkpoint: confirm the SDS shank and the correct bit size are in the bin before the concrete pour starts.

Step 6: A 1/4 in. drive Torx bit socket set (10-piece) is a consumable

Driving structural screws with worn bits is false economy. A 1/4 in. drive Torx bit socket set (10-piece) costs roughly $20 to $30 in the supply house catalog we used in January 2025. It should be on every truck and in every trailer.

Use the set with an impact rating. The socket version with 1/4 in. drive helps in tight spots, and the bits last when you use the correct size for each screw. A worn Torx bit will round out the head. The labor cost to fix that is more than the bit.

We now buy a 10-piece set for each crew each quarter. That's about a hundred dollars a year for four crews. Cheap insurance.

Checkpoint: inspect the Torx bit before every batch. If the edges are shiny and worn, replace it.

Step 7: Does a cordless nail gun need an air compressor? The procurement answer

No. A cordless nail gun is self-contained. You don't need a compressor, hose, or oiler. That's the direct answer. But no hose changes the whole work pattern.

The question isn't 'Does it need air?' It's 'What does it cost per fastener, including batteries and downtime?' The battery platform is part of the total cost of ownership. If you already have chargers and spare batteries, tool-only pricing looks good. If you are starting from zero, add one or two batteries and a charger to the cost.

We went back and forth between pneumatics and cordless for two weeks. Pneumatic offered reliability; cordless offered speed and no hose management. In the end, we chose a mixed fleet: pneumatic for production framing, cordless for service calls and punch-out. The cordless doesn't need air, but it does need a charged 5 Ah battery and a fast charger. Include that in the budget.

Checkpoint: run the TCO on the battery platform before you celebrate the tool price.

Three patterns that keep showing up in my audit log

First, wrong finish. Zinc, hot-dip galvanized, and stainless steel are not interchangeable. Second, wrong bit. A general-purpose bit is not a Torx bit. Third, no documentation. A fastener without a traceable lot number is a liability at inspection.

If you take one thing from this, set up documentation before you need it. The drill, the screws, and the nail guns are easy. The paperwork is the part that gets you. The industry has changed, and the tools are better. The non-negotiable is still knowing what you're buying and why. Do that, and you won't waste money.