Motion & Linkage

Stainless Steel Clevis Rod Ends

Profab Machine manufactures stainless steel clevises by CNC machining to drawing or standard dimensional spec. All grades, thread standards, and fork dimensions are configurable at order.

What Is Stainless Steel Clevis?

A stainless steel clevis is a component of a clevis fastener or clevis joint. It forms part of a mechanical linkage that connects two parts. The design allows angular or pivoting movement between them while withstanding significant tension or linear pushing and pulling forces.

Product Range

Types of Stainless Steel Clevis Rod Ends

Profab Machine manufactures stainless steel clevises by CNC machining to customer drawings or standard dimensional specifications. Available in grade 304, 316, 316L, and 17-4PH, with inch or metric threads (UNC, UNF, or ISO metric), custom fork width, and pin diameter.

Clevis Rod End

Steering Clevis

Clevis Joint

Custom Clevis

DIN 71752

ISO 8140

Material Specification

Choosing the Right Grade

304 Stainless

General-purpose grade. Good resistance to humidity, mild chemicals, and food-safe cleaning agents. Use this for indoor machinery, agricultural equipment, and dry-run automation.

Food · Automation · Indoor

316 / 316L

Molybdenum addition gives 316L roughly 3× better chloride resistance than 304. Required for marine applications, salt-spray environments, offshore, and food-grade lines with CIP chemical cleaning.

Marine · Chemical · Pumps

17-4PH

Precipitation-hardened grade. After H900 heat treatment, tensile strength reaches ~1310 MPa — significantly stronger than 316. Used in motorsport, aerospace, and high-cycle fatigue applications where load ratings matter more than cost.

Aerospace · Motorsport · Hi-load

Applications

Where Stainless Steel Clevis Joints Are Used

Stainless steel clevises are versatile connection components widely used across industrial applications. Rather than acting as a simple connector, clevis joints play a key role in load transfer, motion control, and structural stability across demanding operating environments. They are essential in engineered resistance systems such as tie rod assemblies and support brackets.

Structural Tension Rods & Canopy Systems

Glass canopies, steel roof structures, and architectural cable facades all use stainless clevis joints at both ends of the tension rod assembly. The clevis provides the pivot axis that allows the rod to transfer pure axial load to the bracket without bending moment — when the anchor point and rod are not perfectly co-axial, a rigid connection bends the rod.

Cable Railing & Balustrade Systems

Deck rails, stair balustrades, and pedestrian bridge barriers use clevis joints at the terminal ends of tensioned wire rope runs, where the rope must connect to a post fitting or bracket at a defined angle. The clevis pin allows the fitting to pivot as the cable is tensioned, preventing the end fitting from twisting the rope strands and reducing the breaking load at the connection.

Marine Rigging & Boom Control

Standing rigging on sailboats, crane wire terminations on commercial vessels, and cargo net attachment points on ro-ro ships all use stainless clevis joints as the connecting link between wire rope terminals and chainplates, mast tangs, or structural brackets. The clevis fork accepts a pin through the attachment point, allowing the rigging to rotate in-plane without loading the fitting in bending.

Actuator & Cylinder Linkages

Linear actuators, hydraulic cylinders, and pneumatic drives all require a clevis joint at the rod end to connect the moving rod to the driven component — a bracket, lever arm, or linkage plate. The clevis allows the cylinder to swing slightly as the driven member travels through its arc, preventing the transverse load that would bend the cylinder rod and damage the gland seal.

Agricultural & Industrial Machinery

Linkage systems on ploughing equipment, harvester header frames, and conveyor discharge gates use clevis joints wherever a rigid rod must connect two components that move relative to each other during operation. In agricultural environments, the combination of soil abrasion, fertiliser and pesticide chemical exposure, and outdoor weathering eliminates zinc-plated and painted hardware within one season.

Facade Tensioning & Point-Fixed Glazing

Glass facades, ETFE cushion roof structures, and architectural mesh screens use stainless clevis joints as the terminal connection between the tensioning rod and the building structure’s embedded anchor plate. The pin connection allows a small amount of rotation as the facade responds to thermal expansion and wind load, preventing the stress concentrations that would crack a welded or rigid connection over the building’s design life.

Why Profab

Your Reliable Stainless Steel Clevis Supplier

Precision Machining Ensures a Secure Connection

Each clevis is CNC machined with pin holes and fork heads of precise dimensions to ensure a tight and reliable fit with the motion system. Compatibility and consistency of different batches are guaranteed.

High-strength Stainless Steel Material

Our stainless steel clevis joint normally is available in 304 or 316 stainless steel to withstand tension, vibration and corrosive media, making it an ideal choice for marine, chemical or food-grade environments.

Flexible Customization to Meet OEM Customer Needs

We support non-standard sizes, threads or design features to meet your specific application needs. Profab Machine can help you efficiently build or improve your project.

Technical Reference

Certifications & Videos

FAQ

Common Questions

Not seeing your question? Email us at [email protected] and we typically reply same day.

Can you customize clevis dimensions, pin diameters, and thread patterns?

Yes. Profab can customize clevis width, eye thickness, pin diameter, and thread style. Our ss clevis is ideal for bespoke machinery and OEM integrations.

What is the difference between a clevis and a clevis pin?

A clevis is the U-shaped forked body with two parallel ears and a threaded shank. A clevis pin is the separate cylindrical pin that passes through the aligned holes in the clevis ears and the mating component. They are two distinct parts. Profab supplies both the clevis body and matched clevis pins as a set, or either component separately.

What surface finish do you provide on stainless steel clevises?

Standard finish is bright machined. Passivation per ASTM A967 is available as a standard option. Electropolishing (Ra ≤ 0.4 µm) is available for food-grade or pharmaceutical applications. Surface finish is specified at time of order.