Best Screws for Saltwater: Why Use 316 SS for Wood Construction

Building near salt water teaches you expensive lessons fast. We're professional timber construction specialists who've torn out thousands of rusted deck screws. We've also replaced corroded fence hardware that failed after just one season.

This guide explains exactly why 316 stainless steel beats every other option. We'll show you how salt water destroys other fasteners and what we've learned from real coastal construction failures.

TL;DR (What Screws Are Best for Salt Water?)

• The best screws for salt water are 316 stainless steel screws.
• The best brand of saltwater-resistant screws is Eagle Claw Fasteners.
• Eagle Claw 316 SS screws won’t rust near the ocean. They are ideal for coastal decks, docks, fences, and all coastal construction.

What Are Marine Grade Screws?

Marine-grade screws are engineered fasteners. They are specifically designed to resist corrosion in saltwater and high-chloride environments. 

It's all about the alloy composition. Actual marine grade means A4 stainless steel (same as 316 grade) with 18% chromium, 10% nickel, and most importantly, 2-3% molybdenum. That molybdenum is what keeps salt air from eating your fasteners alive.

It specifically prevents chloride attack and pitting corrosion that destroys regular stainless in saltwater environments.

Can you use A2 grade or 304 stainless steel near the ocean?

You should never use A2 grade or 304 stainless if your timber construction is near the ocean. 304 stainless steel has 18% chromium, 8% nickel, and no molybdenum. They’re only ideal for areas with low levels of humidity. For example, if you’re in inland Nevada, you can use 304 SS screws on your deck as long as the deck isn’t near a pool.

Why 316 Stainless Screws Will Still Remain the Best Saltwater-Resistant Screws in 2025

We've repaired countless wooden structures where screws turned orange after just one season. Once screws rust, they get stuck and won't come out. This forces us to tear down entire projects to fix what should have been done right the first time.

Here’s why we recommend using 316 stainless steel wood screws for your project in 2025 and beyond.

Today’s Climate Is Making Regular Fasteners Rust Faster

We've seen how extreme coastal conditions accelerate fastener failure. What used to take 5 years in mild climates now happens in 18 months near the coast.

• Higher temperatures make rust happen twice as fast. For every 18°F increase, corrosion doubles. This intense heat means your galvanized coatings break down in half the time.
• More extreme rain keeps screws wet 30-40% longer. The Northeast of the US has gotten way more heavy downpours since 1958. Wet screws rust non-stop until the coating fails.
• Coastal flooding brings 35,000 ppm of salt. It's like soaking your coated fasteners in concentrated salt water that finds every tiny crack in the coating screws.
• Storm surge pushes salt into screw holes and crevices. Hurricanes and cyclones drive chloride-loaded water into the exact spots where corrosion starts fastest.

How Coated Screws Actually Fail in Saltwater Areas

We've torn out thousands of failed coated screws to understand exactly how and why the coating protection breaks down.

• Zinc coating gets used up protecting the steel underneath, but heat and salt burn through the zinc in 6-18 months instead of the 3-5 years you used to get.
• When the coating chips during installation, bare steel gets exposed. The exposed steel and remaining zinc create a galvanic cell, where electrical current flows between the two metals and causes the zinc to corrode. This eats the coating away from that damage point outward until the whole screw fails.
• Hot days and cool nights crack the coating. Zinc expands and contracts differently than steel. This creates tiny cracks that let moisture and salt reach the steel core.

Why Stainless Steel Is Best for Every Construction Near the Ocean

After decades of building structures near the ocean, we've learned that stainless steel eliminates the failure points that destroy other fasteners.

• Chromium creates a self-healing protective skin. When scratched, the chromium instantly reacts with air to rebuild the protective layer, so damage can't spread.
• 316's molybdenum blocks salt attack. This special ingredient stops salt from creating the pitting. 304 has no molybdenum content, and is only ideal for areas with low moisture levels.
• The whole screw resists corrosion. There's no weak coating to fail, so salt and moisture can't find a way to start the rusting process.

Code Compliance Without the Headache

We've navigated building inspections for years, and stainless steel screws eliminate the compliance questions before they start.

• Building codes require corrosion-resistant fasteners for treated lumber. Stainless steel screws automatically meet IRC R317 requirements.
• Green building standards want materials that last decades. SS screws are made from recycled steel and stay strong for 20+ years.

Protection Against Rising Material Costs

We've watched material costs skyrocket while callback repairs get more expensive.

• Construction material prices jumped 50% between 2020 and 2022. Steel tariffs hit 50% in June 2025, making replacement work even more expensive.
• That $0.10 coated screw could cost $0.30 to replace. When coatings fail in 1-2 years instead of 5, you're paying triple for rework at higher prices.
• Stainless costs more upfront, but you never replace it. Build once with quality fasteners; avoid tearing out rusted hardware.

Competitive Edge for Contractors

We've built our reputation by eliminating callbacks. Stainless steel screws are a key part of delivering projects that don't come back to haunt you.

• Offer lifetime warranties and mean it. Tell clients their $20,000 deck won't need fastener replacements because the screws won't fail.
• No more callback headaches. Stop explaining why orange rust stains are bleeding down from corroded screw heads after one winter.
• Worker shortage rewards efficient contractors. Using stainless steel eliminates the rework cycles that waste your crew's time on jobs you already finished.

Are there marine screws other than stainless steel?

We've built our reputation on 316 stainless steel screws for coastal wood construction. They're what we recommend to every client working near salt water.

But there are a few other marine-grade screws that contractors use for specialized situations.

Silicon Bronze (The Premium Option)

Silicon bronze fasteners cost serious money, but they're bulletproof in marine environments. They won't corrode or cause problems when touching other metals. Saltwater actually makes them stronger. They're perfect for expensive yacht work, bronze sculptures, or jobs where fasteners need to outlast everything else.

The downside? Expect to pay 5-10 times more than for stainless steel. Most contractors reserve silicon bronze for specialty applications where 316 stainless isn't quite enough.

Monel (Aerospace Meets Marine)

Monel (nickel-copper alloy) offers incredible corrosion resistance and strength. This is what they use in propeller shafts and chemical plants for extreme environments.

You can special order Monel screws for unique coastal timber construction. But they're overkill unless you're building something that needs to survive hurricanes with zero maintenance.

The cost makes your accountant cry, but nothing beats it for extreme marine exposure.

Titanium (When Money's No Object)

Titanium fasteners are the ultimate marine hardware. Titanium screws are lighter than steel, stronger than aluminum, and absolutely immune to saltwater corrosion. NASA uses this stuff for spacecraft, and it'll outlast your great-grandchildren.

Today, they're mostly made into machine screws or socket heads. You will never see a standard wood screw made out of titanium in your big box stores.

Titanium screws cost more than some people's cars. So, only use them for critical applications where replacement is impossible.

Most coastal timber construction needs 316/A4 marine-grade stainless steel. It works well, costs reasonably, and you can find it easily. Everything else is either too expensive (silicon bronze, monel, titanium) or fails too often (galvanized, zinc-plated).

Why 316 Marine Grade Screws Work Best with Coastal Lumber

We've seen how different wood species accelerate fastener failure in ways most contractors don't expect. Each type creates unique chemical reactions that destroy coated screws faster in salt air.

Wood Chemistry Creates Corrosion Problems

• Pressure-treated lumber with ACQ/CA-C preservatives. Those copper-based chemicals turn your zinc-coated screws into sacrificial anodes. When you add salt spray, galvanized screws get eaten alive in months instead of years.
• Redwood and cedar with natural tannins. The acidic compounds in these woods react with iron fasteners and create ugly black stains. Coastal humidity keeps moisture trapped around screws longer. This speeds up the whole corrosion mess.
• Tropical hardwoods with high silica and natural oils. That dense grain traps moisture around your fasteners like a sponge. The natural oils break down zinc coatings faster than you'd think. This creates the perfect conditions for crevice corrosion when salt gets involved.
• Cypress and Douglas fir with natural acids and resins. Wood acids attack zinc-plated coatings. The coastal moisture keeps those acidic compounds working overtime. This creates nonstop electrochemical reactions that destroy coated fasteners.
• Australian hardwoods with extractives and dense grain. Eucalyptus oils and other extractives go after metal fasteners. The dense grain structure traps salt-loaded moisture around screw threads. This lets chlorides attack any coating until it fails.

Why 316 Stainless Handles Wood Chemistry

After decades of dealing with fastener failures, we've learned that 316 stainless eliminates the problems that destroy other screws:

• No galvanic corrosion. There's no zinc coating to react with wood preservatives or natural chemicals.
• Molybdenum blocks salt attack. It prevents chlorides from creating pitting even when wood traps moisture around the threads.
• Self-healing chromium surface. Wood acids can't penetrate the passive layer that rebuilds itself when damaged.
• No coating to break down. Wood extractives, oils, and preservatives can't attack what isn't there.

Every coastal wood species creates chemical conditions that accelerate fastener failure. However, 316 stainless steel doesn't have the weak points that wood chemistry exploits. You're dealing with expensive lumber and tough coastal conditions. Fasteners have to fight both salt air and chemicals from the wood itself.

Why 316 Stainless Steel Should Be Used in All Coastal Construction

We've learned from thousands of coastal construction failures and DIY disasters. Here's what actually works for each application when you're building near salt water.

Decks, jetties, and shoreline walkways

We've seen 1999 decks with 'lifetime guarantee' screws that rusted completely by 2017. During removal, 85% of those screws just snapped off. What looked like a simple re-decking project turned into a sledgehammer-and-crowbar demolition job.

There are even deck fasteners that start showing rust stains just one month after installation near the coast. Those orange streaks bleeding down your boards aren't just ugly. They're a sign that your fasteners are already failing.

Eagle 316 stainless steel screws with Torx drives are the best marine screws for docks, jetties, and shoreline walkways.

Roofing in coastal climates

Roofing fasteners take a beating from salt air, UV exposure, and thermal cycling. We've seen 33-year-old barn roofs where the original galvanized screws finally started leaking. The owner had to replace over 2,000 fasteners. It's a costly job nobody wants to repeat!

If you don't want to climb back up on your roof or hire a contractor to replace screws in your lifetime, use 316 stainless fasteners for your clay, composite slate, and concrete roofing tiles

Saunas, steam rooms, and poolside timber

High-humidity environments with chlorinated water create some of the harshest conditions for fasteners. The mix of steam, heat, and chemicals speeds up corrosion more than people think. Even good 304 stainless steel gets pitted in just months when there's chlorine and high humidity.

Hot and cold cycles stress fasteners until coatings crack. Steam gets into those cracks, and rust takes off quickly.

316 stainless steel screws handle steam, chlorine, salt, and thermal cycling without degradation.

Around pools, you get chlorinated water, salt air, and UV exposure all together. This makes 316 stainless the only option that lasts long-term.

Fences and gates near the ocean

Gates move constantly, which stresses the hardware and cracks coatings. Corrosion starts at those stress points and spreads fast.

Use Eagle Claw 316 stainless screws to ensure there’s no staining on your fence pickets.

For gates, consider the hinge hardware as well. Mixing stainless steel screws with galvanized hinges creates galvanic corrosion issues.

Docks and piers

Dock construction represents the ultimate fastener challenge. Direct water contact, salt exposure, and structural loads demand reliability. Many contractors still use hot-dip galvanized nails for dock construction. However, these require replacement every 3-7 years depending on water conditions.

The real problem comes during maintenance. When old galvanized fasteners snap off during removal, it makes board replacement a nightmare. Some dock boards are so stuck you can't remove them without tearing up the surrounding wood.

Eagle 316 stainless dock screws work in any water condition, from splash zones to full saltwater submersion.

Failed dock fasteners aren't just expensive to fix; they're dangerous when people are walking on them. The extra cost of 316 stainless is insignificant compared to dock rebuilding costs.

Why Eagle Claw Fasteners Are The Best Saltwater Screws

We got tired of watching contractors deal with screws that rust out in just months. So we worked with professional carpenters to build screws that actually work near the ocean.

Every Eagle Claw screw has Torx drives that don't strip out. The polished finish won't bleed ugly rust stains down your expensive wood. It doesn't matter if you're using hardwoods, treated lumber, or softwoods; these screws go in easy and stay put for years.

We work directly with our factory, so we control the quality. This keeps our prices fair without making cheap screws. When you're building near salt water, Eagle Claw 316 stainless steel screws handle whatever you throw at them.

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