How to Choose a Snap Button’s Barrel Length

As the largest zipper and button manufacturer in China, we decided to share with you some useful information about the length of the button barrel at KKK Zipper. It is conceivable that the length of the barrel plays a crucial role and fundamentally determines the strength and fit of the snap button and the final quality of the product. However, picking out all the proper snap fastener components for your canvas projects can be daunting if you don’t know what to look for or where to start. In this post, we’re going to focus on selecting the right barrel length on your snap fasteners for the thickness of your fabric.

What is a Snap Button Barrel?

The barrel is the part of the fastener that gets riveted to the piece’s mating component. In other words, it’s the straight stem-like part that comes out of the button top. If your barrel is too short, it won’t be able to rivet through all of your fabric layers, but if the barrel is too long, it will get in the way of your snap functioning. 11/64” and 3/16” is the most common barrel size for common buttons. The eyelet part of a metal snap fastener also has a barrel, but it’s sizing is a little different. Since the eyelet rivets to a larger piece of hardware, the 1/4” barrel for eyelets is standard for most projects. However if your assembly is very thick, over 7 or 8 layers, then you’ll want to move up to the 5/16” barrel.

The Length of the Barrel is Important!

Now that everyone knows what a barrel is, you can imagine choosing a barrel that is too short or too long will cause many problems. If the barrel you choose is too short, it will not pass through the fabric layer, but if the barrel is too long, it will negatively affect the function of the metal snap buttons.

Available Options

As you may already be thinking, the most important thing to consider when choosing the length of the barrel is the thickness of the canvas and the number of layers of the canvas we are using. Here, we will consider the thickness of a standard canvas material, which is between 0.019-0.024 inches. The number of layers of the standard canvas and the appropriate barrel length:

2-6th floor -> 11/64" or 3/16"

6-9 layers -> 1/4"

9 – 12 floors –> 5/16”

Note: If you are using a much thicker or thinner canvas, you should know its exact thickness or measure it to determine the barrel length to use. Some basic mathematics may be required.

Hope you find our tips useful and you can choose the correct clothes snap button every time.

We are a manufacturer specializing in the production of buttons and zippers. If you are also interested in other special buttons and want to know how to install them, please contact us. We can provide you with professional advice.