Mirror Screws & Caps Overview

Mirror Screws are the best way to fix mirrors to any wall. Combined with mirror screw caps, they provide a secure and decorative fixing for mirrored panels, vanity mirrors, or any type of thin panel such as splashbacks or access panels. One of the best things about mirror screws is that the mirror/panel can be easily removed, making mirror screws ideal for fixing access panels which need to be regularly opened, or opened quickly in the case of an emergency. One drawback is there are two different male thread options in 5BA & 6BA which can make choosing & ordering the correct type somewhat confusing if you have never ordered or used mirror screws before. Let's have a look at how mirror screws work & the difference between 5BA & 6BA thread mirror screws.

The fixing process is very simple for mirror screws. There are two main components - a mirror screw & a mirror cap. If we looked at the installation of an un-framed glass mirror as an example, the mirror screw is the part that secures the mirror in place, much like a normal screw. You must select the correct size screw dependent on the fixing holes in the mirror, the thickness & weight of the mirror, and the material of the wall you are fixing it to, as you would if fixing with 'standard' screws. The difference with mirror screws as opposed to normal screws, is that mirror screws have either a 5BA or 6BA female threaded sleeve on the head to accept a decorative mirror screw cap once installed. This gives a clean, aesthetic finish. The mirror cap is fixed onto the mirror screw once the mirror is securely installed and can be removed/replaced without having to remove the mirror screw or mirror from the wall.  

On the face of it, not a lot, but the size you chose will really be dependent on the size of the mirror screw/cap used. To explain that in more detail - this measurement refers to the size of the thread which connects the cap to the screw. 5BA is a larger thread than 6BA (no - it makes no sense to us either), and so on the smaller sizes of screw such as the 6-gauge wood screws and M5 machine screws, only 6BA is available. On the opposite end of the spectrum - the larger 10g wood screws & M6/M8 machine screws are only available in 5BA. The best way is to see what the best size/type of mirror screw for your application would be. Once that has been decided, see if that screw is available in 5BA or 6BA. Sometimes it will be available in both - when this is the case, it is the size of cap that decides it. The smaller caps - 10mm & 12mm - are generally only available in 6BA, and the larger caps of 15mm and up are generally only available in 5BA. If both the screw & cap you need are available in both 5BA & 6BA, there is no difference in price between the two, so pick based on stock availability.