- 1). Check your packaging if your bought the screws and nuts as part of package rather than in bulk from your local hardware store. If you purchase a multi-pack of screws and nuts, it will be organized into compartments based on the size of the screws and nuts inside. If the screw you're holding, for example, is the same width as those in the quarter-inch compartment, then you know it's a quarter-inch screw.
- 2). Compare the screw or nut to another fastener whose size you know to assay its measurement. For nuts, this is easy because you need only attempt screwing it onto a bolt to see if it fits. With a screw, you must have another screw whose exact size you know to make sure it's of a certain measurement.
- 3). Measure fasteners directly using a ruler. For nuts, measure the distance from one side of the hole to the other. If you have a screw, measure the screw's "shank," which is the area between the flat (or round) head of the screw and its threaded "root," which will be more narrow than the head and exactly as wide -- or slightly wider -- than the root. Be precise in your measurements, as certain calibrations of screws and nuts -- one-half versus five-eights inches, for example -- may appear to be identical to the naked eye.
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