How it connects
The screwdriver blade is inserted into the slot and turned; torque is transmitted through the slot walls. No seal or retention; the blade cams out easily.
Male and female halves
The slot in the fastener head is the female (recess); the screwdriver blade tip is the male. This port is the female slot.
Usually connects to
- nut driver (on combination hex/slot heads)
- A flat-blade screwdriver or slotted driver bit sized to fit the slot
Common sizes
- Match blade thickness/width to slot width/length/depth; common blade widths are about 2–10 mm.
- Hose-clamp screws often use a 6 mm (1/4 in) blade with a separate 5/16 in or 7 mm hex head.
- One estimated slot is 7 mm long × 1.2 mm wide × 1.5 mm deep; this is not an established standard size.
Where it is used
fastenersmachine screwselectrical terminalswoodworkingScrew drivingAdjustment screwsWorm-drive hose-clamp tightening
Variations
- combination hex head with slot
- Phillips/slotted combo
- slotted cheese/pan/flat heads
- slotted set screws
- Combined external hex and straight-slot head
How to recognise it
A single straight groove running across the full diameter of a screw or bolt head, open at both ends.
Often confused with
| Confused with | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Phillips or cross-slot drive | Slotted has one straight slot; cross and Phillips have two intersecting recesses. A straight-slot drive has one linear channel; a Phillips drive has intersecting recesses forming a cross. |
| External hex drive | Hex is turned from outside the head with a socket or nut driver; the slot is a recess cut across the head. Hose-clamp screws often have both. |
| Internal hex (Allen) drive | An Allen recess is a six-sided socket. This item has a straight slot and a separate external hexagonal head. |
Also called
flat-blade driveSlotted screw driveStraight-slot driveFlat-blade screwdriver recess
Good to know
Better treated as a tool drive than a mating connection between parts. On worm-drive hose clamps the screw usually has a hex head with a slot, so the same head also has an external hex drive.
Related connections
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