More about Grommets

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A grommet normally refers to a hard metal or plastic ring used to reinforce or protect a hole, or to the hole itself. The metal rings that guard our shoelace holes are a good, practical example of grommets. They strengthen the canvas or leather lace holes at the same time that they protect laces from fraying. Other examples include the metal rings that hold curtain hooks or protect tent and tarpaulin rope holes.

Grommets are particularly useful in applications involving sharp holes that have been threaded by a softer material, such as a wire, rope or tube. Once the sharp edge has been fitted with the proper grommet, it will cause minimal wear on the threaded material. Common uses for grommets include shielding wire passing through sheet metal punches, accentuating clothing and textile accessories, protecting cable passes for office desks and insulating holes cut into solid panels in military applications. Grommets are often classified by trade size, which refers to the size of the original hole in the material as well as the new hole that will exist after the grommet is in place. A trade size 4 metal grommet, for example, will fit in a half-inch hole and provide a slightly smaller hole. This hole will have different sizes based on the type of grommet selected.

Rubber and plastic grommets are ideal for situations where corrosion is a major factor. Molded polyurethane grommets have even replaced metal linkage assemblies in many applications. They help to isolate vibration, and provide a strong and highly resistant design. Metal grommets, as has been mentioned, are frequently used in textile applications, whether as decorative accessories to clothing or necessary protective hole-coverings for outdoor gear. Most tubes in an automobile eventually pass through a rubber grommet, thereby protecting them from additional friction and dangerous edges. Grommets also provide fittings for many other industries, from their uses in hydraulics and electrical engineering to their place in laboratory and medical components.