What Exactly Does Hardware Refer to?

In our daily lives, hardware stores are where we often go to buy various small accessories and tools. These stores offer screws, nails, pliers, wrenches, brooms, pipes, wires, and even cement, sand, and bricks. But what exactly does "hardware" refer to?

Originating from the Eastern Han Dynasty, the term "hardware" first appeared in a book called "Chronicles of Wu and Yue" during the Spring and Autumn Period. It mentioned "five metals" – gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin. According to the "Modern Chinese Dictionary," hardware refers to these five metals.

These metals have played crucial roles in various aspects of human civilization, from economic to political and military activities. Today, with the increasing variety and application of metals, products made of metal, such as hardware tools, components, daily necessities, construction hardware, and security products, are collectively referred to as "hardware."

Metal possesses several key characteristics:

1.Strength: Resistance to deformation and fracture under external force.

2.Yield Point: The stress at which material begins to deform permanently.

3.Tensile Strength: Maximum stress a material can withstand before breaking.

4.Elongation: Percentage increase in length after breaking.

5.Reduction of Area: Percentage decrease in cross-sectional area after breaking.

6.Hardness: Resistance to penetration by a harder substance.

7.Impact Toughness: Resistance to impact loads.

Moreover, metals are renowned for their luster. Gold, silver, and platinum, in particular, have dazzling appearances, making them valuable in jewelry and decoration.

Hardware comes in various types, sizes, and specifications, serving indispensable roles across different fields. China is a major manufacturer of hardware, with several regions acclaimed as global hardware capitals, manufacturing a wide array of hardware products daily.

In modern industrial society, the hardware industry plays a significant role in national economic development, supplying supporting products, semi-finished products, and tools for production processes. However, only a small portion of daily hardware products are essential tools for life.

In the national economic industry classification by the National Bureau of Statistics, manufacturing is the third-largest category, including the production of daily necessities like food, textiles, and furniture, as well as the manufacturing of industrial materials like chemicals, non-metallic products, and metal products. The latter, including general-purpose components and related products, constitute what is commonly referred to as "hardware." Thus, "small hardware" is not an existing industry category but rather a combination of various metal products, serving as components and production tools for manufacturing enterprises rather than specialized equipment for final use.