1. The first number gives the major, or largest, diameter.

In Unified threads (measured in inches) there are numbered

diameters #0 through #10, with 0 the smallest and 10 the largest. (Diameters #12 and #14 may also be found, but are
usually on older equipment and needed for repairs or restorations. #14 is close to, but not exactly the same as, 1/4-inch.)
The major diameter in Unified threads = 0.060" + 0.013" (numbered diameter). So, #2 has a major diameter of 0.086".
The odd numbers exist, but the even numbers are in far more common use. For screws larger than a #10, the diameters
are listed in fractional inches. For instance, a 1/4-20 screw has a 1/4-inch major diameter. For metric threads, e.g. M3.5,
the number following the M is the major diameter of the external thread in millimeters.

2. The second number is the distance between adjacent threads, or thread pitch.
It has to do with the distance between adjacent threads. It may be given as the number of threads per unit length, or it may be
given as the distance between threads (also called the thread pitch). For Unified threads, the number given is threads per inch.
For instance, a 1/4-20 screw has 20 threads per inch. For metric threads, the thread pitch is given in millimeters per thread.
Thus, an M2 x 0.4 screw has threads every 0.4mm. Although most metric fasteners have two or more standard pitches (fine
& coarse threads), the pitch is often omitted from a thread callout; it is always helpful to carry a sample with you to the
hardware store. Two major metric "industrial standards": DIN Deutsches Institut fr Normung (German) and the JIS Japanese
Industrial Standards. Although these standards are closely related and often identical, there will be cases where say a JIS M8
bolt may not have the same pitch as a DIN M8 bolt. The American National Standard (ANSI) Metric thread is more
commonly used in the USA.

3. The length of most screws is measured from the bottom of the head.
Read the length, which is generally given after the x. The length of most screws is measured from the bottom of the head, as
shown. Note, however, that a flathead screw, designed to sit flush in a countersunk material, is measured to the top of the
head. For unified threads, the length is given in inches. A 1/4-20 x 3/4 screw is .75 inches long. The length may be given in
fractional inches or the decimal equivalent. For metric threads, the length is given in millimeters.

Nuts have internal threads. Thread classes refer to fit: how loosely or tightly the screw fits in the nut. The most common
thread classes are 2A or 2B. A indicates an external thread, such as on a screw or bolt. B indicates an internal thread, such
as on a nut. The 2 (or, far less commonly, 1 or 3) describes the tightness of the fit. You may see the abbreviations UNC
and UNF. These stand for unified coarse and unified fine, respectively, and they refer to standard series of thread pitch.
Each series assigns a pitch to diameter. For instance, a #10 UNC screw has 24 threads per inch, whereas a #10 UNF
screw has 32 threads per inch. If a thread is specified by its series, look for the pitch in a table. Minor diameter is the
smallest diameter of the thread, the innermost diameter. Major diameter is the largest diameter of the thread, or the
outermost diameter. The diameter given is typically the nominal major diameter of an external, or male, thread.