A Standoff, formally known as a Threaded Standoff is a threaded component with a circular body and is available in a variety of combinations. These being Male-Female, Female-Female, and Male-Male. Standoffs are typically circular, hexagonal (hex), or with a square-shaped body depending on the material and size. The materials that they are usually formed from are:
Threaded Standoffs are more commonly used in electronics, they are used to raise printed circuit boards above a surface. The insulating parts of a Standoff prevent electrical shorts by acting as a spacer and ensuring that the two components do not touch each other.
Female-Female - Standoffs are available in both standard and swaged configurations. Swaged standoffs have one end that has been swaged (shaped by a device known as a swage) which looks like the male end of a female-male standoff. The main difference between the swaged female-female standoff and female-male standoffs is that the former has internal threads.
Female-Male - Unlike its female-female counterpart, the female-male threaded standoff has external threads. Most are hex-shaped so that they can be easily tightened with a wrench.
Male-Male - These are suitable for a wide range of applications, usually do not require any assembly equipment, and are the perfect solution for use when high mechanical strength is required because they act as a sturdy insulated spacer.