A self-clinching fastener is any device, usually threaded, that when pressed into a softer metal panel, displaces the panel material around the mounting hole, causing the fastener to hold into the sheet and become a permanent part of the panel, chassis, bracket, or other item into which they are installed. Self-cinching fasteners can be installed in sheet metal using standard tools, and do not require soldering, welding, or the creation of a threaded screw-hole in the sheet metal itself.

As a result, self-clinching fasteners are extremely useful in the design and manufacture of any product made using sheet metal that is too thin to be tapped.