Search Tips
MSCDirect.com offers two ways to search:

Search Powered by Google
It's easy-- anything you are looking for can be found using Search Powered by Google. Simply type in a description of what you're looking for OR the MSC Industrial Supply, Manufacturer, Customer, NSN, Competitor part, or Catalog Page number and click the ‘Go’ button.

Tip: Search Powered by Google can handle numbers, multiple words, phrases and descriptions... so for the best results be specific. Just as you would expect when searching on Google.com, the more information you put in your search, the more accurate your results will be. For example, if you are searching for a drill and know the size and type that you want, include that in your search description. (Example: "10.5mm jobber drill" instead of "drill").

You can set your default search preference to ‘Search Powered by Google’ from the ‘Search Results’ page by clicking on the tab labeled ‘Search Powered by Google’ or you can select it from the ‘Search Tips’ page.

Product Attribute Filters Search
If your goal is to start with a broad category and filter down using product attributes, then Product Attribute Filters Search is the way to go! There is a convenient drop-down filter menu that helps you classify your search. Simply type in a description of what you're looking for and select the MSC Industrial Supply Keyword, Part, Customer, Manufacturer, NSN, Competitor, or Page number and click the ‘Go’ button. The search will return a list of product categories matching your keywords, on the left portion of the page. Click on the product category that most closely suits your needs. After you've entered the filtering details for the item you need, you will see all matching product(s).

To go back and change one or more of the product specifications, click the ‘UNDO’ button beside the specification that you would like to revise.

You can set your default search preference to ‘Product Attribute Filters Search’ from the ‘Search Results’ page by clicking on the tab labeled ‘Product Attribute Filters’ or you can select it from the ‘Search Tips’ page

I don't see what I am looking for, now what?
You can search within your search results by entering more keywords and selecting the ‘search within these results’ radio button on the top left and click the ‘Go’ button. You can also click any of the ‘Search Result Types’ that are available on the left side of the page in a tree format. You can open and close these results by clicking on the plus or minus signs to further refine your search.

Search Powered by Google Tips
To make your searches more productive, try to use the following guidelines:

• Be specific; use details to narrow your search of a broad category (Example: jobber drill instead of drill).
• Use unique and uncommon words; rare or unusual keywords will produce more specific results.
• Use the brand name or manufacturer name of an item (Example: Greenfield tap instead of tap).
• Multiple word searches will produce more specific results (Example: cordless drill instead of drill).
• Avoid conducting a search using product size and specifications. You can enter specifications after you've chosen the appropriate category (Example: hand tap instead of 1/4-20 hand tap).
• Disregard capitalization; searches are not case sensitive.
• Results will include matches for the singular and plural versions of your word.

What about spelling?
If we encounter a spelling error or cannot find a match for one or more of the words entered, you will be requested to replace the unrecognized word with a word from a list of our suggested matches. Once you have chosen a replacement and have updated your search, the matching product categories will be displayed.

If for some reason the desired item is not accurately described in our suggested word list, choose the ‘Other’ option and type in your desired description. If you need to edit your entire search, please use the box provided below the suggested word list.

My search returned too many categories, how do I narrow my search?
Try your search again using more specific keywords (see search tips above for some suggestions).

What if there's not an exact match?
We will attempt to find categories that contain all of your keywords. If we cannot we will display a list of possible matching categories using up to 5 combinations of your keywords.

How do I view a specific page?
Enter the catalog page number in the search box, select the "catalog page # search" option just under the search box, and click the "Go" button. The catalog page will then display on your screen. To move to the next or previous page, click the Next or Previous buttons, respectively. You can find these buttons next to the Big Book® Page Number scrub bar. The Big Book® page number can be viewed on the 'Search Results' and 'Item Detail' pages..

How can I provide feedback about the search?
We encourage you to make suggestions and offer feedback anytime you see something on our site that could be improved, just send us an email.