Metallics JQK30V 10 x 1 in. 1/4 Hex Head Slotted Sharp Point Self-Piercing & Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

No pilot hole needed. The JQK30V is a sharp point self-piercing and tapping screw, so it pierces and forms its own thread in sheet metal as you drive it. The twin lead threads also cut driving torque, which is what makes one-step driving practical on light-gauge steel.

Yes. The JQK30V is flagged as both ARRA compliant and Buy American compliant, which is what a government, school or healthcare procurement file usually needs on the line item. Country of origin is listed as multiple.

Not necessarily. Head dimensions on self-piercing screws differ from standard tapping screws, and there is no single industry standard governing self-piercing screw dimensions, so the published values are a guide and deviations occur. If you are matching an existing hole pattern or a counterbore in a fixture, check the head against the JQK30V dimensions rather than assuming a standard #10 tapping screw head will interchange.

It takes a 1/4 inch hex driver or socket, with head width measuring 0.244 to 0.25 in. and head height 0.096 to 0.11 in. There is also a slotted drive in the head, so a flat blade works as a backup in tight spots where a socket won't seat. The slot runs 0.045 to 0.054 in. wide and 0.052 to 0.074 in. deep, so use a narrow-tip flat screwdriver rather than a cabinet blade.

They ship in a jar of 500, which is also the order minimum. Figure roughly 3.05 lbs for the packed jar.

It is zinc plated steel. Zinc plating handles indoor and protected conditions well, but it is a sacrificial coating, not stainless, so for persistent wet exposure, coastal air or direct weather you want a stainless or coated-for-exterior fastener instead.

Yes, the hex head carries an integral washer face measuring 0.384 to 0.414 in. outside diameter with a washer thickness of 0.019 to 0.031 in. That bearing surface spreads load across the hole, which matters when you are fastening through a slotted strap or a thin bracket and don't want the head pulling through.

Case hardness runs Rockwell C28-38, with the body made from AISI 1018 to 1022 low carbon steel. That hardness range is what lets the sharp point pierce light-gauge sheet without the tip rolling over, while keeping enough ductility that the screw doesn't snap off when you lean on the driver.