Metallics JDS180V 10 x 1/2 in. 5/16 Indented Hex Head Slotted Sharp Point Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

The JDS180V is a Type A tapping screw with a gimlet (sharp) point, so it drills and forms its own thread in thin sheet metal without a separate tapping operation. In light gauge steel it starts on its own; in heavier stock a pilot hole is normal practice for a Type A screw. It will not drill through heavy plate, this is a sheet metal screw, not a self-drilling screw with a drill point.

The JDS180V is flagged both ARRA compliant and Buy American compliant in Metallics' product data, which is what a public-works or federally funded spec typically asks for on fasteners. Country of origin is listed as multiple, so if your contract requires a single named origin on the submittal, state that when you order.

Overall length is 1/2 inch with 12 threads per inch, so after the gimlet point there is only a short run of full thread. That makes it a fastener for thin material, sheet metal boxes, enclosure covers, straps, and brackets, where total grip is roughly a quarter inch or less. For deeper stack-ups, step up to a longer length in the same JDS series.

The head has an integral washer face with an outside diameter of 0.384 to 0.414 inch and a thickness of 0.019 to 0.031 inch, giving a flat bearing surface against the work. No separate washer is needed for normal sheet metal fastening. Head height runs 0.105 to 0.12 inch, so it sits low on the surface.

The JDS180V is carbon steel with a zinc finish. Zinc plating handles indoor and sheltered service well, interior panels, enclosures, and dry utility spaces. For sustained exposure to weather, washdown, coastal air, or chemical atmospheres, specify a stainless tapping screw instead; zinc plating will eventually corrode in those conditions.

Minimum torsional strength is 48 lb-in, with a case hardness of Rockwell C28-38 on AISI 1016-1024 carbon steel. That is enough to form thread in sheet metal, but 48 lb-in is not much headroom for an impact driver on a #10 screw. Drive them with a clutched drill or nut driver at moderate speed, and back off once the washer face seats.

Head and washer dimensions follow ASME B18.6.3-2010, and the thread conforms to ASME B18.6.4, the tapping screw standard. Steel is AISI 1016-1024. One caveat worth knowing if you are specifying across the series: dimensions for the #9 diameter fall outside ASME B18.6.4. The #10 covered here is within it.

These ship in a jar of 500, and 500 count is the order minimum. So the buying unit is one 500-piece jar rather than loose pieces. The filled jar weighs 2.75 lbs. Other sizes and quantities in the JDS series are available by request.

That is what this screw is built for. Metallics catalogs the JDS180V as an electrical fastener, and the 5/16 hex head with a backup slot is the standard combination for running sheet metal screws into boxes, enclosures, ground straps, and conduit supports where a nut driver speeds the work and a screwdriver gets you into the corners. Note it is a sheet metal tapping screw, not a machine screw, so it will not thread into the tapped 10-32 holes in a device box or mud ring.