Metallics JQK23 10 x 2 in. 1/4 Hex Head Slotted Sharp Point Self-Piercing & Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

No pilot hole needed in sheet metal. The JQK23 is a sharp point self-piercing and tapping screw, so it pierces and forms its own thread as it drives. Twin lead threads cut the driving torque, which is what keeps a #10 screw from camming out when you run 100 of them on a job.

It takes a 1/4 inch hex driver or socket. Head width runs 0.244 to 0.25 inch across the flats and head height 0.096 to 0.11 inch. The head is also slotted, with a slot width of 0.045 to 0.054 inch and depth of 0.052 to 0.074 inch, so a standard flat blade works for hand starts or tight spots where a socket will not seat.

A #10 diameter screw, 2 inches long, with 12 threads per inch. The 2 inch length gives plenty of reach for fastening through strut, hanger, or wood blocking into sheet metal, and the undercut under the head means more of that length is usable thread engagement.

Yes, it 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. That bearing surface spreads load on thin sheet metal so the head does not pull through.

The JQK23 is zinc plated carbon steel, which is a mild indoor corrosion finish. It suits dry interior electrical work, hanging box and conduit support, and protected mechanical rooms. For sustained outdoor exposure, washdown, or coastal air, specify a stainless or hot dip galvanized fastener instead.

Case hardness is Rockwell C28-38 on AISI 1018-1022 carbon steel, which is the standard range for tapping screws that cut their own thread in light gauge steel such as studs, strut, and sheet metal boxes. It is not a concrete or masonry fastener, and it is not intended for thick structural plate.

Metallics lists the JQK23 as both Buy American compliant and ARRA compliant. Country of origin is recorded as multiple, so if your submittal requires a single named origin per lot, request documentation for the specific lot you receive.

Not necessarily. Head dimensions on self-piercing screws differ from standard tapping screws, and there is no single industry standard for self-piercing screw dimensions. The published figures (0.244 to 0.25 inch across the hex, 0.096 to 0.11 inch head height) are a guide and small deviations can occur, so if the head has to drop into an existing counterbore or clearance slot, measure the opening first.

They ship in a jar of 100, and 100 count is the order minimum. Jar weight is listed at 1.25 lbs, with package dimensions of 3 x 3.6 x 3 inches. Other sizes and quantities are available by request.