Metallics JQK60 10 x 2 in. 5/16 Hex Head Slotted Sharp Point Self-Piercing & Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

No pilot hole needed. The JQK60 is a sharp point self-piercing and tapping screw, so it pierces and forms its own thread in sheet metal as you drive it. Hardness is Rockwell C38-42, which is what lets the point bite without a drilled hole.

At 2 inches of length the JQK60 clears a layer or two of drywall and still has shank left to pierce and tap the stud flange. Shank diameter runs 0.188 to 0.194 inch (a #10) with 12 threads per inch, so thread engagement is coarse and fast. For bare metal to metal work where you only need the fastener to hold the two sheets, a shorter screw in the same family is less likely to leave a long protruding tail behind the stud.

It takes a 5/16 inch hex driver or socket. The head is also slotted, so a flat blade screwdriver will work for hand starting or final snugging, but a 5/16 nut driver in a cordless screwgun is how these get run in volume.

The hex head carries an integral washer face measuring 0.384 to 0.414 inch outside diameter, with head width across the flats at 0.244 to 0.250 inch and head height 0.096 to 0.110 inch. That washer face gives bearing on strap, clip, and bushing tabs without stacking a loose washer. If you are fastening through an oversized or slotted hole, add a washer anyway.

The JQK60 is steel with a zinc finish. Zinc plating handles dry interior and protected locations fine. For sustained exterior exposure, wet locations, or corrosive environments, specify a stainless or hot dip galvanized fastener instead, since plated zinc on a self-piercing point will show rust where the coating is scraped during driving.

Metallics lists the JQK60 as both ARRA compliant and Buy American compliant. Country of origin is recorded as multiple, so if your submittal package requires a single named origin per lot, ask for the mill documentation on the specific lot shipped.

There is no single industry standard for self-piercing screw dimensions, and Metallics states the published figures are a guide with deviations possible. The usable match points on the JQK60 are the #10 shank at 0.188 to 0.194 inch, 12 threads per inch, 2 inch length, and the 5/16 hex head. If your existing screws match those four, the JQK60 drives with the same tooling and taps the same hole.

No. The JQK60 is built to pierce and tap sheet metal, and its thread form at 12 threads per inch is for metal, not timber or masonry. Use a wood screw for framing and a masonry anchor or tapcon for concrete and block. Driving this one into concrete will blunt the point without setting.

They ship in a jar, with a minimum of 100 count. Jar weight is listed at 113 g. Convenient for a van or a gang box where you do not want loose fasteners rattling around a bin.