Metallics JRSDS7 10 x 3-1/2 in. Bugle Head Star Drive Deck Screws - Steel Yellow Zinc - Type 17 - Threads - Each

A T25 star bit. The JRSDS7 uses a star (flat six-lobe) recess, so a T25 Torx-style driver seats fully and cuts down on cam-out when you're sinking a 3-1/2 inch screw into framing. Keep a spare bit on hand for a 100-count jar.

No. The JRSDS7 has a Type 17 point, which is the auger/chip-cavity point that lets the screw drive without a pilot hole, including in denser woods. On brittle hardwood trim or near a board end you may still want a pilot to avoid splitting, but for normal decking and framing you drive it straight in.

The JRSDS7 is carbon steel with a yellow zinc dichromate finish. That is a coated-steel screw, suited to general exterior and framing work where a dichromate coating is accepted. For direct, sustained contact with modern ACQ/copper-azole treated lumber or any coastal or wet-service deck, specify a stainless or a heavy polymer-coated deck screw instead; a dichromate-plated steel screw is not a stainless substitute.

The bugle head on the JRSDS7 has a flared, concave underside that compresses wood fibers as it seats, so the head sinks flush or slightly below the surface without a countersink and without blowing out the face of the board. Head height is 0.124 in. and head width runs 0.339 to 0.384 in. If you want the fastener to clamp on the surface rather than sink, a washer-head screw is the other choice.

The JRSDS7 ships as a 100-count jar, with 100 CT as the order minimum. Jar weight is 1.7 lbs. Other sizes and quantities in the RSDS deck screw line can be had by request.

The JRSDS7 is flagged compliant for both ARRA and Buy American in Metallics' product data, with China listed as country of origin. If your contract runs a stricter domestic-origin clause than the standard flag covers, have the manufacturer's compliance letter pulled before you submit it against the spec.

8 threads per inch, UNC, with a deeper thread form than a standard wood screw. The coarse 8 TPI pitch means fewer turns to drive and more thread volume engaged per inch of embedment, which is what gives the screw its resistance to pull-out when a deck board cups or a joist hanger loads up.

No single industry standard governs deck screw dimensions, so Metallics publishes the JRSDS7 figures as a guide and slight deviations are acceptable. The steel itself is held to AISI 1018-1022. If your drawing calls out a specific dimensional standard for the fastener, this screw is spec'd by its own published geometry rather than against one.