Metallics JTEK3PSS 10 x 3/4 in. Pan Head Phillips Self-Drilling & Tapping Screws - #2 Drill Point - 410 Stainless Steel - Each

For sheet and light steel in the 0.035 to 0.110 inch range, a self-driller like the JTEK3PSS is the faster call: one pass, no pilot, no drill bit swap. Structural beam flanges are far thicker than 0.110 inch, so a #2 point will not get through before the threads hit. For that you need a higher-numbered drill point with a longer flute, or a drilled pilot and a thread-cutting screw.

The JTEK3PSS is made from 410 stainless steel, which is the hardenable martensitic grade used for self-drillers because it can be heat treated hard enough to cut steel, here Rockwell C38-46. That hardness is what lets it drill, and it gives corrosion resistance well above plain zinc-plated carbon steel. 410 is not the equivalent of 300 series stainless in salt or chemical exposure, so for coastal or wash-down environments specify accordingly.

Pan head, so it sits on top of the surface rather than countersinking. The head measures 0.357 to 0.373 inch across and 0.122 to 0.133 inch high, which gives a wide bearing face for strap slots and clearance holes in sheet metal without pulling through. If you need the head flush with the panel face, this is the wrong head style and you want a flat or wafer head instead.

Use a #2 Phillips bit; the recess is sized for it, with a 0.192 inch recess diameter and 0.089 to 0.113 inch gaging depth. Minimum torsional strength is 61 lb-in, so set a screw gun clutch below that to avoid snapping heads. Minimum drive torques are the same for the stainless and the steel versions of these self-drillers.

The JTEK3PSS is flagged both ARRA compliant and Buy American compliant in Metallics' product data, which is what a public-agency or federally funded project submittal normally asks for. Country of origin is listed as multiple. Dimensionally it is built to ASME B18.6.3-2010 with threads to SAE J78-2013.

They ship in a jar of 100, and 100 count is the order minimum. The packed jar runs 0.61 lbs. Other sizes and counts in the JTEK line are available by request.