Metallics QTEKD17 10 x 5/8 in. 5/16 Head Quadrive Self-Drilling & Tapping Screws - #2 Drill Point - Domestic Steel Zinc - Each

That is what the #2 drill point on the QTEKD17 is for. The point drills its own hole and the thread taps it in the same pass, so no pilot hole is needed in sheet metal such as metal studs, strut, or enclosure sheet. A #2 point is sized for light to medium gauge steel, not structural plate.

Overall length is 5/8 inch on a #10 diameter shank, so your combined stack of fastened material plus the steel you are drilling into has to sit well under that 5/8 inch to leave thread engagement. It suits mounting straps, clips, boxes, and plates to sheet steel. For thicker stack-ups, step up to a longer #10 self-drilling screw.

Yes. The QTEKD17 is made in the USA from domestic steel with zinc plating, which is what matters on federal, municipal, and institutional jobs carrying a domestic-material clause. Keep the carton or packing documentation with your submittal.

The QTEKD17 has a 5/16 inch hex head with a Quadrive drive, so you can run it with a 5/16 inch magnetic hex driver in a screw gun or impact driver, or drive it with a square-recess bit through the Quadrive recess. The hex washer head is the usual choice on a gun because the magnetic socket holds the screw while you start it overhead.

The QTEKD17 is domestic steel with a zinc plating. Zinc plate handles dry interior and normally occupied conditions well, and gives short-term protection in damp spots, but it is not a stainless or hot-dip finish. For exterior, wet-location, or corrosive runs, specify a stainless or hot-dip galvanized self-drilling screw instead.

A self-drilling screw like the QTEKD17 carries a drill point, in this case a #2 point, that cuts its own hole in steel as it goes, so one tool and one pass does the job. A plain self-tapping sheet metal screw has a sharp or blunt point and forms thread in a hole you drilled first. For metal stud and enclosure work where you are fastening dozens of points, the self-drilling version saves the pilot drilling entirely.

The QTEKD17 is a #10 x 5/8 inch self-drilling screw ordered as a single model number, with the screws packaged in quantities of 100. There is one configuration, so there is no finish, length, or drive option to pick on the order.