Metallics JTS54 12 x 1-3/4 in. Pan Head Combo Sharp Point Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

The JTS54 is a Type A tapping screw with a gimlet (sharp) point, which means it starts its own hole in thin sheet metal and soft material without pre-drilling. Type A thread is the coarse sheet-metal thread, 11 threads per inch on this #12 size, cut to ASME B18.6.4. In heavier gauge steel you still want a pilot. These are not self-drilling screws with a drill flute, so they will not chew through structural thickness.

No. The JTS54 is not Buy American compliant and is not ARRA compliant, with multiple countries of origin. On a job carrying a domestic preference clause you need a fastener certified to it.

The JTS54 takes a #3 driver. The head is a combo recess, so it drives with either a #3 Phillips bit or a flat blade in the slot. The Phillips recess measures 0.252 inch in diameter with a gaging depth of 0.098 to 0.124 inch, and the slot runs 0.056 to 0.067 inch wide by 0.055 to 0.077 inch deep. The slot is a useful fallback when a Phillips bit cams out overhead.

Pan head, so it seats flat on the surface with no countersink needed. The head measures 0.407 to 0.425 inch across and 0.139 to 0.151 inch high, dimensioned to ASME B18.6.3-2013. If you need the head to sit flush inside a hole or under a cover plate, a pan head is the wrong choice; go to a flat head instead.

The JTS54 ships in a jar of 100 and the jar is the order minimum, so 100 is the smallest quantity. Figure roughly 1.53 lbs per jar. Other sizes and quantities are available by request.

These are carbon steel with a zinc plating, which is an indoor and protected-location finish. Zinc plate gives light corrosion resistance, not weather exposure. For exterior conduit straps, rooftop equipment, or wet locations, specify stainless or a hot-dip galvanized fastener instead.

Metallics lists this one for the electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning trades. At 1-3/4 inch long it is a longer-than-typical sheet metal screw, so it suits mounting through strut, blocking, or stacked sheet metal, hanging straps and brackets, and duct or equipment attachment where a short screw would not reach through the assembly.