Metallics TSP83M 12 x 1 in. Pan Head Phillips Sharp Point Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

Type A is a thread-forming screw with a gimlet (sharp) point, meant to be driven into a pre-punched or pre-drilled hole in thin sheet metal, where its coarse 11 threads per inch pull in and form the mating thread. It does not cut its own hole. If you are fastening into material with no existing hole, or into heavier gauge steel, you want a self-drilling (Type TEK) screw instead. For knockout boxes, sheet metal enclosures, and light-gauge work where the hole is already there, the TSP83M does the job.

They ship as a box of 1,000. The order minimum is 1,000 pieces, so this is a bulk buy, not a loose-count item. Metallics does make other sizes and quantities available by request.

No. The TSP83M is not Buy American compliant and not ARRA compliant, and the country of origin is listed as multiple. If your project carries a domestic sourcing clause, this screw will not pass it and you need a domestically produced fastener.

A #3 Phillips bit. The recess is 0.141 inch deep with a 0.246 to 0.259 inch diameter, so a #2 bit will sit loose in it and cam out under torque. Run a #3 and you can put the screw's full 83 lb-in minimum torsional strength into it.

The head measures 0.407 to 0.425 inch across and stands 0.139 to 0.151 inch above the surface. That is a wide bearing face for its height, which is why pan heads are used over sheet metal and slotted or oversized holes, but it is a raised head, not flush. If the fastener has to sit flush or take a cover plate, you need a flat or oval head instead.

Head dimensions follow ASME B18.6.3-2013 and the thread form follows ASME B18.6.4. Steel is AISI 1016 through 1024, case hardened to Rockwell C28 to 38. One caveat worth knowing if you are specifying across the series: dimensions for the #9 diameter are independent of ASME B18.6.4, so the #9 size does not carry that thread standard.

The TSP83M is zinc plated carbon steel, which is a mild indoor corrosion finish. It is fine for dry interior enclosures, panels, and ceiling work. For exterior exposure, wet locations, coastal air, or anywhere in contact with treated lumber, specify stainless steel instead; zinc plating will eventually rust through in those conditions.

Yes, it belongs to the Metallics JTSP series of pan head Phillips sharp point tapping screws. The TSP83M is the #12 x 1 inch configuration. Other diameters and lengths in the series are available by request, so a facility standardizing on one head style and drive can stay within the same family across sizes.