Metallics JDS176V 14 x 1 in. 3/8 Indented Hex Head Slotted Sharp Point Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

The Metallics JDS176V is a Type A tapping screw with a gimlet (sharp) point, so it starts and forms its own thread in thin sheet metal, with 10 threads per inch on a #14 diameter, 1 inch long body. Type A screws are the coarse-thread sheet metal screw for light gauge steel, and the sharp point lets you drive into a smaller pilot or an unprepared thin sheet. In heavier stock or structural steel you still want a drilled pilot, or a self-drilling point screw instead.

The head is an indented hex measuring 0.367 to 0.375 inch across the flats, so a 3/8 inch hex driver or nut setter fits it. Width across corners is 0.409 inch. It is also slotted, so a flat blade works for hand starting or final snugging in tight spots, with a slot 0.064 to 0.075 inch wide and 0.083 to 0.101 inch deep. Head height runs 0.172 to 0.19 inch.

Yes, the indented hex head carries an integral washer with a 0.480 to 0.520 inch outside diameter and 0.030 to 0.050 inch thickness. That extra bearing surface is what keeps the head from pulling through strap, clip, and thin sheet connections without adding a loose washer to the job.

These ship in a jar with a 500 piece count minimum. Metallics notes other sizes and quantities are available by request, but 500 is the standard order unit for the JDS176V. The jar weighs 7.65 lbs.

The JDS176V is carbon steel with a zinc plating, which handles indoor, dry, and lightly damp service. Zinc plate is a sacrificial coating, not a marine finish, so for direct weather exposure, coastal air, or wet process areas go to a hot dip galvanized or stainless fastener instead.

Case hardness runs Rockwell C28-38 with a 125 lb-in minimum torsional strength, which is what lets the thread form itself in sheet steel without the shank twisting off. That said, 125 lb-in is a published minimum, so on an impact driver set the clutch low and stop as soon as the washer head seats rather than running it to stall.

The JDS176V is flagged as both ARRA compliant and Buy American compliant in Metallics' product data. Country of origin is listed as multiple, so if your specification requires a single documented origin for a given lot, that is worth confirming against the lot you receive.

A 1 inch #14 gives you plenty of thread past typical light gauge stud or strap thickness, and the integral washer head spreads the load on the sheet. Match the grip: the usable thread is 1 inch minus the material you are fastening through, and you want at least three threads engaged in the base metal. Thicker stacks need a longer screw, and anchoring into concrete or masonry calls for a different fastener entirely, not a sheet metal tapping screw.

Head and body dimensions follow ASME B18.6.3-2010 and the thread form follows ASME B18.6.4. One caveat from Metallics: dimensions for #9 diameter screws in this family are independent of ASME B18.6.4. The JDS176V is a #14 diameter, so the standard thread spec applies to it.