Metallics TS55B 14 x 1/2 in. Pan Head Combo Sharp Point Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

The TS55B takes a #3 Phillips bit, and the head is also slotted, so a flat blade works where a driver won't reach straight on. The Phillips recess is 0.274 inch across with a gaging depth of 0.118 to 0.144 inch, and the slot runs 0.064 to 0.075 inch wide by 0.06 to 0.085 inch deep. Stock a #3 Phillips; a #2 will cam out and chew the recess.

A Type A screw like the TS55B has a gimlet (sharp) point and a coarse 10 threads per inch pitch, so it needs a pilot hole or an existing knockout/punched hole in thin sheet metal, then forms its own thread as it drives. It does not drill its own hole. If you are fastening into unpunched steel with no pre-drilling, you want a self-drilling (Type TEK) screw instead. For boxes, straps, and enclosures that already have holes, the Type A is the usual pick.

The TS55B is flagged both ARRA compliant and Buy American compliant in the manufacturer's data, with country of origin listed as multiple. For government, school, or other federally funded work where the submittal asks for that documentation, this is the compliance status Metallics publishes for the part.

Dimensions follow ASME B18.6.3-2013 and the thread form follows ASME B18.6.4. Steel is AISI 1016 to 1024, case hardened to Rockwell C28 to 38, with a minimum torsional strength of 125 lb-in. That hardness and torque figure are what let the screw cut its own thread in sheet steel without the head shearing off.

They ship in a box of 5,000. That is the order minimum, so this is a bulk buy for a shop or a service van stocking program rather than a handful for one repair. The boxed quantity weighs 45.15 lbs.

The TS55B is zinc plated steel. Zinc is a general purpose finish suited to dry indoor and protected locations. For sustained exposure to weather, washdown, or coastal air, step up to a stainless or hot dip galvanized fastener instead of zinc plating.

Yes. The TS55B is the #14 diameter by 1/2 inch length in the Metallics JTS series of pan head combo sharp point tapping screws, and other sizes and quantities are available by request. Note that dimensions for the #9 diameter in this family fall outside ASME B18.6.4.