Metallics TSP68V 14 x 3-1/2 in. Pan Head Phillips Sharp Point Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

The TSP68V is a Type A tapping screw with a gimlet (sharp) point, so it is not self-drilling. The sharp point starts in sheet metal and thin stock without a punched hole in most cases, but in thicker gauge or in hard material you still drill a pilot. Think of it as a thread-forming screw that cuts its own threads once the point is through, not a self-drilling screw with a cutting tip.

They ship as a 500 count box, and 500 is the order minimum. If you only need a handful for one opening or one device, this is the wrong pack to buy. Metallics does offer other sizes and quantities in the same pan head Phillips tapping screw line by request.

Both the ARRA Compliant and Buy American Compliant attributes on the TSP68V are flagged compliant, and country of origin is listed as multiple. For a federally funded job, document the actual origin of the lot you receive, since a multi-origin part number can ship from more than one plant.

Use a #3 Phillips bit. The recess on the TSP68V is 0.148 in. deep and 0.268 to 0.281 in. across, which is sized for a #3 driver. A #2 bit will seat shallow and cam out, and at 3-1/2 in. of length driving into metal that is where stripped heads come from.

The head sits 0.156 to 0.169 in. proud of the surface and measures 0.457 to 0.476 in. across. That matters if the screw lands under a cover plate, a device ring, or a flush-mounted panel. Pan heads are not countersinking, so if you need the head below the surface you want a flat head screw instead.

Zinc plating on carbon steel is a mild corrosion coating, fine for dry interior work, electrical rooms, panel and strut work, and general indoor MRO. For sustained exterior exposure, wet locations, or coastal air, zinc plated steel will eventually rust and you should specify a stainless fastener instead.

10 threads per inch, cut to ASME B18.6.4. That coarse pitch is what lets a Type A screw form its own thread in sheet metal and soft substrates. At 3-1/2 in. overall there is plenty of shank to pass through furring, blocking, or a mounting bracket and still get solid thread engagement in the material behind it.

Head and recess geometry follow ASME B18.6.3-2013, the threads follow ASME B18.6.4, and the steel is AISI 1016 to 1024. If a submittal or spec section calls out B18.6.3 pan head tapping screws, this is the part that answers it. One caveat from the manufacturer: dimensions for #9 diameter screws in this line fall outside ASME B18.6.4.

A full box runs 19.16 lbs. Worth knowing if you are staging material on a lift, carrying stock up to a roof, or figuring out how many boxes go on a van shelf.