Metallics JTS56 14 x 5/8 in. Pan Head Combo Sharp Point Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

Not in thin sheet metal. The JTS56 is a Type A tapping screw with a gimlet (sharp) point, so it pierces and forms its own thread in light-gauge steel, electrical enclosures, and sheet stock. With 10 threads per inch and only 5/8 in of length, it is meant for thin material where the point can start on its own. In heavier plate or where you cannot get a straight start, drill a pilot.

Either works. The JTS56 has a combo pan head with a slotted/Phillips drive, so you can run it with a #3 Phillips driver or set it by hand with a flat blade. The Phillips recess measures 0.274 in diameter with a gaging depth of 0.118 to 0.144 in, and the slot is 0.064 to 0.075 in wide and 0.06 to 0.085 in deep, so a worn or undersized bit will cam out before the screw seats.

The JTS56 is case hardened to Rockwell C28 to 38 from AISI 1016 to 1024 steel, with a minimum torsional strength of 125 lb-in. That is the breaking point of the screw itself, not a recommended driving torque. Run an impact or a high-torque driver at full output into a hard substrate and you will exceed it. Back the clutch down and stop as soon as the head seats.

Head and recess dimensions conform to ASME B18.6.3-2013, and the thread conforms to ASME B18.6.4, the self-tapping screw standard. Both are the standards normally referenced for pan head tapping screws on electrical submittals.

Metallics lists the JTS56 as both ARRA compliant and Buy American compliant. Country of origin is China. On a federal or federally funded project, submit those two compliance designations with the origin stated, since reviewers treat them as separate questions.

The JTS56 is steel with a zinc finish. Zinc plating handles interior and sheltered conditions, damp mechanical spaces included, but it is not a marine or sustained-wet-exposure coating. For direct weather or corrosive environments, specify stainless.

They ship in a jar of 100, and 100 count is the order minimum, so you are buying by the jar rather than by the piece. The packed jar weighs 1.03 lbs.

It is the workhorse for fastening into light-gauge steel: mounting straps and clips to enclosures, securing covers and plates, hanging light brackets to sheet metal, and anchoring to studs and channel where the material is thin. The sharp gimlet point starts without a pilot, the #14 diameter at 10 threads per inch gives a coarse bite, and the 5/8 in length keeps the tip from poking through behind a panel.