Metallics JTS1 4 x 1/4 in. Pan Head Combo Sharp Point Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

Either a #1 Phillips bit or a flat blade will drive it. The JTS1 has a combo pan head with both a Phillips recess (0.115 inch recess diameter) and a slot measuring 0.031 to 0.039 inch wide and 0.027 to 0.04 inch deep, so an electrician with a 4-in-1 screwdriver already has what's needed. Recommended driver size is #1.

Type A tapping screws like the JTS1 use a gimlet (sharp) point that pierces and forms its own thread in thin sheet metal, so in light gauge stock they start without a pilot. In thicker or harder material you still want a pilot hole, because the point only pierces, it does not drill like a self-drilling screw with a drill tip. The screw body is heat treated to Rockwell C28 to 38 from AISI 1016 to 1024 steel, which is what lets it cut thread in sheet.

It is a low profile fastener. Head height runs 0.07 to 0.08 inch and head width 0.205 to 0.219 inch, with a 1/4 inch length, so the JTS1 sits close to the surface and leaves very little shank protruding behind thin sheet. That short length is the thing to check first: at 1/4 inch it is for thin sheet metal attachment only, not for stacking thick material.

No. The JTS1 is not Buy American compliant and is not ARRA compliant, with country of origin listed as multiple. On a federally funded job with domestic material requirements you will need a domestically sourced fastener instead.

They ship in a jar of 100. Minimum order is one jar, so you are buying the 100 count, not loose pieces. The filled jar weighs 0.14 lbs.

Head and recess dimensions conform to ASME B18.6.3-2013 and the threads to ASME B18.6.4, with steel per AISI 1016 to 1024 and a case hardness of Rockwell C28 to 38. One caveat worth knowing if you also buy the larger sizes in the JTS family: dimensions for the #9 diameter are independent of ASME B18.6.4.