Metallics JBSC614 6-32 x 1/4 in. Socket Button Head Hex Cap Screws - Alloy Steel Black - Each

The button head measures 0.25 to 0.262 inch across and 0.063 to 0.073 inch high, so it stands less than a tenth of an inch above the surface and needs about a quarter inch of flat seating area. That low profile is why button head is picked over a standard socket cap in tight enclosures or anywhere a cover or wire bundle passes close over the fastener. Head geometry follows ASME B18.3-2012.

No. Metallics states these screws are not recommended for critical, high-strength applications. They are an electrical and mechanical assembly fastener, rated at 1260 lb minimum tensile, with a core hardness of Rockwell C39-44. For anything load-bearing or safety-critical, specify a fastener carrying a published grade for that use.

The JBSC614 is alloy steel with a black finish and the screws are supplied plain, meaning no protective plating. Keep them to dry interior work, enclosures, panels and device boxes. For damp locations, wet locations or exterior use, choose a zinc plated or stainless fastener in the same 6-32 x 1/4 inch size instead.

No. The JBSC614 is not Buy American compliant and is not ARRA compliant, with country of origin listed as multiple. On a federally funded or domestic-content job, these will not pass, so source a domestic fastener for that spec.

Hex key drive, internal socket, with a socket depth of 0.044 inch. No screwdriver bit will work, you need an Allen key or hex bit. The shallow socket on a #6 size means you want a clean, correctly sized key seated fully, since there is not much depth to grip before it rounds out.

They come in a jar of 100 as the order minimum, so the buying unit is the jar rather than loose pieces. That jar weighs 0.2 lb. Metallics does offer other sizes and quantities of the BSC series by request.

At 1/4 inch overall length it will only work on thin stock. Subtract the material you are passing through and very little thread is left for engagement, so it suits single-thickness sheet into a tapped hole or a cover plate onto a boss. Stacking two sheets of anything but the thinnest gauge calls for a longer 6-32 screw. Note too that screws must be at least three diameters long to be subject to tensile testing, which a 1/4 inch #6 is not.

Metallics lists the BSC series for the electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning industries. In practice that is enclosure and panel covers, device mounting, control cabinet hardware and sheet metal assembly where a low-profile head is wanted and a standard 6-32 machine thread is already tapped.