Metallics JSHC614SS 6-32 x 1/4 in. Socket Head Hex Cap Screws - 18-8 Stainless - Each

It takes a hex (Allen) key, not a screwdriver. The socket head measures 0.218 to 0.226 in. across and the head height runs 0.134 to 0.138 in., so the screw sits in a tight counterbore without much stickout. The 6-32 socket cap screw family uses a 7/64 in. hex key.

The material is 18-8 stainless, the common 300-series austenitic grade, so it resists rust in damp and outdoor service far better than a plated carbon steel screw and will not bleed rust onto a finished surface. It is non-magnetic in the annealed condition, which matters if you are fastening near sensors. Hardness is Rockwell B80, softer than an alloy steel black-oxide socket screw, so do not overtorque it.

These ship in a jar with a 100-count order minimum, so the buying unit is a jar of 100 rather than a loose piece. That is the practical quantity for a panel build or a service truck bin. Metallics notes that other sizes and quantities are available by request.

80,000 psi minimum tensile and 30,000 psi minimum yield, with 10% minimum elongation and 33% minimum reduction of area on machined specimens. Note that cap screws only get subjected to tensile, yield, elongation and reduction-of-area testing at lengths of 3D or greater, so at 1/4 in. this 6-32 is below that threshold and the values are the grade minimums for the material rather than per-piece test results.

It is manufactured to ASME B18.3-2012, the dimensional standard for socket cap screws and hex keys. That is the figure to put on a submittal or a materials list when a drawing calls out a socket head cap screw by standard rather than by part number.

Metallics lists the JSHC614SS as both Buy American compliant and ARRA compliant. Country of origin is listed as multiple, which is typical for a fastener line sourced from more than one mill, so if your specification demands a single named country of manufacture, verify the origin on the jar you receive.

Same 6-32 UNC thread, so they interchange in the hole, but the head and drive differ. The socket head on this Metallics screw is a cylindrical head with an internal hex, which lets you apply far more torque with a hex key than a slotted or Phillips driver can without camming out, and it seats cleanly in a counterbore. If the opening has no counterbore and you need the head flush, a flat head screw is the better choice; if you want a low, wide bearing surface against sheet metal, a pan head machine screw spreads load better than this small 0.218 to 0.226 in. head.

The 18-8 stainless construction retains its mechanical and performance capability above ambient temperature, which is the main reason to pick stainless over a zinc-plated carbon screw in a hot enclosure. Keep the torque modest though, since the material runs Rockwell B80 and stainless threads are prone to galling when driven hard into a stainless tapped hole. An anti-seize on the threads solves that.