Metallics JTSF38 6 x 1-1/2 in. Flat Head Phillips Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

The Metallics JTSF38 is a Type A tapping screw with a gimlet point, meaning it has a sharp pointed tip that starts in a pre-punched or pre-drilled hole in thin sheet metal and forms its own thread as it drives. It does not drill its own pilot, so you need a hole first. If you are fastening into sheet metal with no pre-punched hole, a self-drilling (TEK) point screw is the better choice. For knockout boxes, straps, and sheet metal brackets that already have holes, the Type A gimlet point is what you want.

These are carbon steel screws with a zinc finish, which is a dry-location and light-duty corrosion finish. Zinc plating handles indoor electrical, plumbing and HVAC work, interior damp-rated areas and the inside of enclosures. For sustained outdoor exposure, wet locations or coastal air, go with stainless steel fasteners instead; plated zinc will eventually bloom white rust and then red.

No. The JTSF38 is marked not Buy American compliant and not ARRA compliant, with country of origin listed as multiple. On a project with domestic sourcing requirements you will need a fastener carrying a documented Buy American certification instead.

A #2 Phillips bit. The recess is 0.168 inch in diameter and 0.094 inch deep, so a #1 bit will cam out and chew the recess. Driving torque is rated at 24 lb-in minimum, which is well within what a standard impact or drill driver delivers, so back the clutch off on sheet metal work to avoid stripping the formed thread.

Yes, provided the hole is countersunk. The JTSF38 has a flat head measuring 0.238 to 0.262 inch across with a head height of 0.069 to 0.083 inch, so it seats below the surface in a properly chamfered or dimpled hole. On a flat, un-countersunk sheet the head will stand proud by roughly its head height. If you need the fastener to sit on top of flat stock, a pan or hex washer head is the right call instead.

The JTSF38 ships in a jar of 100, and 100 is the order minimum, so one jar is the smallest buy. Other sizes and quantities are available by request if the job needs a different length or diameter in the same flat head Phillips Type A pattern.

Yes. The JTSF38 is built to ASME B18.6.4-1998 for dimensions and the threads follow ASME B18.6.4, with 18 threads per inch on the #6 diameter. Material is AISI 1016 to 1024 carbon steel case hardened to Rockwell C28-38, and minimum torsional strength is 24 lb-in. One caveat worth knowing for a submittal: Metallics notes that dimensions for the #9 diameter in this family are independent of ASME B18.6.4.

Possibly. At 1-1/2 inches the JTSF38 is a long screw for a #6, which is useful when you are going through a bracket, spacer or wood blocking and into sheet metal behind it. If you are just joining two layers of thin sheet, most of that length sticks out the back and can be a hazard inside an enclosure. For box-to-strap work pick a shorter length in the same flat head Phillips Type A pattern; Metallics offers other lengths in the JTSF series.

The JTSF38 lists a gaging diameter of 0.22 inch with head protrusion of 0.021 to 0.036 inch above gage, which are inspection values for the countersunk head seating rather than a pilot hole call-out. Practically, they confirm the head geometry is held to the ASME B18.6.4-1998 flat head profile, so a standard 82 degree countersink for a #6 flat head will seat it correctly.