Metallics JDS164 6 x 1-1/4 in. 1/4 Indented Hex Head Slotted Sharp Point Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

It's a Type A tapping screw, #6 diameter by 1-1/4 inch long, with a gimlet (sharp) point that drills its own thread as it drives. Metallics lists it for light metal assembly: electrical outlets and boxes, light framing, and general sheet metal work. The sharp point means you drive it into thin sheet steel without tapping first, but it is not a self-drilling screw, so heavier gauge still wants a pilot hole.

Either. The head is an indented hex with a slot in it, so a 1/4 inch nut driver or a slotted bit both work. The hex measures 0.244 to 0.25 inch across the flats and 0.272 across the corners, and the slot runs 0.039 to 0.048 inch wide and 0.033 to 0.046 inch deep. Most electricians run these with a 1/4 inch magnetic nut setter and keep the slot as a backup for tight spots.

Threads run 18 per inch, the coarse Type A pitch, built to ASME B18.6.4. Coarse widely spaced threads are what let the screw form and grip in thin gauge material rather than stripping. Torsional strength is rated 24 lb-in minimum, and the screws are hardened to Rockwell C28-38, so they take driver torque without snapping the head off.

No. The JDS164 screws are not Buy American compliant and are not ARRA compliant, with country of origin listed as multiple. For a project with domestic sourcing requirements you'll need a fastener that carries a documented domestic origin.

They ship 100 to a jar, and the jar is the order minimum. The packaged jar weighs 0.51 lbs. If you need a different count or a different size in the same head style, Metallics notes other sizes and quantities are available by request.

Yes. The indented hex head carries a washer section with a 0.302 to 0.328 inch outside diameter and 0.015 to 0.025 inch thickness, which spreads the clamp load over thin sheet metal instead of pulling through. Head height is 0.08 to 0.093 inch, so it sits low enough to clear most device plates.

These are carbon steel with a zinc plating, made from AISI 1016 to 1024 steel. Zinc plating is a dry indoor protective finish. It handles normal interior conditions and construction handling fine, but for wet, exterior, or corrosive locations you want stainless steel fasteners instead.

Head dimensions follow ASME B18.6.3-2010 and the thread form follows ASME B18.6.4, which is what lets you spec them against a drawing that calls out a standard Type A tapping screw. One caveat from Metallics: dimensions for the #9 diameter in this family are independent of ASME B18.6.4. That does not affect the #6.

For device-to-box mounting it usually is, since that work takes a short machine screw into tapped box ears. The 1-1/4 inch length on the JDS164 is for the other half of the job: anchoring boxes, straps, and sheet metal through framing or a stud flange where you want real penetration. If you're going into thin stock only, the extra length will stick out the back, so pick a shorter length in the same head style.

Metallics part number JDS164, in the JDS series of Type A tapping screws. One model covers this size and finish, so there is no suffix to add for the zinc steel version.