Metallics DWS1M 6 x 1 in. Bugle Head Phillips Drywall Screws - Steel Black Phosphate - Fine Threads - Each

Fine thread, 18 threads per inch, with a sharp point. That combination is meant for fastening drywall to light gauge steel studs, and the field application also covers hardwood and light gauge aluminum. If you are hanging board on wood studs, a coarse thread screw is the usual choice instead, since coarse threads bite wood better.

No. Black phosphate is a mild corrosion coating for interior dry use only. The DWS1M is steel with a black phosphate finish, which is fine behind mud and paint indoors but will rust in exterior, wet, or high humidity work. For those conditions use a corrosion resistant coated or stainless fastener.

No. The DWS1M is not Buy American compliant and is not ARRA compliant, with country of origin listed as multiple. If your project carries a domestic sourcing clause, this screw will not satisfy it.

They use a Phillips drive taking a #2 bit, and a #2 drive power bit ships with the jar, so you do not need to order one separately. The recess is 0.106 inch deep and 0.176 to 0.201 inch across, standard for a #2 Phillips.

The DWS1M is packaged in a jar of 1,000 screws, and 1,000 is the order minimum, so that jar is the smallest buy. The filled jar weighs 3.21 lbs. Other sizes and quantities in the DWS line are available by request.

That is what the bugle head is for. The DWS1M head is 0.315 to 0.347 inch across with a head height of 0.020 to 0.031 inch, so the curved underside compresses the board and seats just below the paper for a clean mud-over, instead of punching through the way a flat countersunk head can. Set your screw gun depth so the head dimples rather than breaks the face.

The DWS1M is made from AISI 1018 steel case hardened to Rockwell C44, which is the normal hardness range for a drywall screw and gives the point enough hardness to self-pierce light gauge steel framing without stripping the recess. Cam-out and breakage usually come from the wrong bit or too much gun speed, not the fastener, so keep the supplied #2 bit seated square.

No single industry standard governs bugle head or drywall screw dimensions, so the figures given for the DWS1M (head width 0.315 to 0.347 inch, head height 0.020 to 0.031 inch) are a guide and slight deviations are normal. If you are matching a spec that calls out exact head geometry, treat these as nominal.