Metallics TSP15M 6 x 1 in. Pan Head Phillips Sharp Point Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

Type A tapping screws like the Metallics TSP15M cut their own thread in thin material. The gimlet (sharp) point starts in a pilot hole in sheet metal, and at 18 threads per inch the coarse thread is meant for thin-gauge steel, not thick stock. For heavier sheet or structural-gauge metal, a finer-pitch Type AB or Type B screw with a blunt point is the better call.

No. These #6 x 1 in. pan head tapping screws ship in a jar of 1000 as the order minimum. Other sizes and quantities are available by request.

No. These screws are not Buy American compliant and not ARRA compliant, with country of origin listed as multiple. On a federally funded project with domestic-sourcing language, they won't satisfy the requirement.

A #2 Phillips bit. The recess is 0.153 to 0.166 in. in diameter and 0.091 in. deep, so a #1 bit will cam out and a #3 won't seat. Keep spare #2 bits on hand if you're running through a thousand of them.

24 lb-in minimum torsional strength, with the body hardened to Rockwell C28 to 38 and made from AISI 1016 to 1024 steel. That's enough to tap thin steel under a drill-driver, but back the clutch off: a #6 shank snaps well before an impact driver runs out of torque.

The pan head on the TSP15M measures 0.256 to 0.27 in. across and 0.087 to 0.097 in. tall, so it stands proud of the surface by under a tenth of an inch. Good where you want bearing surface over a slotted or oversized hole, but if you need the screw flat in the material you want a flat head in a countersunk hole instead.

The TSP15M is carbon steel with a zinc finish, which handles indoor and dry-location work, electrical boxes, enclosures, strut and sheet metal trim. Zinc plating is not a marine or sustained-wet coating, so for exterior exposure or washdown areas specify a stainless or hot-dip galvanized fastener.

At 1 in. of length, a good amount of the screw passes through thin sheet and protrudes on the back side. That's fine in open framing or a stud bay, but inside a shallow enclosure or against finished drywall you'll want a shorter length. Metallics offers other lengths in the same pan head Phillips Type A configuration on request.

Head and recess geometry follows ASME B18.6.3-2013, and the thread conforms to ASME B18.6.4. Note that the Metallics dimensions for #9 diameter are independent of ASME B18.6.4; the #6 x 1 in. size here is covered by the standards as stated.