Metallics JTSP12 6 x 1/2 in. Pan Head Phillips Sharp Point Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

The Metallics JTSP12 is a Type A tapping screw, meaning it has a sharp gimlet point and a coarse 18 threads per inch thread that cuts its own thread as it drives. That combination is intended for thin sheet metal and similar soft, thin material where you drive into a pilot hole or thin stock without a nut behind it. If you are fastening into thicker steel plate, a Type A point is the wrong choice.

A #2 Phillips driver. The recess is 0.091 in. deep, 0.153 to 0.166 in. across, with a 0.028 in. slot width, so a #2 bit seats fully and a #1 will cam out on you.

The pan head measures 0.087 to 0.097 in. in height and 0.256 to 0.27 in. across. So figure roughly a tenth of an inch of head sitting above the material and a little over a quarter inch of bearing diameter. If you need the fastener flush, a pan head will not do it, you want a flat head instead.

These are steel with a zinc finish. Zinc plating handles indoor and sheltered conditions and resists incidental moisture, but it is not a hot dip galvanized or stainless fastener. For direct weather exposure or washdown areas, specify a stainless or galvanized screw instead.

The JTSP12 is flagged compliant for both ARRA and Buy American, with China listed as the country of origin. Procurement officers writing domestic-preference specs should note those two data points together, since the compliance flag and the origin are recorded separately.

Head and drive dimensions follow ASME B18.6.3-2013, and the thread form follows ASME B18.6.4. Steel is AISI 1016 to 1024 case hardened to Rockwell C28 to 38, with a minimum torsional strength of 24 lb-in. Note that dimensions for the #9 diameter in this series fall outside ASME B18.6.4.

They ship in a jar with a 100-count order minimum, so 100 pieces is the smallest quantity. The filled jar weighs 0.26 lbs. Other sizes and quantities in the JTSP series are available by request.

Rated torsional strength is 24 lb-in minimum, with the body case hardened to Rockwell C28 to 38. That is enough for hand driving or a clutched driver on sheet metal, but a #6 at that rating will twist off if you run an impact gun wide open into hard material. Back the speed and torque down and let the gimlet point cut.