Metallics SDS4B 6 x 15/8 in. Bugle Head Phillips Drywall Screws - Steel Zinc - Fine Threads - Each

Yes. The SDS4B is a self-drilling, self-tapping screw with a drill point, so it cuts its own hole in light gauge steel framing as you drive it. No pilot hole needed. Metallics lists it for wood, drywall, steel and aluminum work, and the fine 18 threads per inch with a Rockwell C44 hardness is the combination meant for metal studs rather than wood framing.

Fine thread, which is what the SDS4B is. Fine threading (18 TPI, UNF) grips the thin wall of a metal stud; coarse thread is the choice for wood framing because it bites into the wood fiber. If your framing is steel, the fine thread self-drilling version is the correct screw.

No. The SDS4B is not Buy American compliant and is not ARRA compliant; country of origin is listed as multiple. On a federally funded job with domestic sourcing requirements you will need a different fastener.

A #2 Phillips bit. Three power bits ship with the box, so you are not buying them separately. The recess is 0.106 in. deep and 0.176 to 0.201 in. across, which is standard #2 Phillips geometry.

The bugle head has a curved underside that seats itself flush into paper-faced board without tearing the face, so the dimple takes joint compound cleanly. On the SDS4B that head measures 0.315 to 0.347 in. across and 0.020 to 0.031 in. high. Pan and flat heads sit proud and telegraph through the finish. Note that bugle head dimensions have no single industry standard, so slight variation is normal.

They sell in boxes of 5,000 pieces, which is the order minimum. That is a production-quantity box aimed at a drywall crew or a stocked MRO shelf rather than a single repair. Metallics does offer other sizes and quantities by request.

Zinc plated carbon steel, made from AISI 1018, is an interior-grade finish. It handles normal indoor humidity but it is not a coating for exterior walls, unconditioned exposure, or wet areas. For anything outside or persistently damp, specify a screw with an exterior coating or stainless rather than the zinc SDS4B.

The box runs 29 lbs, measuring 9 x 9 x 6.13 in. per Metallics' figures. Useful if you are staging pallets or figuring how many boxes a cart or a truck lift can take at once.