Metallics SDS5M 6 x 17/8 in. Bugle Head Phillips Drywall Screws - Steel Zinc - Fine Threads - Each

No pre-drilling. The SDS5M is a self-drilling and tapping drywall screw with a drill point, so it cuts its own hole as it goes. That is what makes it the right pick for hanging board on light gauge steel framing instead of a sharp point screw that needs a pilot hole in metal.

Fine thread, which is what the SDS5M is at 18 threads per inch in a UNF form. Fine threads are the correct choice for fastening gypsum board to steel studs, because the tighter pitch bites into thin metal without stripping. Coarse thread screws are for wood framing.

No. The SDS5M 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 fastener will not satisfy it.

A #2 Phillips. The recess is a Phillips drive 0.176 to 0.201 inches in diameter with a 0.106 inch depth, which is standard #2 territory. A power bit ships with the screws, so you are not buying one separately for the first run.

That is exactly what the bugle head is for. The head on the SDS5M measures 0.315 to 0.347 inches across with a head height of 0.020 to 0.031 inches, so the curved underside pulls into the paper face and dimples rather than tearing it, leaving a depression you can fill. Note that bugle head dimensions are not governed by a single industry standard, so slight deviation is normal.

Both. The SDS5M is rated for wood, drywall, steel and aluminum applications. On wood it works fine, though the fine 18 TPI thread is tuned for thin metal, so crews doing wood stud work in volume often prefer a coarse thread.

They ship 1,000 to a jar, and 1,000 is the order minimum. The packed jar weighs 7 lbs.

The SDS5M is case hardened to Rockwell C44 over an AISI 1018 steel body, which is what lets the drill point cut light gauge steel framing. That hardness is why the screw is specified for steel and aluminum work rather than just board-to-wood.

Treat the SDS5M as an interior fastener. It is zinc plated steel, which handles normal construction handling and interior humidity, but zinc plating is a light sacrificial coating, not a corrosion-resistant finish for exterior or wet exposure. For exterior sheathing or high moisture areas, specify a screw with a corrosion rated coating or stainless.