Metallics DWS5MD 6 x 2 in. Bugle Head Phillips Drywall Screws - Steel Black Phosphate - Fine Threads - Each

Yes. The DWS5MD is a fine thread screw at 18 threads per inch, which is the thread spacing used for fastening into light gauge steel framing. Metallics lists its field applications as hardwood, light gauge steel and light gauge aluminum. For wood studs you generally want a coarse thread screw instead, because the wider thread bites softwood better.

It is a sharp point screw, not a self-drilling drill point. Sharp points penetrate drywall and light gauge steel without a pilot hole, but on heavier gauge steel you want a drill point screw instead. The steel is hardened to Rockwell C44, which is what lets the sharp point pierce light gauge metal without snapping the tip.

No. Black phosphate is a dry interior finish only, it offers minimal corrosion resistance and will rust and bleed through finish if it gets wet. The DWS5MD is AISI 1018 steel with a black phosphate coating, intended for interior drywall work. For exterior sheathing, wet areas, or cement board use a coated or galvanized exterior screw instead.

A #2 Phillips bit. The recess is 0.106 in. deep with a 0.176 to 0.201 in. diameter, which is standard #2 geometry. Use a fresh bit or a dimpler bit in a drywall gun; a worn #2 is what causes cam-out and stripped heads on a hardened screw like this one.

That is what the bugle head is for. The head on the DWS5MD is 0.315 to 0.347 in. across with a head height of only 0.020 to 0.031 in., so the curved underside compresses the paper face and seats the head just below the surface without tearing it. Set your gun depth so the head dimples the board and does not break the paper.

They ship in a jar, with an order minimum of 1,000 pieces. The packed jar weighs 5.52 lbs. That jar-per-thousand format is why these get bought by the box for drywall crews and MRO stockrooms rather than in small counts.

Metallics lists hardwood as a field application for this screw, so a 2 inch fine thread sharp point will drive into hardwood. Keep in mind the thread is a UNF fine pitch at 18 TPI, which holds well in dense hardwood and light metal but grips poorly in softwood or OSB. The bugle head will also pull itself into the wood surface rather than sitting flat.

They are a guide, not a hard tolerance. Metallics states outright that there is no single industry standard for bugle head or drywall screw dimensions, so slight deviations from the published 0.315 to 0.347 in. head width and 0.020 to 0.031 in. head height are acceptable. If a job drawing calls out a specific head diameter tolerance, that is a case to verify against the spec sheet rather than assume.