Metallics JDWS6C 6 x 21/4 in. Bugle Head Phillips Drywall Screws - Steel Black Phosphate - Fine Threads - Each

Fine thread is the right call for light gauge steel framing. The JDWS6C runs 18 threads per inch with a sharp point, and Metallics lists its field application as hardwood, light gauge steel and light gauge aluminum. For wood studs most crews use a coarse thread screw instead, since the wider thread pitch pulls board tighter into softwood framing. Note the sharp point: it is for light gauge steel, not heavier structural stud, where a self drilling point is used.

No. Black phosphate is a dry, interior finish, and it offers very little corrosion protection on its own. The JDWS6C is a steel screw with a black phosphate finish over AISI 1018 steel, intended for interior board work where it gets covered in compound. For exterior sheathing, soffits, or any wet or high humidity area, specify a corrosion resistant coated or stainless fastener instead.

No. Metallics lists the JDWS6C as not Buy American compliant and not ARRA compliant, with country of origin recorded as multiple. If you are buying for a federally funded job with domestic sourcing requirements, this part will not satisfy them and you need a domestically sourced fastener.

A #2 Phillips bit. The bugle head takes a Phillips recess 0.176 to 0.201 inch in diameter with a 0.106 inch recess depth, which is standard #2 territory. Using a #1 or #3 will cam out and strip the recess, so set your screw gun up with #2 bits before starting a board hang.

That is what the bugle profile is for. The head measures 0.315 to 0.347 inch across with a head height of 0.020 to 0.031 inch, so it is a wide, shallow, tapered head that compresses the paper into a dimple rather than cutting it. Metallics notes there is no single industry standard for bugle head dimensions, so slight deviations between runs are normal. Set your gun depth so the head is just below the face and ready for compound.

They ship in a jar, 100 pieces, and 100 is the order minimum. Jar weight is listed at 0.69 lbs. Metallics states other sizes and quantities are available by request if you need a bulk count for a production hang.

They are case hardened to Rockwell C44, which is the usual range for a drywall screw that has to thread light gauge steel without the Phillips recess blowing out. The tradeoff with that hardness is brittleness, so run the gun at a steady speed and do not overdrive, and keep to light gauge metal and hardwood as Metallics specifies rather than structural steel.

UNF, at 18 threads per inch on a #6 diameter. That fine pitch is what lets the screw cut its own thread in light gauge steel and hold in hardwood, and it is the reason this one is not the right choice for softwood studs, where a coarse thread bites better.