Metallics JTS14M .6 x 3/4 in. Pan Head Combo Sharp Point Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

No pilot hole is needed in thin sheet material. The JTS14M is a Type A tapping screw with a gimlet (sharp) point, so it pierces and forms its own thread as it drives. In thicker or harder stock you still want a clearance hole sized to the screw, but in light gauge sheet metal the sharp point does the work. Thread pitch is 18 threads per inch to ASME B18.6.4.

The JTS14M is flagged as both ARRA compliant and Buy American compliant in the manufacturer data, with country of origin China. Those two things are not contradictory under every program, but if your specification is strict domestic-melt or domestic-manufacture, the origin is the detail your submittal reviewer will look at first.

A #2 Phillips bit is the specified driver. The head is a combo recess, Phillips plus slotted, so a flat blade works too if that is what is in your pouch. Phillips recess diameter is 0.159 in., slot width runs 0.039 to 0.048 in. For a 1000 count jar being driven by hand, the combo head means you are not stuck with one bit type on the job.

It stands proud. Pan head screws are not a countersunk head, so the head bears on the surface rather than sinking into it. Head height on the JTS14M is 0.087 to 0.097 in. and head width is 0.256 to 0.270 in., which gives you a bearing surface roughly a quarter inch across. If you need the fastener below the surface, you want a flat or oval head instead.

Steel with a zinc finish is a dry-location fastener. Zinc plating gives light corrosion protection for indoor electrical work, interior sheet metal, and enclosure work, but it is not stainless and it is not a coastal or wet-location finish. For exterior boxes, roof penetrations, or washdown areas, specify stainless steel.

Two apply: ASME B18.6.3-2013 for head and recess dimensions, and ASME B18.6.4 for the tapping thread. One caveat from Metallics, dimensions for the #9 diameter are independent of ASME B18.6.4, so if you are submitting a #9 on a spec job note that exception.

They ship in a jar of 1000, and 1000 is the order minimum. Jar weight is 3.3 lbs. That bulk count suits a service van or an MRO shelf where you are pulling a handful at a time rather than kitting a single job.