Metallics JTEK11P 6 x 3/4 in. Pan Head Phillips Self-Drilling & Tapping Screws - #2 Drill Point - Steel Zinc - Each

The JTEK11P is rated for panel thickness of 0.035 to 0.090 inches, so it drills and taps its own hole in light-gauge steel like studs, strut, raceway and enclosure walls in that range. Thicker steel than 0.090 in. is outside what the #2 drill point is specified for, and you would want a heavier drill point or a pre-drilled hole with a machine screw instead.

No pilot hole. It's a Type BSD self-drilling and tapping screw with a drill point, so the screw cuts its own hole and forms the thread in one pass on sheet metal between 0.035 and 0.090 inches thick. Run it with a #2 Phillips bit in a screwgun.

No. The JTEK11P is listed as not Buy American compliant and not ARRA compliant, with multiple countries of origin. If your job carries a domestic-content requirement, this fastener will not satisfy it and you need a domestically produced self-drilling screw instead.

A #2 Phillips bit. The recess is a #2 Phillips with a 0.159 in. recess diameter and a gaging depth of 0.055 to 0.080 in., so a #1 bit will cam out and a #3 won't seat. Keep spare #2 bits on the cart if you're driving a jar of 100.

Pan head is the low-profile choice for electrical work: the head measures 0.256 to 0.270 in. across and only 0.087 to 0.097 in. tall, so it sits nearly flush against a box, plate or bracket and won't foul a cover or a device yoke. Hex washer heads give you more bearing surface and let you drive with a nut setter instead of a bit, which is what crews prefer for hanging strut or decking. For box and enclosure work where clearance matters, the pan head is the one to use.

Zinc-plated steel is a dry-location, indoor finish. It gives you basic corrosion resistance for interior electrical, plumbing and HVAC work, but it is not a wet-location or coastal fastener. For outdoor enclosures, washdown areas or anywhere exposed to chlorides, step up to a stainless self-drilling screw in the same 6 x 3/4 in. size.

20 threads per inch on a #6 diameter, 3/4 in. long body. Threads are made to SAE J78-2013 and the head dimensions to ASME B18.6.3-2010, which is what a spec job or a government submittal will ask you to confirm. Note that SAE J78 does not cover #7 diameter drill screws at all.

The JTEK11P is case hardened to Rockwell C32-40 and carries a minimum torsional strength of 24 lb-in, which is what lets the drill point cut steel without rolling over and the shank take driver torque without twisting off. Drive it at a moderate speed with steady pressure; running a screwgun too fast is what cooks a drill point, not the screw itself.

They ship in a jar of 100, and 100 is the order minimum, so one jar is the smallest buy. That is a handy quantity for a service van or a shop bin rather than a bulk pallet buy.

Metallics builds the JTEK line for the electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning trades. In practice that means fastening device plates, brackets, straps, clips and small enclosures to light-gauge steel, where the 3/4 in. length gives enough thread engagement past the panel without a long tail sticking into a wire space.