Metallics JDS166V 7 x 3/4 in. 1/4 Indented Hex Head Slotted Sharp Point Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

Yes. The JDS166V has an indented hex head measuring 0.244 to 0.250 inches across the flats, so a standard 1/4 inch nut driver or hex bit seats on it. Width across corners is 0.272 inches. There is also a slot in the head (0.039 to 0.048 inch wide, 0.040 to 0.054 inch deep), so a flat blade driver works when you cannot get a driver socket into a tight box or channel.

The JDS166V is a Type A tapping screw with a gimlet (sharp) point, so it starts in thin sheet metal without a pilot in most light gauge work and forms its own thread as it drives. Type A is the coarse-thread sheet metal screw at 16 threads per inch on this #7 diameter. For heavier stock, drill a pilot sized to the screw's root to stay inside the 30 lb-in minimum torsional strength.

The JDS166V is flagged both ARRA compliant and Buy American compliant, which is what a government, school, or federally funded job needs to see on a fastener submittal. Country of origin is listed as multiple, so confirm the origin on the specific lot if your spec demands a single source.

Head and dimensional geometry follow ASME B18.6.3-2010, and the thread conforms to ASME B18.6.4. Material is carbon steel in the AISI 1016 to 1024 range, case hardened to Rockwell C28-38. One caveat worth knowing if you cross-reference sizes: dimensions for the #9 diameter in this series fall outside ASME B18.6.4.

The indented hex head carries an integral washer flange with an outside diameter of 0.302 to 0.328 inches and a washer thickness of 0.017 to 0.029 inches. Head height runs 0.080 to 0.093 inches. That flange spreads the bearing load and spans a slightly oversized or slotted hole, but 0.328 inches is the limit of what it will bridge, so a badly enlarged hole still needs a separate flat washer.

Finish is zinc plating over carbon steel. That handles interior work, dry electrical rooms, and enclosures fine, and gives light corrosion resistance in an occasionally damp space. Zinc over steel is not a marine or continuously wet finish, so for exterior exposure or washdown areas step up to a stainless sheet metal screw instead.

It's the general purpose sheet metal screw electricians reach for: fastening into enclosure knockout tabs, mounting straps and clamps to metal studs, attaching covers and plates to sheet steel, and securing raceway accessories. The #7 x 3/4 inch length with a sharp gimlet point and a 1/4 inch hex head that also takes a flat blade makes it a one-screw answer for most light gauge metal fastening.

A jar of 500 JDS166V screws weighs 1.8 lbs and the container measures 3 by 3 by 3.6 inches, which keeps it easy to add to a mixed order or stock on a shelf in a service van.