Metallics JFM97SS 8-32 x 5/8 in. Flat Head Slotted Machine Screws - 18-8 Stainless - Each

No. The JFM97SS is not Buy American compliant and is not ARRA compliant, with country of origin listed as multiple. If your project carries a domestic sourcing requirement, these will not satisfy it.

Flat head means a countersunk 82 degree head that seats flush in a chamfered or countersunk hole rather than standing proud. The head measures 0.285 to 0.312 in. across and 0.084 to 0.1 in. high, dimensioned to ASME B18.6.3-1998, so it will sit into a standard countersink for a #8 flat head screw.

18-8 stainless is what you use when you need general atmospheric corrosion resistance, which covers damp locations, food processing machinery and refrigeration equipment. It also holds its strength better than plain steel as application temperatures climb. For heavy chloride or marine exposure, 18-8 is not the top tier of stainless, but for ordinary wet and washdown areas it is the normal spec.

They ship in a jar of 100 with a minimum order of one jar. Jar weight is 0.41 lbs. Other sizes and quantities in the FM and FMP series are available by request.

Tensile strength is 850 lb minimum per screw, with hardness at Rockwell B85-B95. Worth knowing before you spec it: there is no national standard for hardness and tensile performance on stainless machine screws, so those figures are published as a guide rather than a certified grade the way a Grade 5 or Grade 8 steel bolt would be.

No. A machine screw has a straight, uniform UNC thread and needs a tapped hole or a nut to pull against. It will not form its own thread. For bare sheet metal with no tapped hole, use a self-tapping sheet metal screw instead; for an untapped hole in equipment, tap it 8-32 first or back it with an 8-32 nut.

The drive is slotted, with a slot 0.045 to 0.054 in. wide and 0.029 to 0.045 in. deep. That calls for a flat blade sized to the slot. Slotted heads cam out easily under power, so hand driving or a low-speed driver with light pressure is the practical approach on a panel full of these.

It is stocked for the electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning trades, covering device and box mounting, panel and enclosure hardware, and equipment fastening. The stainless material also puts it into food processing machinery and refrigeration equipment where washdown corrosion is a concern.