Metallics JWDS4V 8 x 1-1/4 in. Wafer Head Phillips Drywall Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

No pilot hole needed. The JWDS4V is a Type BSD self-drilling and tapping screw with a drill point, so it bores and taps its own hole as it drives. Metallics rates the drill time at 2.5 seconds through a 1 mm thick plate. Using self-drillers here cuts out the separate drill bit and tap step, which is where the labour savings come from on a stud-framing job.

The drill point on the JWDS4V is rated for panel thickness of 0.350 to 0.100 in. That covers typical light-gauge steel framing. If you are fastening into heavier structural steel than that range, this is the wrong point style and you want a heavier drill-point fastener.

The JWDS4V is flagged compliant for both ARRA and Buy American, which is what a government, school, or healthcare procurement office needs on the submittal. Country of origin is listed as multiple.

A #2 Phillips bit. The recess is a Phillips drive measuring 0.176 to 0.189 in. diameter and 0.255 in. deep, so a worn or undersized bit will cam out and strip the head on a long run. Keep fresh #2 bits on the gun.

A wafer head has a wide, flat, thin bearing surface. On the JWDS4V it measures 0.359 to 0.38 in. across the head with a wafer thickness of 0.025 to 0.035 in. That broad flat face is what you want when you are clamping sheet goods, furring, or trim against steel framing without pulling through. A bugle head is the one that self-countersinks into gypsum paper for finished board. Note that there is no single industry standard for wafer head dimensions, so these figures are a guide.

They ship in a jar of 500, and 500 count is the order minimum. Metallics does list other sizes and quantities as available by request, but the 500 jar is how this part number is packaged.

The JWDS4V carries a 42 lb-in minimum torsional strength with a case hardness of Rockwell C32-40, made from AISI 1016 to 1024 steel. That is the ductility and hardness balance a self-driller needs to cut steel without shearing the shank. Set your driver clutch rather than running an impact wide open, since anything past the rated torque will twist the head off.

The JWDS4V is steel with a zinc finish, which is a dry interior coating. It is fine for conditioned interior framing, drywall, and MRO work inside the building envelope. For exterior walls, unconditioned space, or anywhere with regular moisture, go to a stainless or a coated exterior-rated fastener instead.

18 threads per inch on a #8 diameter, manufactured to SAE J78-2013, the standard covering steel self-drilling tapping screws. If a spec sheet on your drawing calls out SAE J78 self-drillers, this one meets it.