Metallics QK15M 8 x 1 in. 1/4 Hex Head Slotted Sharp Point Self-Piercing & Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

No. The QK15M is a sharp point self-piercing and tapping screw, so it pierces and forms its own thread in sheet metal without a pilot hole. Twin lead threads cut driving torque, and the undercut beneath the head lets more thread length engage the material.

No. The QK15M is not Buy American compliant and is not ARRA compliant, with country of origin listed as multiple. For a job with domestic sourcing requirements you need a fastener specifically certified as Buy American compliant.

Two options, which is the point of the combination head. The hex head measures 0.244 to 0.25 inch across, so a 1/4 inch hex driver or nutsetter fits it. It is also slotted, with a slot width of 0.045 to 0.054 inch and depth of 0.052 to 0.074 inch, for a flat blade when a driver will not reach. Head height runs 0.096 to 0.11 inch.

A #8 diameter by 1 inch long screw with 15 threads per inch. The #8 driver size matches the shank callout. That 1 inch length is the usable grip for sheet metal and light gauge work, so for thicker stack-ups you want a longer screw in the same series.

Yes, the head carries a washer face with an outside diameter of 0.322 to 0.348 inch and a thickness of 0.019 to 0.031 inch. That larger bearing surface spreads load on thin sheet metal so the head does not pull through.

The QK15M is zinc plated carbon steel, built from AISI 1018 to 1022 material. Zinc plating is a mild corrosion barrier suited to indoor and protected work, which is where electrical, plumbing, and HVAC installs usually put it. For sustained exterior exposure or wet locations, specify a stainless or coated exterior fastener instead.

Case hardness is Rockwell C28-38, which is what lets a sharp point screw pierce and form thread in light gauge steel rather than deforming. Combined with twin lead threads for lower driving torque, it is a screw meant to go in fast with a cordless driver. It is not a masonry or concrete anchor.

It is specified for electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning work, so typical jobs are hanging straps and clips, fastening boxes and covers to sheet metal, and duct and equipment attachment. Part of the Metallics JQK series of hex head slotted sharp point self-piercing and tapping screws.

Self-piercing screws have no single governing dimensional standard, so the published head width, head height, slot, and washer figures are given as ranges and should be treated as a guide. Head dimensions also differ from those of standard tapping screws, so do not assume a counterbore or recess sized for a standard tapping screw head will take this one.