Metallics JQK15 8 x 1 in. 1/4 Hex Head Slotted Sharp Point Self-Piercing & Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

No pilot hole needed in sheet metal. The JQK15 is a sharp point self-piercing and tapping screw, so the point pierces and the threads form their own mating thread as you drive. Twin lead threads cut driving torque, which is what keeps it from walking on thin gauge stock.

No. The JQK15 is not Buy American compliant and is not ARRA compliant, with country of origin listed as multiple. If your project carries domestic sourcing requirements, this part will not satisfy them.

It takes a 1/4 inch hex driver. The head is a hex measuring 0.244 to 0.25 inch across with a head height of 0.096 to 0.11 inch, and it also has a slotted drive (slot width 0.045 to 0.054 inch, depth 0.052 to 0.074 inch) so a flat blade works in tight spots where a socket won't fit.

It is a #8 diameter screw, 1 inch long, with 15 threads per inch. The undercut under the head gives more of that 1 inch to thread engagement, which matters when you are pulling two layers of sheet metal together.

Yes, that is the intended use. Metallics lists the JQK15 for the electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning trades, which is sheet metal duct, strut, box and enclosure fastening where you want to drive without drilling first.

There is an integral washer section under the hex head, 0.322 to 0.348 inch outside diameter and 0.019 to 0.031 inch thick. It is a steel bearing surface, not a rubber or neoprene gasket, so it spreads load on thin sheet but does not seal out water.

Thread-wise it drives into sheet metal the same way, but head dimensions of self-piercing screws differ from those of standard tapping screws, and there is no single industry standard for self-piercing screw dimensions. If your detail calls out a head or washer size, check it against the 0.244 to 0.25 inch head and 0.322 to 0.348 inch washer OD before swapping.

The JQK15 is steel with a zinc plated finish, which is a general purpose indoor and protected-exposure coating. For sustained weather or wet exposure, a stainless or hot dip galvanized fastener is the better call.

They ship in a jar of 100, and 100 is the order minimum. Jar weight is 0.54 lbs. Other sizes and quantities are available by request.

Case hardness runs Rockwell C28-38 on AISI 1018 to 1022 steel. That is what lets the sharp point pierce sheet metal and form threads without the tip rolling over, while the core stays ductile enough not to snap off in the hole.