Metallics TS215M 8 x 1 in. Pan Head Phillips Sharp Point Tapping Screws - Steel Zinc - Each

The Metallics TS215M is a Type A tapping screw with a gimlet (sharp) point and 15 threads per inch, which is the coarse, wide-spaced thread meant for thinner sheet metal, and the sharp point lets it start without a pilot hole in light gauge material. For heavier gauge steel, where a blunt-point Type B or a self-drilling screw is the usual pick, the coarse Type A thread strips more easily.

They ship as a box, with an order minimum of 5,000 pieces. If you need a smaller count or a different length, Metallics lists other sizes and quantities as available by request.

Metallics lists the TS215M as both Buy American compliant and ARRA compliant. Country of origin is recorded as multiple, so if your specification requires a single named origin on the submittal, that is the point to pin down with the mill certification.

A #2 Phillips bit. The recess is 0.108 in. deep, 0.169 to 0.182 in. across, with a 0.03 in. slot width, so a #1 will cam out and a #3 will not seat. Torsional strength is 39 lb-in minimum, which is the limit to respect if you are driving these with an impact driver.

Zinc plating over steel is a mild indoor corrosion coating, not a wet or exterior finish. The TS215M is carbon steel (AISI 1016 to 1024) with a zinc plate, so keep it to dry interior electrical work. Coastal, exterior, or washdown locations call for stainless or a hot dip galvanized fastener instead.

Yes. The TS215M runs Rockwell C28 to 38, which is the hardness range that lets a tapping screw form its own thread in sheet steel rather than deform. Thread form follows ASME B18.6.4.

The box runs 25.47 lbs and measures 7.25 x 6.25 x 6 in. Useful if you are staging material by floor or figuring how many boxes go on a cart.