Metallics JRDS2M 8 x 15/8 in. Bugle Head Square Drive Deck Screws - All-Weather - Type 17 - Coarse Threads - Each

They carry a green ceramic all-weather coating rated to withstand a 500 hour salt-spray test, over a zinc/all-weather finish. That is the level of protection a deck, exterior strut run, or coastal exposure needs. The core is AISI 1080 carbon steel, not stainless, so for fully submerged or chemically aggressive conditions a stainless fastener is the better call.

No. The Type 17 point cuts its own clearance as it enters, so in softwood decking, blocking, and furring you drive them straight in without a pilot hole. Coarse UNC threads at 8 to 10 threads per inch bite wood fast and resist stripping in softer lumber. Near a board end or in dense hardwood, a pilot hole still helps avoid splitting.

No. The JRDS2M is listed as not Buy American compliant and not ARRA compliant, with multiple countries of origin. On a federally funded project with domestic sourcing requirements, you will need a domestically produced fastener instead.

Square drive, and the recess takes a #2 driver. Recess geometry runs 0.110 to 0.113 inch wide and 0.064 to 0.075 inch deep, so a worn or undersized square bit will cam out and chew the recess. Metallics ships 3 free power bits with the jar, listed as a #1 drive power bit in the kit components.

The bugle head self-countersinks in wood, so it pulls flush without a separate countersink step. Head width is 0.315 to 0.363 inch and head height 0.020 to 0.039 inch, so it is a low, wide-bearing head that seats cleanly in decking and sheet goods rather than standing proud like a pan or washer head.