Metallics RSDS2B 8 x 15/8 in. Bugle Head Star Drive Deck Screws - Steel Yellow Zinc - Type 17 - Threads - Each

No pilot hole needed. The RSDS2B carries a Type 17 point, the chip cavity or auger point that lets the fastener drive even in denser woods without pre-drilling. Deck boards of ipe or other extreme hardwoods are still worth a test screw first, but for framing lumber, treated pine and cedar you can drive straight in.

Yellow zinc dichromate over steel is a light corrosion coating, fine for interior framing, covered work and dry exterior conditions. It is not the finish for ground contact, ACQ treated lumber in wet exposure, or coastal salt air. For those, specify a coated or stainless deck screw instead. The RSDS2B is steel to AISI 1018-1022, so the base metal has no inherent corrosion resistance on its own.

The RSDS2B is flagged both Buy American compliant and ARRA compliant, which is what a public school, municipal or federally funded project specification usually turns on. Country of origin is listed as multiple, so the compliance flag is the value your submittal package should cite.

A T20 star bit. The RSDS2B uses a flat six-lobe (star) recess, so a T20 Torx driver seats fully and resists cam-out when you are sinking a full box. Keep a spare bit in the pouch if you are running 2,000 of them.

The bugle head self-countersinks into wood, so it sets flush or slightly below without a separate countersink bit. Head width runs 0.285 to 0.331 inch and head height is 0.108 inch, so the bearing surface is wide enough to seat softwood without tearing through, and the low profile keeps it out from underfoot on a walking surface.

The RSDS2B ships as a box of 2,000 screws weighing 14.4 lbs, and 2,000 is the order minimum. That is one box per line, so plan takeoffs in multiples of 2,000 rather than by the handful.

9 threads per inch, UNC, with a deeper thread form than a standard wood screw. The coarse 9 TPI pitch is what gives it bite in softwood framing and treated lumber, and the deeper thread adds resistance to pull-out. In dense hardwood the same coarse pitch clears chips faster, which is why the Type 17 point works without a pilot.

Nothing about the RSDS2B limits it to decking. It is a coarse-thread #8 wood screw with a self-countersinking bugle head and a self-starting Type 17 point, which is exactly what you want for mounting backer boards, plywood equipment boards, box blocking and strut backing into wood framing. The yellow zinc finish keeps it to dry or protected locations.