Metallics DWS9B 8 x 3 in. Bugle Head Phillips Drywall Screws - Steel Black Phosphate - Fine Threads - Each

Fine thread is the metal-stud choice. The DWS9B runs 15 threads per inch with a sharp point, and Metallics lists its field applications as hardwood, light gauge steel and light gauge aluminum. For standard wood studs most crews use a coarse thread screw instead, since coarse threads pull and hold better in softwood framing.

The DWS9B uses a sharp point, which self-pierces light gauge steel and light gauge aluminum, the applications Metallics lists for it. Heavier gauge structural steel is beyond a sharp point; that calls for a self-drilling point screw.

No. The DWS9B is not Buy American compliant and is not ARRA compliant, with country of origin listed as multiple. On federally funded or state work carrying a domestic sourcing clause, this screw will not satisfy it.

At 3 inches of fastener length, the DWS9B is a long-reach screw, not a single-layer board screw. Typical uses are multi-layer board, thick trim or furring work where the screw has to pass through material and still get a full thread bite into the framing behind it. For a single layer of 1/2 inch board, a 1-1/4 inch screw is the usual call.

A #2 Phillips bit. The head is a Phillips recess, driver size #2, with a recess diameter of 0.176 to 0.201 in. and a recess depth of 0.124 in. Three #2 drive power bits come with the box, so you don't have to add bits to the order.

The DWS9B ships as a box with an order minimum of 2000 each, so one box is 2000 screws. Metallics notes other sizes and quantities are available by request if 2000 of a 3 inch fine thread screw is more than the job needs.

That is what the bugle head is for. The DWS9B head is a bugle profile, 0.315 to 0.363 in. across and 0.020 to 0.039 in. in height, so the curved underside seats the head into the board face for a clean mud-over instead of cutting the paper the way a flat head does. Metallics notes there is no single industry standard for bugle head dimensions, so slight deviations from those figures are normal.

No. Black phosphate on the DWS9B is a mild corrosion-resistant coating for dry interior work, not a weathering finish. For exterior sheathing, soffits, or anywhere exposed to moisture, use a screw with a corrosion-rated coating or stainless instead.

The DWS9B is made from AISI 1018 steel case hardened to Rockwell C44, which is the hardness range drywall screws need to pierce light gauge steel without the point rolling over or the Phillips recess stripping. Drive torque still matters, so back off the clutch on a gun once the head is seated.

About 26 lbs per box, with box dimensions of 9 x 9 x 6.13 in. Worth knowing if you're staging several boxes on a cart or up a lift to a floor.