Metallics SDS9M 8 x 3 in. Bugle Head Phillips Drywall Screws - Steel Zinc - Fine Threads - Each

Metal framing. The SDS9M is a self-drilling and tapping drywall screw with a drill point and fine threads at 15 threads per inch, which is the combination used to fasten board to steel studs and track. The drill point starts its own hole in the metal, so no pilot drilling. For wood studs you want a coarse thread screw with a sharp point instead.

No. The SDS9M is flagged as not Buy American compliant and not ARRA compliant, with country of origin listed as multiple. On federally funded work with domestic sourcing requirements, you will need a different fastener.

At 3 inches of length, the SDS9M is sized for multi-layer board work, laminated partitions, or fastening through furring and thick assemblies into steel. For a single 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch layer on steel studs, a 3 inch screw is far longer than needed and the excess shank sits inside the stud cavity. Use it where the total build-up genuinely needs the length.

A #2 Phillips. The drive recess is Phillips with a depth of 0.124 in. and a recess diameter of 0.176 to 0.201 in., which a #2 bit seats into. A power bit ships with the box, so crews get one to start with, but on a 1000 piece run you will want spares.

Yes. The head is a bugle profile measuring 0.315 to 0.363 in. across with a head height of 0.020 to 0.039 in., so it pulls itself just below the paper face without tearing it and leaves a shallow dimple for mud. Set your screw gun depth stop rather than running on clutch alone.

They ship as a box of 1000, and 1000 is the order minimum. Metallics lists other sizes and quantities in the SDS and SDSB series by request.

They are case hardened to Rockwell C44 and made from AISI 1018 steel, which is what lets the drill point cut light gauge steel framing. That said, hardened screws are brittle in torsion, so run them at drill speed and ease off once the head seats.

The SDS9M carries a zinc finish over steel, which is a general corrosion coating for interior dry work, electrical, plumbing and HVAC rough-in. It is not a hot-dip or coated exterior fastener, so keep it out of weather-exposed or wet locations.

The threads are UNF fine at 15 per inch, but Metallics notes there is no single industry standard for drywall screw or bugle head dimensions, so the published head and recess figures are a guide and slight deviations occur. If your spec calls out an exact head diameter tolerance, treat these numbers as nominal.

The box runs 12.07 lbs and measures 7.25 x 6.75 x 3.25 in. Useful if you are staging material by floor or figuring how many boxes go on a cart.