Metallics JBLS27SS Bolts 3/8 x 6 Hx Lag Blt SS (Jar 50)

That's the reason to pick it. The Metallics JBLS27SS is 18-8 stainless steel, which the manufacturer rates as having superior corrosion resistance to galvanized steel lag bolts. For exterior ledgers, dock and marine-adjacent framing, pool enclosures, or anywhere a galvanized coating gets scratched during driving and starts to rust, the stainless body corrodes far less because the material itself is corrosion resistant rather than relying on a plating.

Both are flagged compliant on the JBLS27SS, so it can go on federally funded and ARRA-governed work where fastener sourcing is specified. Country of origin is listed as multiple, so if your submittal package requires a single named origin per lot, request documentation for the specific lot you receive.

It's a full-bodied lag with a gimlet point, spaced threads at 7 threads per inch, and a shank outside diameter of 0.360 to 0.388 inch. The gimlet point starts the hole, but in solid lumber at 6 inches of embedment you still pre-drill a pilot sized to the root of the thread, not the full shank, and drive it with a wrench or socket on the hex head rather than an impact set to full torque. The head measures 0.544 to 0.562 inch across the flats.

They ship 50 to a jar, and 50 each is the order minimum, so the jar is the smallest unit. Metallics notes that other sizes and quantities in the BLS and JBLS lag bolt series are available by request if 3/8 x 6 or a 50-count isn't what the job needs.

Approximate minimum tensile strength runs 100,000 to 125,000 psi, with hardness at Rockwell B95 to C32. That puts it well above plain low-carbon lag stock but below a heat-treated alloy structural bolt, which is normal for 18-8 stainless: you trade peak strength for corrosion resistance. For wood-to-wood and equipment anchoring into timber, withdrawal capacity of the wood usually governs long before the bolt does.

A lag like the 3/8 x 6 stainless threads into the wood and is the choice when you can only reach one face of the member, or when the member is too thick to drill through. Where you can access both sides, a through-bolt with a nut and washer gives a mechanical clamp that doesn't depend on thread grip in the wood fibers and can be retightened indefinitely. The 6 inch length here means it needs at least that depth of sound wood to develop its hold.

No washers are supplied with the 50-count jar of JBLS27SS lags. Spec sheet data lists a 0.125 inch washer OD reference, but plan on ordering stainless flat washers separately so you don't mix carbon steel washers against a stainless bolt in a wet location.

The jar comes in at 7.97 lbs, with jar dimensions listed as 4.5 x 4.5 x 7.25 inches. Light enough for one hand on a lift but worth noting if you are pricing out several jars for a large deck or guardrail package.