Minerallac 39916-6 Drywall Anchor Kit, Zinc Alloy with #8 x 1-1/4" Screws, Phillips/Slotted, Includes #2-2" Hex Power Bit

The zinc anchor is rated to hold 50 lbs in 1/2 inch drywall. That covers typical light fixture boxes, conduit straps, small shelving brackets and cable management hardware. Rating is for horizontal drywall application, so for anything heavier or into a ceiling, go to a toggle or hit a stud.

No pilot hole. These are self drilling zinc die cast anchors, so the anchor's own point cuts into the drywall and threads in. The kit includes a #2 x 2 inch Phillips hex power bit so you can drive both the anchor and the screw with a cordless driver.

Up to 3/4 inch of fixture thickness. That is the limit the 1-1/4 inch screw allows while still leaving enough thread in the anchor body. If the strap, plate or cleat you are hanging is thicker than 3/4 inch, you need a longer screw than the one supplied.

Each kit pairs the anchor with a #8 x 1-1/4 inch pan head sheet metal screw. The head is a combination slotted/Phillips pan head, so a flat blade or a #2 Phillips both work, and the #2 x 2 inch Phillips hex power bit in the kit drives it directly.

Country of origin on the 39916-6 anchor kit is the United States, which is what a government, school or healthcare procurement file usually needs for domestic-preference documentation on fastener line items.

You can back the #8 screw out and reinstall it into the same anchor, since the anchor stays threaded in the board. What you cannot do is back the anchor itself out and reuse the same hole, the gypsum threads are chewed up at that point and holding value drops well below the stated 50 lb in 1/2 inch drywall. Move over a couple of inches and set a fresh anchor.

Assembled length runs 1-5/8 inches, made up of the zinc anchor body plus the 1-1/4 inch screw, and the kit is catalogued at size #8 x 1-5/8. Worth knowing when there is limited clearance behind the drywall, such as a shallow furred-out wall or a chase with conduit run tight to the back of the board.

The anchor body is zinc die cast with a zinc plated finish and the screw is steel. Zinc plating gives ordinary indoor corrosion resistance, fine for occupied interiors and finished spaces. For a wet location, an exterior wall cavity or a corrosive environment, plated steel is not the right choice.