Metallics JDS154M Screws 8 X 1 Ih Hx 1/4Hd Sl TS St-zn (Jar 1000)

The Metallics JDS154M is made to self-start in thin metal from 0.015 to 0.050 inch thick, or in resin-filled plywood. Its gimlet point bites without a pilot hole in that range. Go thicker than 0.050 inch and you want a Type AB or a self-drilling screw instead, since a Type A point will walk or stall.

Either. It has an indented hex head with a slot, so a 1/4 inch nut driver seats on the hex (head width 0.244 to 0.25 inch, across corners 0.272 inch) and a flat blade fits the slot, which runs 0.045 to 0.054 inch wide and 0.052 to 0.066 inch deep. Most installers run the hex for speed and keep the slot for tight spots.

Type A threads are spaced wider than Type AB and come to a gimlet point. The JDS154M runs 15 threads per inch at a #8 diameter, which is a coarse pitch that forms its own thread fast in thin sheet or resin-filled plywood. Type AB has finer, closer threads and a blunter point, which holds better in slightly heavier gauge and in materials where a gimlet point would tear out.

Minimum torsional strength on the JDS154M is 39 lb-in, with the steel case hardened to Rockwell C28-38. That is enough for driving into 0.015 to 0.050 inch sheet, but an impact driver will overrun it easily. Use a clutched screwgun with the torque backed off, or drive the hex with a nut driver on a low-speed drill.

Yes, there is an integral washer face under the indented hex head measuring 0.322 to 0.348 inch outside diameter and 0.019 to 0.031 inch thick. That gives you more bearing than a plain hex head, so it spans a slightly oversized or slotted hole in sheet metal without pulling through. Head height itself is 0.096 to 0.11 inch, so it sits low.

The JDS154M is steel with a zinc plating, which is an indoor and protected-location finish. It handles normal dry interior conditions in panels, enclosures, raceway and device work. For exterior, wet locations, or anything coastal, move to a stainless or hot-dip galvanized fastener, since zinc plating will rust through on a wet exterior.

The JDS154M is flagged both ARRA compliant and Buy American compliant in the manufacturer's data, with country of origin listed as China. If your contract runs under Buy America Build America rather than the ARRA-era provisions, confirm which standard the spec on your drawings actually cites before you submit.

Dimensions follow ASME B18.6.3-2010 and the threads follow ASME B18.6.4. Steel is AISI 1016 to 1024. That combination is what a submittal reviewer looks for on a sheet metal screw callout. Note that on the JDS family, #9 diameter dimensions sit outside ASME B18.6.4; the #8 x 1 inch does not.

These ship as a jar of 1,000 #8 x 1 inch screws, and 1,000 is the order minimum, so the jar is the buy unit. The packed jar weighs 5.23 lbs and measures 3.5 x 3.5 x 5.75 inches, which matters if you are stocking a van drawer or a shop bin.