Choosing The Correct Screw Fasteners for Metal Stud Framing
Screws are an often overlooked critical part of construction. Understand screw types and their applications can be the difference between moving quickly on a job or wasting a lot of man hours. Here at US Frame Factory we are dedicated to getting you the correct screw for your job as fast as possible. Shop online for fasteners or reach out to sales for bulk buying options and deals.
Overview
Screws can be used to connect:
- Metal stud to metal stud
- Metal stud to structural steel
- Plywood to metal stud
- Drywall to metal stud
- Trim to metal stud
Screws have six unique parts: the head, driver/bit type, threads, diameter, length, and point. Heads include bugle head modified truss head, and hex head. Bit types include phillips, hex driver head, torx. Threads can either be coarse, fine, or a hybrid mixture. The diameter of the screw can be #7, #8, #10, #12, or #14. The length of a screw determines how much material it can hold together. The points can either be sharp or self drilling.
Heads indicate the purpose of the screw. Bugle head screws are designed to countersink well into the drywall and plywood. Flatter head framing screws are good whenever drywall or plywood may need to go on top of them. Hex heads are easier to drive than other bit types and are commonly used for many different connections.
Phillips and torx drive screws both can be very low profile because they are inside the head of the screw and don't require much depth. The disadvantage is that they can be harder to use as fasteners compared to hex driver head screws as known as hex heads. The advantage is that they will lie flush against the surface for better plywood or drywall installation.
Coarse threads are used in wood construction primarily because of their deep and solid grip on wood as they are screwed in. Fine threads work better on steel because they turn light gauge and structural steel into well threaded holes with high pull out force.
The diameter of the screw is detailed by engineers to ensure that screws have enough strength to not be damaged by shear forces. The smaller the number, the smaller the screw. When predrilling wood or metal screws, it is important to have a drill bit that is smaller than the diameter of the screw.
Sharp point screws are for thinner gauges (.033" thick and thinner) as well as for wood. Self drilling screws are for thicker gauges (.023" and thicker). Using a self drilling screw on a very thin gauge may cause problems due to the screw drilling too large of a whole in the metal. With both thin and thick gauges over spinning the screw can damage the metal or melt and break the screw.
Screw Fasteners Installation Techniques
- Drilling faster does not always mean the screw will go in faster. With thicker gauge steels, sometimes you need to slow down the speed of the drill to prevent burning out the screw drill points.
- Predrilling is a very useful tool when connecting deep materials like timbers to metal
- A minimum of three (3) threads of the screw should be sticking out on the other side
Framing Screws - Metal Stud to Metal Stud and Track
Structural Low Profile Self Drilling Framing Screws
These screws are used for structural connections between structural framing. They are frequently used in metal wall stud to track connection, header assemblies, bridging, and blocking. Their lower profile heads allow drywall and plywood to lay relatively flush when sheathing and covering a wall. These work for connecting 20 ga to 14 ga studs to 20 ga to 14 ga track or thicker. Recommended steel thickness of .033" to .068"; however, they can be used all the way down to .023". These typically come with Phillips heads on the screws.
Buy Modified Truss Head Framing Screws
Nonstructural Low Profile Self Drilling Framing Screws
The following screws are a nonstructural option for self drilling framing screws. While they can technically work on material up to .068" (14 ga) thickness, we recommend them for a range of .023" to .043" (20 ga drywall studs to 18 ga studs).
Buy Low Profile Nonstructural Framing Screws
Nonstructural Low Profile Sharp Framing Screws
The screws are used for nonstructural connections between drywall studs (light gauge studs). They are used to connect track to stud and for headers. Similar to their self drilling counterparts, they have low profiles heads to allow for smooth drywall and plywood installation. Recommended steel thickness between .015" to .033".
Buy Sharp Framing Screw for Drywall Studs
Hex Heads
These screws are typically for structural connections in structural framing where the head of the screw sticking out slightly does not matter. US Frame Factory uses them internally to build trusses and for on site connections between trusses and hangers. Hex driver head screws are convenient because the bits do not break and can take a lot of impact to ensure the screw is adequately holding the material. Recommended steel thickness is .033" to .068".
Hex heads come in several different sizes and lengths such as #10, #12, #14 in lengths from 1/2" to 3". If you don't see the size you need, feel free to reach out to our team.
Plywood Screws - Plywood to Metal Stud and Track
It can be tricky to connect plywood to metal studs because fully threaded screws will tend to pull up the plywood or wood and break the self-drilling drill bit on the steel underneath. These screws are designed with a driller tip and a long unthreaded portion, so that the screws can drill the steel without pulling on the plywood. We recommend these screws for metal thicknesses up to 14 ga.
Buy Plywood to Metal Stud Screws
Drywall Screws - Drywall to Metal Stud and Track
Drywall screws are any length or kind of screws used to connect 1/4" drywall, 3/8" drywall, 1/2" drywall, 5/8" drywall, 3/4" drywall, and 1" drywall.
Here is a chart with the recommended depth of screw for increasing layers of 5/8" drywall
| Layers of 5/8" Drywall | Length of Screw Recommended |
|---|---|
| 1 layer 5/8" | 1 1/4" |
| 2 layers 1 1/4" | 1 5/8" |
| 3 layers 1 7/8" | 2 3/8" |
| 4 layers 2 1/2" | 3" |
Sharp Drywall Screws
Sharp drywall screws are used to connect drywall to metal studs of .033" thickness or thinner. The sharp head on the screws penetrate quickly both the drywall and the metal studs. The screws also are fine thread which allows them to better grip the steel once installed. The screws typically have a bugle head which allows them to safely countersink into the drywall without damaging or tearing the paper surface.
Self Drilling Drywall Screws
Self drilling drywall screws are for connecting drywall to metal stud gauges .033" and thicker. They are designed very similar to the sharp screws except they have a drilling point instead of a sharp point. These are critical for attaching drywall to heavy gauge studs.
Buy Self Drilling Drywall Screws
Other Kinds of Screws
Metal Stud to Structural Steel
It can be very challenging to attach metal studs and other relatively thin gauges to structural steel. There are specifically designed screws with large driller tips and very fine threads that make them able to drill through thick steel 1/8" and thicker and cut threads into the self drilled holes.
Buy Metal Stud to Structural Steel Screws
Trim to Metal Stud
Trim screws have very small heads that allow them to be puttied over or very inconspicuous. The smaller head comes at a tradeoff that the screws will not hold as well as a wider head screw. Used for baseboard and molding, these screws can have small driller heads that allow them to be used on heavier gauges.
Lath to Metal Stud
Lath is a wire mesh that allows for stucco to be applied to the surface and have a substrate to attach to. This wire mesh lath is screwed using wide low profile screws to hold down the wire. Metal lath screws are typically modified truss head screws so that they have a nice wide holding area and a nicely recessed top so that the screw heads don't poke out past the stucco.
| Connection Type | Driver Method | Screw Depth | Screw Number | Screw Point | Product Code / Shopping Link |
| Structural Metal stud to metal stud | Flat Phillips | 3/4″ | #10 | Self Drilling | Z1034MTD |
| Structural metal stud to metal stud | Hexhead | 1/2″ | #10 | Self Drilling | Z1012HWD |
| Plywood/Sheathing to structural metal stud | Combo Drive Head | 2″ | #8 | Self Drilling | ZM2PP |
| Drywall to structural metal stud | Reduced Phillips | 1-1/4″ | #6 | Self Drilling | Z114SDZ |
| Double layer drywall to structural metal stud | Reduced Phillips | 1-1/4″ | #6 | Self Drilling | Z158SDZ |
| Double layer drywall to drywall metal stud | Reduced Phillips | 1-5/8″ | #6 | Sharp Point Fine Thread | Z158FS |
| Drywall metal stud to drywall metal stud | Phillips Reduced | 7/16″ | #7 | Sharp Point Fine Thread | Z716PF |
| Trim to metal stud | Trim Head | 1-5/8″ | #6 | Sharp Point Fine Thread | Z158THDZ |
| Trim to metal stud | Trim Head | 2-1/4″ | #6 | Self Drilling | Z214THDZ |
We sell screws from Grabber and from Kratos Building Products.