Wood screws and self-tapping screws

This extensive group of fasteners is designed for a strong and reliable connection between two parts. Wood screws and self-tapping screws hold a prominent place among them in terms of frequency of use and scope of application — from furniture manufacturing to construction.

A wood screw is a metal rod with a thread and a head. The thread is cut roughly halfway up the rod. Wood screws have a coarser thread pitch, while screws for metal have a finer one. The head shape can vary.

A self-tapping screw looks similar to a wood screw, but the thread runs all the way up to the head, and the tip has a sharp point or drill bit. This makes the self-tapping screw more convenient to use: for example, when mounting a bracket to a wall, a wood screw requires pre-drilling a hole and inserting a plug, while a self-tapping screw is driven in without such preparation — the sharp tip cuts into the material by itself.

Self-tapping screws are made from stronger materials than wood screws: various grades of steel are used, followed by heat treatment (hardening), which increases the strength of the metal. If a self-tapping screw is used for fastening to a metal base, it must be stronger than that base — for this, an appropriate steel grade and additional processing are applied. In addition to heat treatment, self-tapping screws are protected with a coating applied by electroplating or other methods.