{
 "version": "2026-10-20",
 "license": "Dimension sheets: CC BY 4.0. Standard and published-size files: CC BY 4.0. Xem Studio's own designs (files_license = Xem Studio Design License): free to use and sell things from, not to redistribute as files — https://xemstudio.com/license/. Other publishers' files: their own license, linked beside them.",
 "slug": "tek-self-drilling-screw-drill-points",
 "name": "Tek / self-drilling screw drill points #1 to #5: how thick a steel each point drills (four sources, shown side by side)",
 "kind": "standard",
 "category": "Hardware",
 "group": "Fasteners",
 "year": null,
 "question": "Which self-drilling (Tek) screw point number do I need for 14 gauge or 1/4 in steel, and how thick can a #3, #4 or #5 point drill?",
 "tags": [
  "tek screw",
  "self drilling screw",
  "teks screw",
  "tek 3 point",
  "tek 5 point",
  "drill point",
  "hex washer head tek",
  "self drilling metal screw",
  "tek screw point chart",
  "tool"
 ],
 "aliases": [
  "tek screw drill point chart",
  "what is a #3 tek point",
  "tek 5 point maximum thickness",
  "self drilling screw point sizes",
  "#2 vs #3 vs #5 point tek screw",
  "tek screw 14 gauge steel which point",
  "self drilling screw max steel thickness",
  "tek screw 1/4 inch steel",
  "tek 3 screw drill capacity",
  "buildex teks drill range",
  "tek screw point guide"
 ],
 "overall_mm": {
  "length": null,
  "width": null,
  "height": null
 },
 "official_cad": false,
 "xem_status": "not-scanned",
 "les": false,
 "free_files": 0,
 "url": "https://xemstudio.com/objects/tek-self-drilling-screw-drill-points/",
 "sheet_txt": "https://xemstudio.com/objects/tek-self-drilling-screw-drill-points/sheet.txt",
 "sheet": {
  "basis": "ITW Buildex's TEKS selector, AFT Fasteners' material-thickness table, Albany County Fasteners' point guide and HB Bolt's Tek 4 / 5 cut sheet; the four sources disagree and are shown as printed; numbers only",
  "overall_mm": {
   "length": null,
   "width": null,
   "height": null
  },
  "notes": [
   "There is no free standard table for Tek drill points: the numbers below are what each seller prints. They disagree. For a #2 point: Buildex .036 – .100 in (8-18) and .036 – .175 in (10-24); AFT .035 – .110 in overall (#6 to #10); Albany 0.060 in maximum. For a #3 point: Buildex .036 – .175 in; AFT .110 – .210 in (starting where #2 stops); Albany 0.125 in maximum. For a #5 point all of AFT and Albany print 0.5 in. A '#1' point is .018 – .095 in on Buildex and 0.015 in maximum on Albany.",
   "Use the maker's chart for the screw you buy, and test the stack. The point number increases with the thickness of steel drilled; the drilling range depends on screw size, point length and the material strength.",
   "ITW Buildex's page only lists points #1, #2 and #3; the gauge column is the page's gauge-to-thickness mapping with approximations where the page's values (.095, .100, .175 in) are not exact gauges. 'Drill-and-tap capacity' and 'max material attachment' are Buildex's own column names; the page does not define them beyond that, so they are shown as printed. The AFT table gives 'overall thickness range' per point and a 'material thickness' per screw size; its '5/6-18' reads as a typo for 5/16-18.",
   "HB Bolt prints a 'drilling capacity' of up to 6 in for #4 and #5 points (for example 1/4-14 #5: 1.5 thru 6 in). Those values cannot be steel thicknesses (a #5 point drills about 0.5 in of steel in the other sources), so the column is not used as a steel limit here; the sheet does not say what it measures. Its major and minor diameters are labelled and are shown; its three further unlabelled max / min pairs and the CDE Fasteners sheet (garbled column headers) are not used.",
   "Screw diameters (basic): #6 0.138, #8 0.164, #10 0.190, #12 0.216, 1/4 0.250, 5/16 0.3125, 3/8 0.375 in (Grabber's table). Head dimensions of metric self-drilling screws (hex washer head, pan head): self-drilling-screws-din-7504-heads. Thread-forming sheet-metal screws: self-tapping-screws-iso-7049-pan-head.",
   "No file: a drill point's flute and tip geometry are not published as numbers in the sources read. Inch hex-washer-head dimensions (ASME B18.6.4) were not found on a page that could be read."
  ],
  "table": {
   "columns": [
    "source",
    "point",
    "screw size / sizes",
    "drilling range or maximum (steel thickness unless noted)",
    "as printed with it"
   ],
   "rows": [
    [
     "ITW Buildex TEKS selector",
     "#1",
     "10-16 × 3/4 HWH; 1/4-14 × 7/8 HWH",
     ".018 – .095 in",
     "26 ga to about 14 ga (page's gauge table); drill-and-tap capacity .220 and .380 in; max attachment 5/16 and 3/8 in"
    ],
    [
     "ITW Buildex TEKS selector",
     "#2",
     "8-18 × 1/2 HWH",
     ".036 – .100 in",
     "20 ga to about 14 ga; drill-and-tap .205 in; max attachment 1/4 in"
    ],
    [
     "ITW Buildex TEKS selector",
     "#2",
     "10-24 × 3/4 HWH",
     ".036 – .175 in",
     "20 ga to beyond 12 ga; drill-and-tap .200 in; max attachment 5/16 in"
    ],
    [
     "ITW Buildex TEKS selector",
     "#3",
     "10-16 × 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 1, 1-1/4, 1-1/2 HWH",
     ".036 – .175 in",
     "20 ga to beyond 12 ga; drill-and-tap .150 / .200 / .325 / .575 / .825 / 1.075 in by length; max attachment 5/16 in"
    ],
    [
     "AFT Fasteners guideline",
     "#2",
     "#6 / #8 / #10",
     ".035 – .090 / .035 – .100 / .035 – .110 in",
     "overall thickness range .035 – .110 in"
    ],
    [
     "AFT Fasteners guideline",
     "#3",
     "#10",
     ".110 – .175 in",
     "overall range .110 – .210 in"
    ],
    [
     "AFT Fasteners guideline",
     "#3",
     "#12 / #14 / 5/16-18 (printed 5/6-18)",
     ".110 – .210 in",
     "overall range .110 – .210 in; '5/6-18' on the page reads as a typo for 5/16-18"
    ],
    [
     "AFT Fasteners guideline",
     "#4",
     "#12-1/4",
     ".187 – .312 in",
     "'Heavy Duty .187 – .500 in'"
    ],
    [
     "AFT Fasteners guideline",
     "#4.5",
     "#12",
     ".187 – .375 in",
     "'Heavy Duty .187 – .500 in'"
    ],
    [
     "AFT Fasteners guideline",
     "#5",
     "#12-1/4",
     ".187 – .500 in",
     "'Heavy Duty .187 – .500 in'; page says a 5 point drills 0.5 in (12.7 mm) steel"
    ],
    [
     "Albany County Fasteners guide",
     "Tek 1",
     "—",
     "0.015 in max (0.38 mm)",
     "29 – 20 gauge"
    ],
    [
     "Albany County Fasteners guide",
     "Tek 2",
     "—",
     "0.060 in max (1.52 mm)",
     "16 – 14 gauge"
    ],
    [
     "Albany County Fasteners guide",
     "Tek 3",
     "—",
     "0.125 in max (3.18 mm)",
     "11 – 7 gauge"
    ],
    [
     "Albany County Fasteners guide",
     "Tek 4",
     "—",
     "0.187 in max (4.75 mm)",
     "7 – 3 gauge"
    ],
    [
     "Albany County Fasteners guide",
     "Tek 5",
     "—",
     "0.500 in max (12.7 mm)",
     "1/2 in thick"
    ],
    [
     "HB Bolt cut sheet (as printed under 'drilling capacity')",
     "#4",
     "12-14 (major .215 / .209, minor .164 / .157)",
     "7/8 thru 1.25 in",
     "see note: values exceed steel thickness, so the column is not a steel-thickness limit"
    ],
    [
     "HB Bolt cut sheet",
     "#5",
     "12-14 (major .215 / .209, minor .164 / .157)",
     "3/4 thru 4 in",
     "same"
    ],
    [
     "HB Bolt cut sheet",
     "#4",
     "1/4-14 (major .246 / .240, minor .192 / .185)",
     "7/8 thru 3.5 in",
     "same"
    ],
    [
     "HB Bolt cut sheet",
     "#5",
     "1/4-14 (major .246 / .240, minor .192 / .185)",
     "1.5 thru 6 in",
     "same"
    ],
    [
     "HB Bolt cut sheet",
     "#4",
     "5/16-12 (major .315 / .307, minor .272 / .263)",
     "1 thru 1.5 in",
     "same"
    ],
    [
     "HB Bolt cut sheet",
     "#5",
     "5/16-12 (major .315 / .307, minor .244 / .236)",
     "1 thru 3 in",
     "same"
    ]
   ]
  }
 },
 "sheet_text": "Tek / self-drilling screw drill points #1 to #5: how thick a steel each point drills (four sources, shown side by side) — dimension sheet\nSource: Xem Studio, https://xemstudio.com/objects/tek-self-drilling-screw-drill-points/  (sheet CC BY 4.0)\nBasis: ITW Buildex's TEKS selector, AFT Fasteners' material-thickness table, Albany County Fasteners' point guide and HB Bolt's Tek 4 / 5 cut sheet; the four sources disagree and are shown as printed; numbers only\nCatalog version: 2026-10-20\n\nSizes: see table below\n- There is no free standard table for Tek drill points: the numbers below are what each seller prints. They disagree. For a #2 point: Buildex .036 – .100 in (8-18) and .036 – .175 in (10-24); AFT .035 – .110 in overall (#6 to #10); Albany 0.060 in maximum. For a #3 point: Buildex .036 – .175 in; AFT .110 – .210 in (starting where #2 stops); Albany 0.125 in maximum. For a #5 point all of AFT and Albany print 0.5 in. A '#1' point is .018 – .095 in on Buildex and 0.015 in maximum on Albany.\n- Use the maker's chart for the screw you buy, and test the stack. The point number increases with the thickness of steel drilled; the drilling range depends on screw size, point length and the material strength.\n- ITW Buildex's page only lists points #1, #2 and #3; the gauge column is the page's gauge-to-thickness mapping with approximations where the page's values (.095, .100, .175 in) are not exact gauges. 'Drill-and-tap capacity' and 'max material attachment' are Buildex's own column names; the page does not define them beyond that, so they are shown as printed. The AFT table gives 'overall thickness range' per point and a 'material thickness' per screw size; its '5/6-18' reads as a typo for 5/16-18.\n- HB Bolt prints a 'drilling capacity' of up to 6 in for #4 and #5 points (for example 1/4-14 #5: 1.5 thru 6 in). Those values cannot be steel thicknesses (a #5 point drills about 0.5 in of steel in the other sources), so the column is not used as a steel limit here; the sheet does not say what it measures. Its major and minor diameters are labelled and are shown; its three further unlabelled max / min pairs and the CDE Fasteners sheet (garbled column headers) are not used.\n- Screw diameters (basic): #6 0.138, #8 0.164, #10 0.190, #12 0.216, 1/4 0.250, 5/16 0.3125, 3/8 0.375 in (Grabber's table). Head dimensions of metric self-drilling screws (hex washer head, pan head): self-drilling-screws-din-7504-heads. Thread-forming sheet-metal screws: self-tapping-screws-iso-7049-pan-head.\n- No file: a drill point's flute and tip geometry are not published as numbers in the sources read. Inch hex-washer-head dimensions (ASME B18.6.4) were not found on a page that could be read.\n\nsource  point  screw size / sizes  drilling range or maximum (steel thickness unless noted)  as printed with it\nITW Buildex TEKS selector  #1  10-16 × 3/4 HWH; 1/4-14 × 7/8 HWH  .018 – .095 in  26 ga to about 14 ga (page's gauge table); drill-and-tap capacity .220 and .380 in; max attachment 5/16 and 3/8 in\nITW Buildex TEKS selector  #2  8-18 × 1/2 HWH  .036 – .100 in  20 ga to about 14 ga; drill-and-tap .205 in; max attachment 1/4 in\nITW Buildex TEKS selector  #2  10-24 × 3/4 HWH  .036 – .175 in  20 ga to beyond 12 ga; drill-and-tap .200 in; max attachment 5/16 in\nITW Buildex TEKS selector  #3  10-16 × 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 1, 1-1/4, 1-1/2 HWH  .036 – .175 in  20 ga to beyond 12 ga; drill-and-tap .150 / .200 / .325 / .575 / .825 / 1.075 in by length; max attachment 5/16 in\nAFT Fasteners guideline  #2  #6 / #8 / #10  .035 – .090 / .035 – .100 / .035 – .110 in  overall thickness range .035 – .110 in\nAFT Fasteners guideline  #3  #10  .110 – .175 in  overall range .110 – .210 in\nAFT Fasteners guideline  #3  #12 / #14 / 5/16-18 (printed 5/6-18)  .110 – .210 in  overall range .110 – .210 in; '5/6-18' on the page reads as a typo for 5/16-18\nAFT Fasteners guideline  #4  #12-1/4  .187 – .312 in  'Heavy Duty .187 – .500 in'\nAFT Fasteners guideline  #4.5  #12  .187 – .375 in  'Heavy Duty .187 – .500 in'\nAFT Fasteners guideline  #5  #12-1/4  .187 – .500 in  'Heavy Duty .187 – .500 in'; page says a 5 point drills 0.5 in (12.7 mm) steel\nAlbany County Fasteners guide  Tek 1  —  0.015 in max (0.38 mm)  29 – 20 gauge\nAlbany County Fasteners guide  Tek 2  —  0.060 in max (1.52 mm)  16 – 14 gauge\nAlbany County Fasteners guide  Tek 3  —  0.125 in max (3.18 mm)  11 – 7 gauge\nAlbany County Fasteners guide  Tek 4  —  0.187 in max (4.75 mm)  7 – 3 gauge\nAlbany County Fasteners guide  Tek 5  —  0.500 in max (12.7 mm)  1/2 in thick\nHB Bolt cut sheet (as printed under 'drilling capacity')  #4  12-14 (major .215 / .209, minor .164 / .157)  7/8 thru 1.25 in  see note: values exceed steel thickness, so the column is not a steel-thickness limit\nHB Bolt cut sheet  #5  12-14 (major .215 / .209, minor .164 / .157)  3/4 thru 4 in  same\nHB Bolt cut sheet  #4  1/4-14 (major .246 / .240, minor .192 / .185)  7/8 thru 3.5 in  same\nHB Bolt cut sheet  #5  1/4-14 (major .246 / .240, minor .192 / .185)  1.5 thru 6 in  same\nHB Bolt cut sheet  #4  5/16-12 (major .315 / .307, minor .272 / .263)  1 thru 1.5 in  same\nHB Bolt cut sheet  #5  5/16-12 (major .315 / .307, minor .244 / .236)  1 thru 3 in  same\n\nFiles elsewhere (not hosted by Xem Studio; license as stated by the publisher):\n- ITW Buildex: TEKS self-drilling fasteners product data: point selector (#1, #2, #3) with drill range, drill-and-tap capacity and maximum material attachment for HWH screws — web — Maker product data; numbers only — https://www.buildsite.com/pdf/itwbuildex/TEKS-Self-Drilling-Fasteners-Product-Data-661414.pdf\n- AFT Fasteners: Self-drilling screws / Tek screws: material thickness guidelines by point size (#2, #3, #4, #4.5, #5) and screw size — web — Distributor technical table; numbers only — https://www.aftfasteners.com/self-drilling-screws/\n- Albany County Fasteners: Self-drilling screw point guide: Tek 1 to Tek 5 maximum steel thickness and gauge range — web — Distributor guide; numbers only — https://www.albanycountyfasteners.com/media/g0/f1/0e/1764617820/self-drilling-screw-point-guide.pdf\n- HB Bolt: Tek 4 and Tek 5 point self-drilling screws: size, point, 'drilling capacity' (thickness, in) and diameters, 12-14, 1/4-14, 5/16-12 — web — Distributor cut sheet; numbers only; column pairs after the minor diameter are unlabelled and not used — https://www.hbbolt.com/_Product_Cut_Sheets/Tek4&5InfoPage.pdf\n- Grabber Construction Products: Self-drilling screw selection guide: basic screw diameter by normal size, 0 to 3/8 in (cross-check of #8 and #10 diameters) — web — Maker guide; numbers only — https://www.grabberpro.com/userfiles/documents/TechnicalDocuments/Manuals/Self-Drilling-Screw-Selection-Guide.pdf\n\nNo true-size file yet: the published figures do not fix the whole shape; a measured scan is planned.\nAPI: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=tek-self-drilling-screw-drill-points\n",
 "sources": [
  {
   "publisher": "ITW Buildex",
   "title": "TEKS self-drilling fasteners product data: point selector (#1, #2, #3) with drill range, drill-and-tap capacity and maximum material attachment for HWH screws",
   "url": "https://www.buildsite.com/pdf/itwbuildex/TEKS-Self-Drilling-Fasteners-Product-Data-661414.pdf",
   "formats": [
    "web"
   ],
   "license": "Maker product data; numbers only",
   "license_verified": true,
   "hosted": false
  },
  {
   "publisher": "AFT Fasteners",
   "title": "Self-drilling screws / Tek screws: material thickness guidelines by point size (#2, #3, #4, #4.5, #5) and screw size",
   "url": "https://www.aftfasteners.com/self-drilling-screws/",
   "formats": [
    "web"
   ],
   "license": "Distributor technical table; numbers only",
   "license_verified": true,
   "hosted": false
  },
  {
   "publisher": "Albany County Fasteners",
   "title": "Self-drilling screw point guide: Tek 1 to Tek 5 maximum steel thickness and gauge range",
   "url": "https://www.albanycountyfasteners.com/media/g0/f1/0e/1764617820/self-drilling-screw-point-guide.pdf",
   "formats": [
    "web"
   ],
   "license": "Distributor guide; numbers only",
   "license_verified": true,
   "hosted": false
  },
  {
   "publisher": "HB Bolt",
   "title": "Tek 4 and Tek 5 point self-drilling screws: size, point, 'drilling capacity' (thickness, in) and diameters, 12-14, 1/4-14, 5/16-12",
   "url": "https://www.hbbolt.com/_Product_Cut_Sheets/Tek4&5InfoPage.pdf",
   "formats": [
    "web"
   ],
   "license": "Distributor cut sheet; numbers only; column pairs after the minor diameter are unlabelled and not used",
   "license_verified": true,
   "hosted": false
  },
  {
   "publisher": "Grabber Construction Products",
   "title": "Self-drilling screw selection guide: basic screw diameter by normal size, 0 to 3/8 in (cross-check of #8 and #10 diameters)",
   "url": "https://www.grabberpro.com/userfiles/documents/TechnicalDocuments/Manuals/Self-Drilling-Screw-Selection-Guide.pdf",
   "formats": [
    "web"
   ],
   "license": "Maker guide; numbers only",
   "license_verified": true,
   "hosted": false
  }
 ],
 "xem": {
  "status": "not-scanned",
  "sheet_free": true,
  "mesh_price_usd": null,
  "step_price_usd": null,
  "tolerance_mm": null
 },
 "related": [
  "self-drilling-screws-din-7504-heads",
  "self-tapping-screws-iso-7049-pan-head",
  "sheet-metal-screw-pilot-holes",
  "rivet-nuts-flat-head",
  "hex-head-screws-metric"
 ],
 "fits": [],
 "dimensions": "exact (nominal, no tolerance added)",
 "dimension_rule": "All geometry on Xem Studio is exact (nominal, true size) with no tolerance added. Where a part meets another part, the object lists its mating features (feature, exact size, what it mates with, fit class: press, slide, run, socket, clamp or designed). Apply your process's allowance to those features only; 'designed' gaps are part of the design and stay as drawn. Typical accuracy by process and ISO 286 fits: https://xemstudio.com/tolerances/",
 "mating": [],
 "faq": [
  {
   "q": "How thick a steel does a #3 Tek point drill?",
   "a": "Buildex prints .036 – .175 in; AFT .110 – .210 in; Albany 0.125 in maximum. The sources disagree; check the screw maker's chart."
  },
  {
   "q": "What is the maximum thickness for a #5 self-drilling point?",
   "a": "0.500 in (12.7 mm) on both the AFT guideline and the Albany guide."
  },
  {
   "q": "Which Tek point for 14 gauge steel?",
   "a": "A 14 gauge sheet is about .075 in on Buildex's gauge table: Buildex's #1, #2 and #3 ranges all include it; Albany's Tek 2 range (16 – 14 gauge) is the one aimed at it."
  }
 ],
 "files_license": null,
 "offers": [],
 "markdown": "https://xemstudio.com/objects/tek-self-drilling-screw-drill-points/index.md"
}