Material

Uses

Steel -Lube Finish

General indoor furniture (dry), Indoor structural work

Steel - Zinc Plated

Outdoor furniture (not seaside), Outdoor structural work

Steel - Mechanically Plated

(Done on request)  Outdoor structural, Treated Pine

Stainless steel

Bathroom & kitchen wet areas, Outdoor work in seaside applications, Boats, above water line

Silicon Bronze

Boats, below water line

Brass

Traditional fittings & furniture.

Application & Usage Chart

Diameter Suggested Drill Screw Gauge Usage Driver Thread In Thread mm Head mm Softwood Hardwood #2 Extremely fine work eg.jewel boxes. #00 0.081 2.1 4.1 1.5(1/16”) 1.5(1/16”) #4 Extremely small craft, boxes, piano hinges. #0 0.122 2.8 6.1 1.9(5/64”) 1.9(5/64”) #6* Small craft, light furniture, toys. #1 0.136 3.5 6.8 2.4(3/32”) 2.7(7/64”) #8 General furniture & cabinet work. #2 0.165 4.2 8.1 2.7(7/64”) 3.1(1/8”) #10 Heavy cabinet eg. hardwoods/high stress areas. #2 0.192 4.9 9.5 3.1(1/8”) 3.5(9/64”) #12 Heavy construction work, eg.Slab type furniture. #3 0.220 5.6 11.0 3.5(9/64”) 4.0(5/32”) #14 Very heavy construction work #3 0.245 6.3 12.4 4.0 (5/32”) 4.8(3/16”) * All face frame screws use #2 driver

What Length Of Screw Should I Use?

There are no hard and fast rules and often you have no choice. As a guide it is suggested you select a screw which will go twice the thickness of the material being joined. This means if you are joining a piece of 20 mm material to another piece you should have about 40 mm of screw going into the timber or about a 60 mm screw. This will vary with timbers, hard timbers do not need to go as deep while soft timbers need all the grip they can get.

How should I Lubricate my screws?

Some woodworkers lubricate their screws with soap to ease driving - DON'T DO IT. Soap contains acids and absorbs moisture causing rust and rotting of the timber around the screw. Our Lube finish screws are coated with a dry wax to protect them and ease driving.
If you need it, use a bit of wax or dry lubricant. Zinc plated screws are usually very dry and it is advisable to use a little wax on them or spray them with one of the pressure pack dry lubricants.