As the name suggests, self-tapping screws are screws that have the ability to tap threads into the material. Self-tapping screws are used for all sorts of material including wood, metal, and brick. These screws cannot drill through metal and require a pilot hole to be pre-drilled before installation. A pilot hole is created by using a drill bit which is slightly smaller than the screw and the threads of the screw tap the metal or wood while the screw is being installed. This tapping action keeps the material fastened together. There are many different types of points that a self-tapping screw can have that assist in the tapping of threads into various substrates.
