Tapcon Masonry Anchors

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Manufacture

Buildex, a division of ITW RedHead, manufactures the Tapcon brand masonry fastener in the United States. American-made Tapcon brand masonry screws can be purchased online here. Learn technical details and watch a video on Tapcons here.

History

In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the Tapcon masonry screw was first brought to market with the ability to tap threads into concrete. The combination of the screw’s capacity to have threads hard enough to cut into concrete and also to remove the dust created during the tapping process revolutionized the concrete fastening business.

Features

Hardening the threads without hardening the body of the screw to the point where the body of the screw would be overly brittle and shear off during installation was a very important feature of the Tapcon brand concrete screw. The ability of the screw threads to remove the dust created during the installation process was also critical. Dust removal must be maintained at the same rate that it is created, or the screw will stop tapping threads.

How They Work

The hole drilled into the masonry material is critical and must meet the tolerance specifications to meet minimum holding values. Carbide tipped drill bits that meet ANSI standards must be used to drill the hole in the masonry, and they must be used with a hammer drill that is set in the hammer and rotation mode. The 3/16” tapcon requires the use of a 5/32” while the 1/4” requires the use of a 3/16”.

Diameters Available

The original diameters were available in the 3/16” and 1/4” diameter and are still available today to account for a majority of all sales. Large size diameter concrete screws were developed with the large diameter Tapcon or LDT now available in diameters of 3/8”, 1/2”, 5/8” and 3/4”.

Lengths Available

The lengths of the Tapcon masonry anchor are the same for both diameters. The 1/4” comes in two additional lengths of 5” and 6”. The lengths available for both diameters are 1-1/4”, 1-3/4”, 2-1/4”, 2-3/4,3-1/4, 3-3/4’ and 4”.

Types

The Tapcon masonry anchor comes in both a carbon steel that is Climaseal® coated in a blue color and in the 410 stainless steel that is also coated with Climaseal® in a silver color.

Embedment Depths

The embedment depth of the Tapcon masonry anchor is critical both in the minimum and maximum embedment depth. The Tapcon masonry anchor must be installed into the base material a minimum of 1” and the maximum embedment is 1-3/4”. Below the 1” minimum embedment depth the tapcon masonry anchor will not achieve required holding values. Embedment depths of more than 1-3/4” will create installation problems, such as when the Tapcon masonry anchor becomes stuck, unable to be removed or inserted further. The harder and the more abrasive the base material, the further from the maximum embedment of 1-3/4” should be attempted.

Head Style

There are two different head styles that the Tapcon masonry anchors are manufactured in the hex washer slotted and the flat Phillips countersunk. Both diameters come in both different head styles and require different size tools for installation. The 3/16” hex head requires a 1/4” nut runner; the 1/4” requires a 5/16” one. The 3/16” Phillips flat head needs a #2-bit tip and the 1/4” needs a #3-bit tip. When measuring the lengths of the Tapcon masonry anchor, the hex head is measured from under the head and the flat heads are measured as an overall length including the head.

Info on Tapcon Masonry Anchors: Product Information

Hex

Flat Head

Tapcon Installation when not using the Installation Tool

1. Use a hammer drill in the hammer mode to drill the hole in the base material.
2. Drill hole with the 5/32” diameter bit for the 3/16” Tapcon and with a 3/16” carbide bit for the 1/4” Tapcon. Make sure that the carbide bit that is being used meets ANSI standards to ensure proper hole tolerance.
3. Drill hole a minimum of 1/2” deeper than the screw will penetrate the base material.
4. With a wire brush, vacuum or compressed air, clean the hole of all dust.
5. Insert point of Tapcon into the hole. Make sure that the Tapcon being installed will penetrate the base material a minimum of 1” but no deeper than 1-3/4”.
6. HEX TAPCON – Using a hex driver of 1/4” for the 3/16” diameter and a 5/16” for the 1/4” Tapcon, turn the Tapcon clockwise while applying slight pressure until the head of the Tapcon is snug against the material being fastened.
7. FLAT TAPCON –Using a #2-bit tip for the 3/16” Tapcon and a #3-bit tip for the 1/4” Tapcon, turn the Tapcon screw clockwise while applying slight pressure until the head of the fasteners is snug and completely countersunk into the material being fastened.

Tapcon Installation using the Installation Tool

The installation tool is made up of 4 of 5 parts: the drill adaptor, sleeve, bit tip or hex driver and hex key.

1. Insert and tighten drill adaptor into a hammer drill that has either a 3/8” or 1/2” Jacobs style chuck.
2. Place either a 5/32” bit for the 3/16” tapcon or a 3/16” bit for the 1/4” tapcon into the drill adaptor and tighten set screw with a hex key. Make sure that the bit being used is carbide tipped and meets ANSI standards to ensure the proper size hole and tolerance.
3. Make sure the hammer drill is in the hammer mode and drill the hole into the base material making sure that the hole is a minimum of 1/2” deeper into the base material than the Tapcon will penetrate.
4. Clean the hole of all debris and dust with a wire brush, compressed air or vacuum.
5. Take sleeve and insert the drill bit and push until the sleeve is connected to the drill adaptor.
6. Add the correct socket to the end of the sleeve for the tapcon being used.
7. The 3/16” hex tapcon uses a 1/4” socket and the 1/4” hex tapcon uses a 5/16” socket.
8. The flat head tapcon uses the bit tip socket. Insert the #2-bit tip for the 3/16” flat head tapcon and #3-bit head for the 1/4” flat head tapcon.
9. Place head of tapcon being used into the socket or bit tip at the end of the sleeve.
10. Switch the hammer drill from hammer mode to rotation only.
11. Insert tip of tapcon into the hole in the base material.
12. Pull the trigger on drill and slowly tap threads into the base material until the head of the tapcon is snug against the fixture being fastened.

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