ER-5878

Tapcon Purchase Tapcon Anchors

There is an ICC-ES Legacy report number ER-5878 providing information about the Powers Tapper concrete screw anchor, which is sold by Powers Fasteners, Inc. located in  New Rochelle, New York. The report, issued on January 1, 2004, is compiled by ICC Evaluation Service, Inc., which is a nonprofit organization. ICC Evaluation Service, Inc. evaluates products used in construction with regards to code compliance and is available free of charge.  

Powers Tapper Concrete Screw Anchor
The Powers Tapper concrete screw is designed to tap threads into solid base materials such as concrete, brick or block.  The Tapper screws come in three diameters of 3/16”, 1/4”, and 3/8” and in lengths ranging from 1-1/4” to 6”.  The length of Tapper used for any application is dependent upon the embedment depth and the thickness of the material being fastened.  The diameter of Tapper to use depends on the holding values required and the hole in the material being fastened.  The materials contained in each diameter screw are as follows:

  • 3/16” and 1/4”diameter is manufactured from a carbon steel complying with AISI 1022, case hardened and coated with a Perma-Seal coating.
  • 1/4” manufactured from a type 304 stainless steel
  • 3/8” made from carbon steel that complies with AISI 1022, case hardened and plated with zinc in accordance with ASTM B 633 Type lll.

Installation
Before the Tapper is installed, the concrete must have reached its minimum designated strength.  The Tapper concrete screws must be installed into a predrilled hole in concrete that has a minimum thickness of 1.5 times the embedment depth of the screw.  

  1. Using a hammer drill in the hammer and rotation mode, drill the correct diameter of hole in the concrete for the diameter of Tapper concrete screw being used.  
  2. Make sure that the depth of the hole in the base material is a minimum of 1/4” deeper than the Tapper concrete screw will be embedded in the base material.
  3. Using compressed air, clean the hole of all dust and debris.
  4. With a drill set in the rotation mode, drive the Tapper concrete screw to the embedment depth desired.

Tapper Anchor Spacing
The Tapper concrete screws must be placed a minimum of 16x the diameter from each other and from any unsupported edge with no adjustment factors.  For example, when using 1/4” Tapper concrete screws the minimum distance from each other or from an unsupported edge is 4”, i.e. 1/4” (.25”) x 16 = 4”.

Tapper Applications
The tapper concrete screws used in vibratory or shock loading applications are not covered in this report.

ICC –ES Findings
The tapper concrete screw sold by Powers Fasteners, Inc. comply with the 1997 Uniform Building Code, 2000 International Building Code and the 2000 International Residential Code subject to these conditions:  

  • Tapper concrete screws must be installed with the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • The allowable static loads are in report table 3.
  • Tapper concrete screws should not be used in fire resistive construction.
  • The zinc plated and Perma-seal coated Tappers should be used in dry interior applications; the 304 stainless steel can be use in exterior damp applications.
  • The report does not include the Tapper in such applications as seismic or wind resistant loading.
  • ICC-ES did not evaluate the Tapper concrete screw; therefore, information about shock and fatigue loading applications or cracked concrete applications are beyond the scope of the report.

We can supply the Tapper concrete screw manufactured by Powers Fasteners, Inc. and can supply the Tapcon brand concrete screw that has been evaluated by ICC-ES report number ESR-2202.


 

Please remember with all fastening jobs to keep safety in mind. Always follow safety instructions on all tools, and refer to manufacturer's installation instructions when available and always remember to wear safety goggles!

Article written by: Michael Pistorino, Concrete Fastener Specialist