STAINLESS STEEL HEXAGON HEAD BI-METAL COMPOSITE PANEL TEK 5 SCREWS WITH 16MM SEALING WASHER

Hexagon Head Bi-Metal Composite Panel Tek 5 Screws with 16mm Sealing Washer — Where a composite panel's supporting steel structure is a heavier purlin or rail section than a Tek 3 point is rated to handle, this Tek 5 version steps up drilling capacity while keeping the same panel-specific sizing principle: length matched to pass cleanly through the panel's outer facing, insulation core, and inner facing without crushing the core, so the point reaches solid steel with the panel still properly clamped. It's the specification most often used on larger-span industrial or cold-storage buildings, where the structural steelwork tends to be heavier than on smaller composite-panel buildings. The 16mm sealing washer is larger than the standard washer fitted to the Tek 3 composite panel screw, which matters for two reasons: it spreads clamping load across a wider area of the panel's outer facing without deforming or dishing it, and it maintains a reliable weathertight seal at a fixing point that's often taking a higher clamping load than a lighter Tek 3 connection. Bi-metal construction is what makes this combination workable: the stainless body and thread resist corrosion across the panel's external life, while a longer hardened carbon-steel point with a longer flute clears swarf from thicker structural steel as it self-drills, avoiding the stalling or overheating a shorter Tek 3 point would suffer against the same steel gauge. Choosing between this and the Tek 3 composite panel screw comes down entirely to the supporting steel section, not the panel itself - the panel construction and the need to clear the core without crushing it apply equally to both, so point rating should be selected against the structural steel behind the panel, matched to the same general Tek 2, 3, and 5 logic used across the range: lighter gauges take a lower-rated point, heavier sections need Tek 5's greater capacity and longer flute.

FAQs
How does this differ from the Composite Panel Tek 3 version?
Both are sized for the same composite panel build-up, but the Tek 5 point handles thicker structural steel sections and uses a larger 16mm washer rather than the standard washer fitted to the Tek 3 version.

Does the larger washer change the fixing spacing needed along a panel joint?
Fixing spacing is set by the panel manufacturer's guidance or the project specification based on wind loading, rather than by washer size directly, though the washer's larger bearing area does help spread clamping load at each fixing point.

Can this be mixed with Composite Panel Tek 3 screws on the same building?
Yes - point rating should be matched to the structural steel gauge behind each specific fixing, so it's common for a building to use both, depending on whether the supporting steel varies in section across the structure.