Best Deck Screws for Pressure Treated Wood

Unless you’re a professional contractor or simply an expert when it comes to selecting the proper building materials for any project, you might be unaware of the differences between certain kinds of screws.

The biggest difference is in the materials used to construct these screws.

Traditional steel screws, nails, and bolts can be easily and quickly corroded by the copper-based preservatives found in pressure-treated lumber.

The result of this corrosion? Early architectural failure!

That’s why, in this guide, we’re going to present you with the best deck screws for pressure-treated wood, so you won’t have to worry about anything remotely like this kind of failure!

We’ve hand-picked some of the best options for corrosion-resistant screws so you can avoid the aforementioned architectural failures and other potential damage from using standard steel screws.

Of course, standard screws are still perfectly suitable for most building projects. But when it comes to withstanding the harsher elements outside, you’ll want to consider using corrosion resistant screws and hardware.

If you take the information in this article seriously and do your due-diligence when shopping for your building materials — there will, of course, be certain things you’ll have to research on your own — we’re sure you’ll be pleased with the final results and will have sturdy, long-lasting structures for years to come.

What is the Best Deck Screw for Pressure Treated Wood April, 2024?

1. Eagle Claw Tools and Fasteners T10x21/2350 – Best Stainless Steel Screws

First, we highly recommend these Stainless Steel Deck Screws from Eagle Claw.

Their corrosion-resistant stainless steel construction makes them perfect for any outdoor building use, including decks and other pressurized-wood structures.

Eagle Claw Tools and Fasteners T10x21/2350 are especially great for you if you live in a coastal or otherwise wet climate.

This is because their corrosion resistant properties will prevent them from leaving unsightly marks and stains on your wood, caused by the moist environment.

These are especially great — and probably the right pick for you — if you plan on working with cedar or redwood. Unlike galvanized zinc screws, these stainless steel screws will work very well with these kinds of lumber.

2. Hillman Group 47694 – Best Galvanized Deck Screw

If galvanized screws are more of what you’re looking for, you’ll definitely want to take a look at the Hillman Group 47694.

These are excellent, corrosion-resistant screws for nearly any purpose.

That said, these screws are in no way suitable for use with cedar or redwood lumber.

If you attempt to use them for this purpose, you may quickly find that this can result in complete screw failure, leading to a dangerous and costly fallout.

It’s really the consistency of these screws that make them a great choice for most building projects. We found that each screw in each pack was expertly crafted with no “duds.”

That is, you can rest assured that every screw is going to be usable and reliable for your building project.

This comes down to quality control with the manufacturers, who clearly take pride in designing and manufacturing top quality products with little to no variance in quality.

If there is a downside to using these screws — beyond their limitations for types of wood — it is their cost. Compared to some other options, these are a bit more expensive.

But, of course, you get what you pay for, and these are a great higher-end option for galvanized screws.

That said, you can often find galvanized zinc screws in economical “bulk” packages. So, while they might, in some instances, run at a higher price tag, you can sometimes find larger packages at a certain price discount.

Stainless steel screws, on the other hand, rarely come in these economy size packages. So, in the long run, it’s kind of a wash. It just depends on what you have available to you.

3. Hillman Group 47362 – Best Value

If getting the best bang for your buck is your primary concern, these Hillman Group 47362 are probably your best choice.

Besides being great corrosion-resistant screws generally, these are also a great value for the money.

They may not be as “high-end” as some of the other options we’ve outlined, but they do an excellent job at a fair price.

While these screws are a great option for most building projects, there might be a few drawbacks, depending on what it is you plan to build with them.

If you are constructing something very large with very heavy lumber, you might want to take a look at the relatively stronger stainless steel options available.

You’ll get all the screws you need in an economical package. This is something that you won’t find as often if you purchase stainless steel screws.

Overview of Corrosion-Resistant Screws

In 2004, a new generation of pressure-treated woods hit the market. While these are high-quality woods, the downside is that they can cause early corrosion with most standard screws and other steel hardware.

This is because the woods are treated with copper that can lead to corrosion. But, as we’ve explained, there are plenty of options for remedying this situation.

Multiple-coated screws offer many benefits for getting around this problem. For one thing, you can find these multiple-coated screws in a variety of colors, which will allow you to match the wood tone of the pressure-treated lumber you are using.

Further, the extra coating on these screws are a great bulwark against rusting. This means the coatings will provide corrosion resistance for outdoor building projects using lumber like cedar or redwood. The coatings a great way to prevent discoloration.

Of course, no matter what kind of finish a screw is coated with, it can still be susceptible to loosing that finish when driving the screw. This is really more of an issue for budget screws than it is for higher-end building materials.

As we said earlier, you often get what you pay for when it comes to quality building materials.

Picking Screws

While there are actually several options available to you when it comes to working with pressure-treated lumber, the best corrosion resistant screws come in the two following categories: stainless steel and galvanized zinc.

These screws are more suited to withstand the effects of moist air and other kinds of wet, coastal environments, as well as when working with pressure-treated lumber in any climate.

The standard steel screws, for instance, are prone to leave marks and stains on your wood finish as they begin to succumb to environmental circumstances. Long-term exposure to these kinds of elements can even lead to catastrophic failures and structural damage.

That’s why it is so crucial to determine the kinds of lumber you are using for your projects and adjust the types of hardware you use to be sure you are using the appropriate materials.

The last thing you want is for your hard work to be in vain when you realize you should have used a different kind of screw.

Stainless Steel Screws

While stainless steel — or “rustless” steel — has been around for over one hundred years, there have been several improvements on the technology, especially when it comes to building materials.

We don’t expect you to be able to distinguish between them at this point, but it might be something to look into if you’re wanting to get more serious about your building materials.

That is, if you’re interested in the various types of materials available and which are the best suited to any given purpose, you might want to take the time to do some research into the elements that go into their production.

Hot-Dipped Galvanized Zinc Screws

Hot-dipped galvanized zinc screws are created through the following process. First, an interior form of plain black steel — which, while very strong, is more prone to corrosion — is dipped into molten zinc, forming an exterior of galvanized zinc.

This galvanized zinc coating increases the screws’ tensile strength, its durability and its ability to withstand moisture and other corroding elements. Thus, the zinc coating prevents rusting and other forms of corrosion.

Zinc vs. Stainless Steel – Which is Stronger?

That said, the corrosion-resistant nature of zinc makes it a better option if using pressure-treated wood or using it for a building project in moister climates.

While stainless steel screws might be better suited to building projects with much heavier materials that require stronger tensile support.

Rust Resistance – Zinc vs Stainless Steel

The truth is, there’s no such thing as rustproof stainless steel or rustproof galvanized zinc screws. That said, the benefit to stainless steel is that, even if it does corrode somewhat, it will just corrode down to more strong, durable stainless steel.

Galvanized zinc fasteners, on the other hand, have a steel interior, but a zinc exterior. This means that once the zinc has corroded, you’re back down to raw black steel, which is less resistant to corrosion and and more prone to failure.

Big surprise, no? That is, you tend to get what you pay for when it comes to these types of building materials.

Higher quality materials that are more resistant to corrosion and are more durable tend to fetch the kinds of prices you’d expect comes with that level of quality.

Zinc vs. Stainless Steel – Which is More Affordable?

With all of this information in mind now, let’s look at the bottom line: which option is more economical for you? Well, unfortunately, this is more up to your own discretion.

While the price of each doesn’t vary too considerably, you’ll want to take into account the quantities that each type of screws comes in.

That said, in some instances, you’ll find that galvanized zinc screws can be less expensive. In fact, in some cases, you can find stainless steel screws for almost two times the price of galvanized zinc.

So, while the price difference usually isn’t that dramatic, if your budget and bottom line are the most important aspects to your search for corrosion-resistant screws, you’re probably going to be better off going with the galvanized zinc option.