2022 test11 productsFasteners & Hardware
Which Deck Screws Brand Wins?
We compared 11 deck screws options head to head. Grip Rite came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Grip Rite
Price shown in test: $11 for 53 screws or 21 cents each
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Runner-up
GRK and Spax
Price shown in test: $15 for 59 screws or 25 cents each
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Drive Torque | Coating After Pressure Treated 4x 4 | Coating After Oak | Impact Driver Speed | Shear Load | Holding Strength Pull Out | Drill Press Start Force | Corrosion After Acid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Grip Rite$11 for 53 screws or 21 cents each | average 17 inch pounds (14, 18, 19), most of all brands at that point | held up the best yet, looks nearly as good as new, rated 1 (best) alongside Spax | held up really well, small amount of metal exposure on outer edges, rated 1.5 alongside GRK | average 1.07 seconds, fourth fastest | 2,026 lb, came out on top of the shear load test | average 698 lb (724, 704, 666), came out on top | not among the top performers, most brands including this one needed about 6 lb of downward force to start | coating held up the best yet, no visible corrosion |
| 2GRK$14 for 50 screws or 28 cents each | average 13.7 inch pounds (11, 16, 14) | held up better than average, small amount of metal exposure, rated 2 alongside PowerPro | held up much better than most other brands, rated 1.5 alongside Grip Rite | average 1.04 seconds, tied with Velocity | 1,706 lb | average 689 lb (692, 662, 714), third place | 4.4 lb, tied with Eagle Claw for least force needed, best of all brands | coating experienced quite a bit of damage but no visible rust |
| 3Spax$15 for 59 screws or 25 cents each | average 18 inch pounds (20, 20, 14), most of all brands at that point | really good condition, no visible chipping, rated 1 alongside Grip Rite | performed the best of all brands with very little metal exposure | average 1.09 seconds | 1,660 lb | average 693 lb (684, 698, 696), second place behind Grip Rite | 5.2 lb, one of the best performers | metallic coating makes assessment hard, but appears to be in great shape |
| 4Deckmate$8 for a pound or 14 cents per screw | average 15 inch pounds (14, 15, 16) | quite a bit of damage, exposed metal on threads and shaft | quite a bit of damage with bare metal exposure | average 1.46 seconds | 1,904 lb | average 631 lb (606, 628, 660) | could not start the screw after 10 seconds even with about 4.5 to 4.85 lb of downward force, eventually started at very close to 6 lb | coating destroyed by the acid but no visible rust |
| 5WoodPro$11 per pound or 14 cents per screw | average 13 inch pounds, very consistent across all three screws | held up better than Deckmate but with metal showing in several areas | a lot of damage but held up slightly better than Deckmate | average 0.88 seconds, second fastest, 40 percent faster than Deckmate | 2,549 lb total, about 1,250 lb less than Deckmate | average 615 lb (648, 614, 584) | not among the top performers, most brands needed about 6 lb | no visible rust, looks about the same as Deckmate |
| 6Deck Drive$10 per pound or 17 cents per screw | average 15.7 inch pounds (16, 15, 16) | in the best condition yet before driving, no visible chipping, but showed metal exposure to the threads after being driven, performing about the same as WoodPro | a lot of wear and tear | average 0.7 seconds, the fastest of all brands | 2,816 lb total, better than WoodPro but not as good as Deckmate | average 585 lb (610, 596, 548), third place at that point in the test | not among the top performers | acid ate away the coating but no rust |
| 7FastenMaster Guard Dog$15 for 75 screws or 20 cents each | average 16.7 inch pounds (16, 16, 18), most of all brands at that point | some chips noted, held up about the same as Deck Drive | held up fairly well | average 1.97 seconds, nearly three times as long as Deck Drive | 3,099 lb total, moved into second place behind Deckmate at that point in the test | average 660 lb (678, 624, 678), moved into the lead at that point in the test, finished fifth in the final ranking | not among the top performers | coating scrapes off easily but no visible rust |
| 8PowerPro$12 for 59 screws or 20 cents each | average 14.7 inch pounds (14, 14, 16) | very good condition, no visible chipping, held up the best yet with very little metal exposure, rated 2 alongside GRK | held up the best yet with very little metal exposure | average 1 second, third fastest | 2,985 lb | average 649 lb (660, 664, 622), second place at that point in the test | not among the top performers | acid removed most of the coating but no visible rust |
| 9Deck Plus$12 for 55 screws or 22 cents each | average 16.7 inch pounds (16, 20, 14) | really good condition before driving, no visible chipping, but quite a bit of metal showing on the threads after driving | oak completely shredded the coating with lots of metal exposure | average 1.53 seconds, slower than average | 1,952 lb, second place behind Grip Rite | average 654 lb (634, 664, 664), second place at that point in the test | not among the top performers | part of the coating removed by drilling into oak but no visible corrosion |
| 10Velocity$11 for 40 screws or 28 cents each | average 12 inch pounds (12, 13, 11), the least of all brands, won this category | some chips noted, did not hold up quite as well as some other brands | a lot of damage with lots of metal exposure | average 1.04 seconds, tied with GRK | 3,271 lb total, fifth position behind Spax at that point in the test, did not make the final top five | average 524 lb (452, 524, 596), gave up a lot faster than the competition, weakest performer | not among the top performers | experienced quite a bit of corrosion compared to the other brands, worst performer on this test |
| 11Eagle Claw$31 for 100 screws or 31 cents each | average 17.3 inch pounds (16, 19, 17) | no coating to damage, bare stainless steel | no coating to damage, bare stainless steel | average 1.23 seconds | 2,702 lb total, less shear strength than some of the other screws, did not make the final top five | average 674 lb (678, 652, 692), fourth place in the final ranking | 4.4 lb, tied with GRK for least force needed, best of all brands | acid and salt caused some corrosion on the first screw tested, but a second screw tested with only the rusting agent experienced very little corrosion |
How it was tested
- torque required to drive the screw
- coating condition after driving into a pressure treated 4x4
- coating condition after driving through 1 inch oak into a 4x4
- impact driver install speed
- shear load using an AR500 metal shear tester
- holding strength pulling the screw out of a 2x4
- downward force needed on a drill press to start the screw
- corrosion after 1 hour in sulfuric acid plus hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and salt rusting agent
“I like the Grip Rite. It came out on top with an average finish of 2.4, but I also like the GRK and Spax.”