A fastener cheat sheet so I stop guessing at the hardware store

For when you're standing in the screw aisle with a stripped one in your pocket, trying to look like you know the gauge.

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#6 x 1-1/4" drywall screw

hangs 1/2" drywall to wood studs. the one you'll buy the most of by far.

#8 x 1-5/8" drywall screw

for 5/8" drywall or ceilings, more bite into the stud.

Coarse-thread (W) vs fine-thread (S)

coarse for wood studs, fine for metal studs. mix them up and you strip the screw.

Plastic self-drilling wall anchor

hollow drywall, no stud behind it. maybe 20-25 lbs, don't push it.

Toggle bolt

anything heavier hung on drywall alone, a mirror or a shelf. can't remove it without a hole afterward though.

1-1/2" wood screw

3" deck/structural screw

for brackets, curtain rods, anything load-bearing that actually needs to hold into a stud.

Picture-hanging nail, 20lb rated

1/4" x 1-1/4" lag screw

heavy mounts like a TV bracket, directly into a stud, no anchor needed.

Phillips #2 bit

90% of what you'll drive. keep two around, they strip before the screws do.

Tapcon concrete/masonry screw

brick or concrete walls. needs a hammer drill and the matching bit, not the drill from the first list.

Zinc vs stainless

zinc is fine indoors. outside it rusts within a season, spend the extra dollar.

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