MOZCORN Truss Plates 2x4, 30 Pcs Pronged Truss Mending Plate with Staggered Nail Teeth, Steel Mounting Brackets for Roofing Wood Connector, 20 Ga Thickness

Why I reached for these truss plates

I keep a small stack of truss plates in the shop for speed, alignment, and a little peace of mind on light framing projects. The MOZCORN truss plates I tested are a 2x4-sized, 20‑gauge, hot‑dip galvanized option with staggered nail teeth and come in a 30‑pack. I put them to work on a few common tasks: assembling shed rafters, stiffening a wall frame for a small outbuilding, and mending cracked 2x4s in a utility cart. Along the way, I paid close attention to press-in behavior, tooth bite, plate stiffness, corrosion protection, and real-world fit.

Build and finish

The plates arrive cleanly stamped with sharp, staggered teeth and an even hot‑dip galvanizing. The stagger pattern is not just cosmetic—it helps spread the bite across the fibers and reduces the tendency to split grain on softer stock. Edges are smooth enough to handle with gloves, and the teeth are adequately sharp out of the box. Thickness is 20‑gauge steel, which is appropriate for light framing connections and repairs. It’s not a heavy structural gauge, but it’s also not flimsy sheet metal; under a proper press, it resists distortion and seats uniformly.

The galvanizing is on the thicker side of what I expect at this price, giving me confidence for outdoor or semi‑exposed use like sheds or chicken coops. After a couple of weeks outside in spring weather, I didn’t see flash rust—about what I’d expect from HDG hardware.

Installation experience

These plates are designed to be pressed into wood members using hydraulic or roller equipment. In a plant setting, that’s exactly how they should be installed. In a home shop or jobsite, few of us have a roller press, so the technique matters.

What worked best for me:
- Dry-fit your joint and clamp it tight so the mating surfaces are fully flush.
- Optionally add a thin bead of carpenter’s glue for extra stiffness on non-structural work.
- Align the plate and “tack” it with a deep C‑clamp or parallel clamp so the teeth just start to bite on both sides.
- Use a thick, flat wood caul over the plate and press with a large bench vise or a shop press. If you must use a hammer, a dead‑blow through a caul helps seat teeth more evenly and avoids dimpling the plate.
- Flip and repeat on the opposite side.

When I tried to drive the plates directly with a hammer, one corner would tend to lift as the opposite side seated. With clamps or a press, the teeth engaged uniformly and stayed true. On kiln‑dried SPF 2x4s, I measured tooth penetration at roughly 5/16 inch—enough to lock in securely without crushing fibers. In denser species (like fir with tight grain), I needed more clamp pressure and saw slightly shallower bite; in very soft or wet stock, penetration is easier, but it’s also easier to overdrive and dimple the plate if you’re using a hammer instead of a press.

The takeaway: if you treat these like factory plates and provide even pressure, they go in cleanly and hold well. If you attack them with a framing hammer on a wobbly sawhorse, expect frustration and uneven embedment.

Holding performance and use cases

Once properly seated on both faces of a joint, the plates provide a broad, distributed connection that’s far more reliable than a few toe‑nailed screws. On my shed rafters, they kept the joints aligned during assembly and added noticeable rigidity to the pair of chords. On a cracked 2x4 stud in a utility frame, back‑to‑back plates on both faces stopped the crack from propagating under moderate load.

That said, a few important caveats:
- These are not load‑rated or stamped for engineered truss manufacture and, in my hands, they’re best reserved for non‑permitted structures or light-duty reinforcement: sheds, coop walls, crate building, jigs, staging, and non‑critical repairs.
- For roof trusses in a code‑inspected building, I would defer to engineered, rated connectors and factory pressing. That’s not a knock on this product; it’s just the right way to handle structural, life-safety elements.

Within their lane, the MOZCORN plates are effective. The 20‑gauge thickness balances bite and bend resistance; under a shop press, the plates did not distort, and the teeth stayed seated. With hammer‑only installs, I saw occasional plate bowing at the edges where blows were concentrated. That’s user technique more than a material flaw, but it’s worth noting if you plan to field-install without clamps.

Fit, sizing, and coverage

These are sized for 2x4 members and offer adequate footprint to bridge common joints in small framing. For larger 2x6 members or wide scarf joints, coverage is more limited; I used two plates per face when I wanted a bigger bearing area. The tooth pattern reaches close enough to the edges to resist peeling, but like any pronged plate, you’ll get the best results when the plate is centered and fully supported by solid wood, not knots or voids.

A note on stacking: Two plates on opposite faces make a much stronger connection than a single plate, and for mending, I found that one plate per face is the minimum I’m comfortable with.

Durability and corrosion resistance

Hot‑dip galvanizing is the right spec for outdoor projects. I drove a few plates into pressure-treated lumber and didn’t see premature reaction or flaking. For coastal or highly corrosive environments, stainless would be ideal—but that’s not common for pronged plates, and the cost would be prohibitive. For typical backyard structures, this finish is appropriate.

Value

In a 30‑pack, the per-plate cost is competitive, and I appreciate not having to count on the box store’s spotty inventory. If you only need one or two plates for a quick repair, buying locally may still make sense. But for assembling a run of rafters or reinforcing a small outbuilding, a bulk pack like this is the more economical route.

Safety and best practices

• Always install plates on both faces of the joint for balanced load.
• Use clamps, a vise, or a press to seat teeth evenly. A wood caul prevents dimples and protects the galvanizing.
• Wear gloves; the teeth are sharp.
• Avoid relying on these for engineered structural trusses unless you have load data and an inspector’s blessing.
• On wet or very soft lumber, be gentle; it’s easy to overdrive and crush fibers.

What I liked

• Staggered, sharp teeth that bite cleanly with even pressure
• 20‑gauge thickness that stays flat under a press
• Reliable HDG finish for outdoor use
• Consistent stamping and tooth geometry across the pack
• Handy 30‑pack for small builds and repairs

What could be better

• Hammer-only installation tends to lift corners and can distort the plate
• No published load ratings, so not suitable for permitted structural trusses
• Footprint is modest for larger members; you may need multiple plates per face for broad joints

The bottom line

The MOZCORN truss plates do exactly what I want for light framing: they align joints fast, distribute load better than toe‑nailing, and resist the elements well enough for outdoor projects. They shine when installed with even pressure—clamps, a shop press, or at least a good caul and dead‑blow—and they can be frustrating if you try to brute-force them with a hammer. In my projects, they’ve held up on shed rafters, coop walls, and mending tasks without drama.

Recommendation: I recommend these for DIYers and pros who need an affordable, consistent truss plate for small structures, jigs, and non‑critical repairs, and who can install them with proper clamping or pressing. I wouldn’t use them for engineered or permitted structural trusses due to the lack of load ratings, but within their intended light-duty territory, they’re a solid, cost-effective choice.