A piercing nut element having a strength in the range between 700 and 900 MPa which is designed to be pressed into the sheet metal part. The nut element is characterized in that the self-piercing attachment of the nut element into a sheet metal part of higher strength, or into a sheet metal part with a thickness greater than 3.5 mm, the nut element is designed in such a way that the piercing section has a peripheral extending groove below the sheet metal contact surface and in that the piercing section has a piercing edge at its free end face with the piercing edge being spaced from the boundary of the groove adjacent to the piercing section by a peripheral surface having an axial height which corresponds to at least 30% and preferably to at least 50% of the sheet metal thickness, wherein the radial wall thickness of the piercing section in the region of its free end face from the outer side of the piercing section up to the nominal diameter of the thread corresponds to a thickness between 1.2 to 1.8 and preferably 1.5 times the intended sheet metal thickness.