#Masonry drill bit sizes chart how to
#Masonry drill bit sizes chart pdf
#Masonry drill bit sizes chart plus

#Masonry drill bit sizes chart plus

A 6mm bolt will flex and bend down allowing the bracket to sag, plus you’ll not be able to tighten the bolts up onto just plasterboard. Ian clearance holes gauge pilot holes screws wall plugs Incidentally if you want to help support this site, grab your… screws etc. Feel free to send this to anyone you know who needs their ‘screws explained’ lol! And don’t forget to let me know how you get on. Hope that helps you sort out your screw dilemmas. Blue wall plugs are another example, they can be either 8mm or 10mm, go figure! If in doubt always measure the plug at the thicker end to make sure it’s right for the size hole you have drilled. Parting note about wall plugs: Be aware that not everyone follows the colour ‘rules’, one leading brands plugs are all grey for example, and others are, well they can be any colour under the sun (as the above photo of my box shows).

#Masonry drill bit sizes chart how to

How deep does a wall plug need to be? I talked about this a lot on another post, here’s the link: How to Properly Use Wall Plugs For example an 8-gauge screw has an 8mm wide head….handy huh? The metric screw equivalent size is approximate, but since we’re heading that way, we need to learn and get used to them!īy coincidence, the size of an imperial screw head also roughly equates to the gauge. Metric screws are simply measured and the thickness is given in millimeters. Incidentally, gauge relates to the thickness of a screw’s shank or body and only relates to imperial sized screws. In masonry you always have the option to re-drill the hole one size bigger (drilling through the existing wall plug) and use a bigger plug, red up to brown for example. Then you’ll need to consider whether to use a smaller gauge screw or drill a larger pilot hole if it’s in wood. Screws should be tight, but not crazy, “sweating to get them in” tight! Simply hit reverse and take it out. In fact, if any screw starts to get very tight, it’s best to stop and have a rethink before you break the screw or burst the material. If the screw starts to get too tight, then it’s advisable to back out and re-drill a larger pilot hole rather than risk breaking a screw (you’ll be having a very bad day if you snap a screw….). Hardwoods may well need a slightly larger pilot hole.

The pilot hole recommendations in the chart are typical for softwoods. If you’re not sure what all these holes do here’s a brief explanation….

#Masonry drill bit sizes chart pdf

(click to download and print the screws explained table as a PDF to keep for reference) Pilot holes and clearance holes in more detail… (you can download a free PDF of this table at the bottom) Gauge

Which size plastic wall plug to use with each screw size or gauge.

What size clearance hole to drill through the timber being fixed.

What size pilot hole to drill in timber substrates for the best screw grip.

I’ve explained this screw data in an easy to understand table because I find manufacturers recommendations are often vague and general, I mean why not be specific? I understand there’s a ‘range’ but why not give us the ‘ideal’ measurement, because mostly we have a choice?