Which drill bit should I use for masonry?
Which drill bit should I use for masonry?
A carbide-tipped masonry bit in hammer mode for brick and block; step up to an SDS rotary hammer above about 10 mm.
A masonry bit does not cut; it crushes. Hammer action drives the carbide tip into the material thousands of times a minute, breaking it up, while rotation clears the dust — which is why pressure and hammer matter far more than speed and why the bit blunts rather than tears. Soft brick and lightweight block often need no hammer at all, and a hammer drill will simply blow the hole oversized or shatter a facing brick, so start in rotary and add percussion only if progress stops. Withdrawing the bit periodically clears the dust that otherwise packs the flutes and stops the tip reaching fresh material. The dust from brick, block and mortar contains crystalline silica: use extraction or a mask.
The options, ranked
| Option | Good at | Bad at |
|---|---|---|
| Carbide-tipped masonry bit | Cheap, fits any chuck, and combined with hammer mode it handles brick, block and mortar. | Slow in dense concrete, and the tip can be brazed on badly enough to come off in the hole. |
| SDS-plus bit and rotary hammer | The hammer acts directly on the bit rather than the chuck, so it drills several times faster with far less effort. | Needs an SDS drill; the bits do not fit a normal chuck. |
| Multi-material bit | Ground to cut brick, tile, timber and thin metal without changing bits. | A compromise at everything, and blunts fast in hard aggregate. |
| Diamond core | For large diameters — a vent or a pipe run — cleanly and without hammer. | Expensive, and wants water and a decent machine. |
Technique that changes the outcome
- Start in rotary mode to establish the hole, then switch to hammer if needed
- Withdraw regularly to clear dust from the flutes
- Fix into brick rather than mortar joints where the fixing carries load
- Use a dust extraction shroud or an on-tool vacuum indoors
- Blow or vacuum the hole out before inserting a plug or anchor
What goes wrong
- Hammer mode in soft or perforated brick, which blows out the face
- Drilling blind into a wall without checking for cables and pipes
- Breathing the dust — silica exposure from masonry work is cumulative and serious
Compiled practical guidance rather than a published standard. Product formulations vary by brand and market, so read the label — and where the work is structural, electrical or gas, the regulations that apply where you are govern rather than anything here.
Other drill bit questions
| For | Use |
|---|---|
| Tile | A spear-point carbide or diamond bit in rotary mode only — hammer action shatters tile, every time. |
| Metal | An HSS twist drill, ideally with a 135° split point, run slowly with firm pressure and cutting fluid. |
| Concrete | An SDS-plus carbide bit in a rotary hammer — a normal hammer drill will get there eventually and blunt several bits doing it. |
| Porcelain tile | A diamond core bit, cooled with water, at low speed — carbide spear points do not cut porcelain. |
| Stainless steel | A cobalt bit at low speed with heavy constant pressure and cutting fluid — and never let it stop cutting. |
| Wood | A brad point bit for clean holes up to about 13 mm; an auger for depth and a Forstner for a flat bottom. |
| Plasterboard (drywall) | Almost none — an ordinary HSS or brad point bit in rotary mode, and the real question is which fixing goes in the hole. |
| Glass | A spear-point carbide or a diamond bit, run slowly under water — and toughened glass cannot be drilled at all. |
| Plastic | An HSS bit ground to a shallower rake, or a plastic-specific bit, at low speed with a backing board — acrylic especially will crack. |
| Hardened steel | Solid carbide in a rigid setup, or soften the spot first — HSS and cobalt cannot cut anything much above 50 HRC. |
| Aluminium | A sharp HSS bit at high speed with a wax or paraffin lubricant — the problem is aluminium sticking to the bit, not hardness. |
| Large holes in wood | Spade for speed and roughness, auger for depth, Forstner for a clean flat bottom, hole saw for big diameters in thin stock. |
Common questions
- Which drill bit should I use for masonry?
- A carbide-tipped masonry bit in hammer mode for brick and block; step up to an SDS rotary hammer above about 10 mm.
- What should I avoid?
- Hammer mode in soft or perforated brick, which blows out the face Drilling blind into a wall without checking for cables and pipes Breathing the dust — silica exposure from masonry work is cumulative and serious
Related pages
- Which drill bit should I use for tile? A spear-point carbide or diamond bit in rotary mode only — hammer action shatters tile, every time.
- Which drill bit should I use for metal? An HSS twist drill, ideally with a 135° split point, run slowly with firm pressure and cutting fluid.
- Which drill bit should I use for concrete? An SDS-plus carbide bit in a rotary hammer — a normal hammer drill will get there eventually and blunt several bits doing it.
- Which drill bit should I use for porcelain tile? A diamond core bit, cooled with water, at low speed — carbide spear points do not cut porcelain.
- Which drill bit should I use for stainless steel? A cobalt bit at low speed with heavy constant pressure and cutting fluid — and never let it stop cutting.
- Which drill bit should I use for wood? A brad point bit for clean holes up to about 13 mm; an auger for depth and a Forstner for a flat bottom.
- Which drill bit should I use for plasterboard? Almost none — an ordinary HSS or brad point bit in rotary mode, and the real question is which fixing goes in the hole.
- Which drill bit should I use for glass? A spear-point carbide or a diamond bit, run slowly under water — and toughened glass cannot be drilled at all.
- Which drill bit should I use for plastic? An HSS bit ground to a shallower rake, or a plastic-specific bit, at low speed with a backing board — acrylic especially will crack.
- Which drill bit will go through hardened steel? Solid carbide in a rigid setup, or soften the spot first — HSS and cobalt cannot cut anything much above 50 HRC.
- Which screw should I use in masonry? Screw
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place