---
title: "How do I drive brass screws without snapping them?"
description: "Cut the thread with a steel screw of the same size first, wax the brass one, and use a driver that fits the slot exactly. The ranked options, the technique that chan"
url: https://atoneplace.net/which/screw-brass-hardware/
site: "At One Place"
---

# How do I drive brass screws without snapping them?

**How do I drive brass screws without snapping them?: Cut the thread with a steel screw of the same size first, wax the brass one, and use a driver that fits the slot exactly.**

Brass is soft — roughly a third of the tensile strength of a steel screw — and a slotted head concentrates load on two thin walls, so the failure mode is either a snapped shank left in the timber or a chewed slot that cannot be removed. Both are avoided by removing the work the brass screw has to do: pilot properly, then run a steel screw of identical size all the way in and back out, so the brass one simply follows a formed thread. Waxing the thread reduces friction further. Brass is used on hardware because it will not rust and because it looks right; where the fixing carries real load, silicon bronze or a steel screw with a brass cap is the sensible substitute.

## The options, ranked

*Ranked best-first for the stated job. The third column is why the others exist.*

| Option | Good at | Bad at |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Steel screw first, brass second | The steel screw cuts a full thread so the brass one only has to follow it — the standard trick, and it works. | Doubles the driving, and you must use the same size. |
| Wax or soap on the thread | Cuts the driving torque markedly, which is where the failure comes from. | Soap contains water and can encourage corrosion; wax is safer. |
| Correctly ground driver | A hollow-ground cabinetmaker's driver fills the slot completely and does not chew the head. | Needs a driver per screw size, which is why sets exist. |
| Silicon bronze screws | Look similar, are far stronger than brass, and do not corrode. | Harder to find and more expensive. |

## Technique that changes the outcome

1. Drill the pilot and clearance holes properly first
2. Drive a steel screw of the same gauge fully home, then remove it
3. Rub the brass screw on a candle or beeswax block
4. Use a hand driver that fills the slot; a power driver cams out and destroys the head
5. Align the slots consistently — traditional practice is horizontal or with the grain

## What goes wrong

- Driving brass screws straight into hardwood
- A power driver on a slotted brass screw
- An undersized driver tip, which rounds the slot and traps the screw

> 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 screw questions

| For | Use |
| --- | --- |
| Wood | A pilot hole matching the screw's core diameter in the lower piece and a clearance hole in the upper one — that is what makes a joint tight. |
| Decking | Stainless steel — 304 inland, 316 near the coast — or a screw specifically rated for modern treated timber, which eats ordinary zinc plating. |
| Masonry | A concrete screw into a precisely sized hole, or a plug and screw — and hollow block needs a different anchor entirely. |
| Plasterboard | Coarse-thread bugle-head drywall screws into timber studs, fine-thread into metal studs — and never use them for anything structural. |
| MDF | A straight-shank MDF screw with a parallel thread, always into a pilot hole — the edge splits without one. |
| Sheet metal | A self-drilling (Tek) screw with a drill point matched to the material thickness, or a self-tapping screw into a correctly sized pilot hole. |
| Chipboard | A twin-thread chipboard screw with an unthreaded shank under the head, so it pulls the joint together instead of bursting the board. |
| Plastic | A thread-forming screw designed for plastic, or a heat-set threaded insert where the joint will be undone more than once. |
| Roofing sheets | A hex-head screw with a bonded EPDM washer, driven until the washer just spreads — no further. |

## Common questions

### How do I drive brass screws without snapping them?

Cut the thread with a steel screw of the same size first, wax the brass one, and use a driver that fits the slot exactly.

### What should I avoid?

Driving brass screws straight into hardwood A power driver on a slotted brass screw An undersized driver tip, which rounds the slot and traps the screw

## Related pages

- [Which screw and pilot hole should I use for wood?](https://atoneplace.net/which/screw-wood/)
- [Which screw should I use for decking?](https://atoneplace.net/which/screw-decking/)
- [Which screw should I use in masonry?](https://atoneplace.net/which/screw-masonry/)
- [Which screw should I use for plasterboard?](https://atoneplace.net/which/screw-plasterboard/)
- [Which screw should I use in MDF?](https://atoneplace.net/which/screw-mdf/)
- [Which screw should I use for sheet metal?](https://atoneplace.net/which/screw-sheet-metal/)
- [Which screw should I use in chipboard?](https://atoneplace.net/which/screw-chipboard/)
- [Which screw should I use in plastic?](https://atoneplace.net/which/screw-plastic/)
- [Which screw should I use for roofing sheets?](https://atoneplace.net/which/screw-roofing/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)