A guide to drill bits – the right drill bit for any occasion

Instructions

You have to choose different drill bits and drilling methods depending on the material you want to work on. Here you will find out what each drill bit is suitable for.

Drilling in metal

HSS drill bits with a partially ground tip are suitable for non-ferrous metals. These include aluminium, copper, brass, zinc, iron and non-alloyed steel. Drill bits made of cobalt-alloyed High Speed Steel (HSS-E) or even drill bits with titanium coating are required for stainless steel. They are more expensive than normal HSS drill bits but they enable drilling in special steel without a high level of drill bit wear.

Drilling in wood

Brad point drill bits have a long centring tip with two pre-cutting spurs. These spurs score the wood fibres; the internal cutting edges then cut them out cleanly. Forstner drill bits, hardware drill bits or hinge cutting bits are usually used for larger drill bit diameters; there are auger bits for deep holes in wood.

Drilling in concrete

Masonry made of clinker, brick or concrete requires an impact drill or a rotary hammer to be used. However, if the wall consists of perforated stones with porous material, only rotary drilling is performed (i.e. without impact). The same applies to porous bricks and boarded walls. A masonry drill bit is required for all work in these materials. It has soldered-in tungsten-carbide plates on the drill bit tip.