Glenda Taylor is a BobVila.com staff writer with a background in the residential remodeling, home building, and home improvement industries. She started writing for BobVila.com in 2016 and covers a range of topics, including construction methods, code compliance, tool use, and the latest news in the housing and real estate industries.

This is the second set of Bosch drill bits to make our lineup, and we found these bits highly efficient. Their four-flute design excelled at ejecting dust and debris as we drilled, which made the drilling process smooth and quick. Their pointed tips kept the bits centered as we started the holes. We were able to drill clean holes in concrete, brick, and even dense stone without problems.

For a start, drill bits are made from a number of different materials. And then the shape of the cutting face can be radically different depending on the material it’s designed to drill through. When you factor in price, the range of sizes available within a set, and the brand, the choice can be bewildering.

With carbide tips and a fluted design that bores through masonry, these Bosch Bulldog drill bits are some of the best on the market. Their four-flute design brought concrete dust up and out of the holes as we drilled, making the process smooth and quick.

Repeated drilling through dense concrete and stone puts drill bits to the test, often wearing them down quickly. While these drill bits from Makita are more expensive than some masonry drill bit sets, in our tests, their thick tungsten carbide tips held up well for drilling several holes.

A durable hard-plastic carrying case keeps the bits organized and easy to transport to the worksite. It was one of the better cases we saw, as it held the bits securely and came with a sliding lock. This is an all-around great little set of drill bits for anyone who regularly needs to drill into concrete or other masonry materials.

Our favorite, thanks to its four-flute design and carbide tips, is the five-piece Bosch Bulldog Carbide Set for use in hammer drills, which are often used as masonry drills.

When you think of a drill bit, most likely, a standard twist bit will spring to mind. These are suited to drilling metal or plastic. They have a sharp tip and the twisted grooves along the length to allow material to be drawn out of the hole to help keep the bit straight.

These are slotted drive shaft (SDS) bits, meaning they will fit SDS-plus hammer drills, so we used a cordless Milwaukee rotary hammer drill for testing. This set has five pieces, including a 3/16-inch, 3/8-inch, and 1/2-inch bit and two 2¼-inch bits of different lengths. The carbide tips are rugged, and we could easily drill through concrete, brick, and stone.

The Owl Tools bits have standard smooth shanks to fit a regular drill. We didn’t notice any of the bits slipping as we applied pressure while drilling, as some smooth-shank bits tend to do.

Masonry drill bits come in a variety of sizes to suit a broad range of needs. The smallest masonry bits are around 3/16 inch in diameter, with larger bits topping out at the 1/2-inch size. Hole saw bits have sizes that go up to 4 inches or more.

Drilling through masonry can be tough, requiring special drill bits for concrete that will hold up to the job. We recently tested seven different types of concrete drill bits in various sizes—using them to drill holes in concrete, brick, and stone.

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If you have additional questions about how to drill into concrete or choosing a drill bit for concrete or a drill bit for brick, you’ll find answers here.

This set comes with five bits, ranging in size from 3/16 inch to 1/2 inch. An included plastic bit case provides convenient storage.

Most of the drill bits you’re likely to encounter will bear the abbreviation HSS, for high speed steel. It’s a steel, alloyed with a range of other metals, designed to withstand the extreme temperatures generated by drilling through harder materials at high speed, hence the name. But, despite the high breaking strength they exhibit, they’re also brittle and don’t offer much resistance to bending. Which means it’s easy to snap thinner bits with even the most innocuous of impacts.

In addition to carbide tips, the EZArc bits have multigrind sharp edges and double-flute design, which make them well suited for drilling in various materials. A hex shank adds even more versatility—these bits are compatible with standard drills and impact drivers. The kit includes five bits: 5/32 inch, 3/16 inch, 1/4 inch, 5/16 inch, and 3/8 inch.

When purchasing and using a drill bit for masonry, there are several important guidelines to follow to ensure a successful outcome.

When buying any type of drill bit, it’s important to consider its compatibility with the drill. Not all drill bits fit all drills. A 1/2-inch-size drill will fit drill bits with a shank up to 1/2 inch in diameter, while a 3/8-inch-size drill will only fit drill bits with shanks up to 3/8 inch in diameter.

We liked the pointed tips on this set of bits as they kept the bit from skittering across the material when we started drilling, which made the process much easier. If you need to drill different size holes in masonry, these Bosch Bulldog bits are just the ticket.

We tried out a 1-inch hole bit, although these bits are available in several sizes to suit your specific needs from just under 3/4 inch to 4 inches in diameter. This is a diamond-coated drill bit; tiny diamond shards are laser welded to the tip, making it easy to drill through concrete and other types of masonry.

In actual testing, we drilled through concrete, stone, and brick to see how well the drill bits fared. We used a standard DeWalt drill and a Milwaukee rotary hammer drill (depending on the individual drill bit shanks), and we drilled dozens of holes. We noted how well the bits performed and awarded points based on a rubric. After testing, we averaged the points to determine our best overall pick, and then we categorized the rest of the drill bits by their best usage.

If you’re drilling a hole for a screw in wood, you will need a drill bit that’s slightly smaller than the screw you’re planning to use so that the screw’s thread will tap into the material. If you’re drilling a hole more than 10mm in diameter, you may be better off with a completely different, more specialist type of drill bit, like a Forstner bit, a spade drill bit, or, for much better holes, a hole saw.

Value is the name of the game with this set from Bosch, at just a touch over £1 per drill bit. If there’s a letdown, it’s that there’s no 9mm bit in the set, but all the other main sizes are covered so it barely harmed the near-perfect score among Amazon customers. Each bit has a sharp brad point for improved accuracy, and the shoulder-cutters on the leading edge of the grooves are designed to reduce tear out.

The odd breakage aside, the Bosch 50-piece X-Line set could be the only box of drill bits you will ever need. It covers the majority of common sizes you would need for drilling wood, metal, and masonry, plus it includes screwdriver bits (and an extension bar), a countersink bit, three sockets, two spade bits, and a gauge to check the size of the bits. It even comes with a snap-off knife.

Most masonry drill bits are used in hammer drills or standard drills, but not all. The SHDIATool core bit is designed for use with an angle grinder, and we were impressed at how well it drilled.

The set is housed in a high-quality case which, despite being slightly tricky to prise some of the bits out of, is clearly labelled and sensibly laid out. The metal drill bits are HSS, the wood bits have sharp brad points, and the spade bits are titanium coated and have a square shaft to reduce slippage in the chuck.

Toughness is paramount when drilling into metal because the heat generated can easily spell the end for cheap drill bits. Not so here, as this set from Draper sees the HSS straight shank bits coated with long-testing and tough titanium nitride. They’re likely to last longer, and they will not get lost as they come in a soft-grip plastic case which is clearly labelled, making finding bits and returning them to their correct slot a simple task. It’s also finished in Draper’s trademark blue, making it easier to spot at the bottom of a tool bag.

And carbide – usually tungsten carbide – is a similarly tough material, and is commonly used in the manufacture of masonry drill bits.

The SHDIATool core bit excelled in our tests. To extend its useful life, users can spray the surface of the material they’re drilling with water, which will help keep the bit cool and reduce friction. This is the bit to have for drilling larger holes in concrete.

While there is no single chuck or drill head for concrete bits, many concrete bits have a slotted drive system (SDS), which means they have slots on the ends of the shanks for use in rotary hammer drills. SDS bits came out decades ago, and today, an improved version (SDS-plus) is standard on bits for hammer drills. You can still find smooth-shank bits for standard drills and hex-shank bits that will fit standard drills and impact drivers.

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Spending money on specialty concrete bits that see infrequent use may not be the most economical way of expanding one’s collection of drill bits. This EZArc multipurpose bit set offers an excellent alternative. The bits’ design and carbide tips make them suitable for drilling through tile, concrete, and stone plus metal, wood, and even plastic.

Cobalt drill bits are much harder at higher temperatures making them good for drilling through stainless steel and other hard materials, though they are usually way in excess of what most DIYers need.

Masonry drill bits need to be hard enough to endure the rigors of drilling through concrete. With that in mind, most masonry drill bits have steel shafts with a cutting tip made of tungsten carbide, which is much harder than steel and can grind through stone without dulling quickly. Some drill bits use diamond particles, which are welded to the cutting edge to chew through hard surfaces such as marble and granite.

To cover all bases, we tested bits that fit standard drills and impact drivers, as well as rotary hammer drills. We also tested a hole bit that fits a grinder. Ahead, learn which factors to consider when shopping for a cement drill bit, and find out how the following products earned a spot in our lineup of the best drill bits for concrete.

Start by drilling a small guide hole at a low-speed setting for very hard concrete. Once you’ve established a 1/8-inch hole, remove the bit, blow the dust out of the hole, and use a larger bit at medium speed while applying steady pressure. It’s also a good idea to wear hearing protection—concrete drilling can be loud.

Key specs – Number of bits: 50; Material: titanium nitride-coated, carbide-tipped; Sizes: 1.5-6.5mm (metal), 4-10mm (masonry), 4-10mm (wood); Case type: plastic carry case

But it’s definitely worth spending the time and doing your homework because there’s nothing more frustrating than not having the correct size or type of drill bit to hand when you need it, or to find the bits disintegrating right in the middle of a delicate job.

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Sharpening drill bits manually with a file or bench grinder is a complicated process. You need a machine specially designed for drill-bit sharpening to do it yourself. It’s usually easier to buy new drill bits.

In addition to drilling through masonry, we tried out this set of bits on dimensional lumber and 8-gauge sheet metal. They were slightly slower on masonry than some of the dedicated bits we tried, but they still did the job. They excelled as drill bits for metal as long as we drilled nice and slow. It’s not every day you can pick up a set of good metal drill bits and use them to drill a hole in brick or concrete, but it’s possible with the EZArc bits.

Generally speaking, DIYers will end up buying a drill bit set, rather than a single bit – although there are exceptions, particularly for specialty jobs such as when a masonry drill bit is required – so that will already have a few of the main sizes covered.

For drilling jobs that require drilling through concrete or other stone surfaces, it’s important to use a drill bit that’s strong and sharp enough to bore through especially hard, dense material. Read on to learn about materials, bit type, drill compatibility, and other crucial factors to consider when choosing a masonry drill bit.

A durable hard-plastic storage case keeps the bits organized and protected when in a tool box or on the workbench. Thanks to the visual holes in the holder that show the exact size hole each bit will drill, we found it easy to pick the correct-size bit at a glance. If you regularly drill into any type of masonry, you won’t go wrong with this set.

Like higher-end bits, this set of Owl Tools bits comes with pointed tips to help keep the bit positioned when starting the hole. We tested the bits by drilling into brick, concrete, and stone, and they fared well. We felt they were just slightly slower than some of the other bits we tested, but drilling into masonry isn’t something to hurry along. We mainly wanted to see if they could withstand repeated drilling without breaking, and they did.

With extra-wide U-shaped flutes, these drill bits from WorkPro effectively ejected masonry dust as we drilled in concrete, brick, and stone. The bits have Luxembourg carbide tips that are made to be tough, hard, and durable, and they drilled quickly in our tests.

The following drill bits are well suited for drilling into concrete and other masonry materials. They withstood rigorous hands-on testing, and each set of bits performed well enough to make our list. You’ll find different sizes and types that fit different drills. There’s sure to be one for your concrete-drilling project.

Smaller diameter drill bits tend to be easy to break, so it’s a helpful touch that Draper has doubled up on the 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5mm bits. And the inclusion of a 3.2mm bit, in addition to the 3.0 and 3.5mm bits, is helpful too.

We’re looking at the more commonly-used drill bits here and, to make the choice easier, we’ve broken them down into the type of materials they’re designed to drill through. Plus we’ve thrown in our top drill bit set that covers all the main options. We’ve looked at online reviews and ratings from a range of retailers to deliver our verdict.

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The carbon steel shaft and tungsten carbide tip offers the sharpness and abrasion to cut through tougher materials. According to reviewers, the ease with which these Wickes items cut is impressive, especially given the price of these specialist bits.

You’ve usually only got one chance when drilling into glass or tiles – with the time cost and monetary expense of replacing breakages, precision matters. Many glass and tile drill bits just look like regular twist drill bits, but this trio from Wickes are spade, or spear, shaped. While spear-tipped bits are generally more prone to breakage than twist bits, that can often be preferable to breaking a tile.

Masonry drill bits come in several variations, including rotary percussion, double flute, and saw drill bits. All bit types use large carbide tips that can penetrate stone. Some bits have spear-shaped tips that allow for precision drilling, while others feature a crown-shaped tip that can efficiently grind through masonry.

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For most standard bits, you don’t need to use water. However, if you’re using a large hole bit, spraying the surface of the concrete with water can reduce friction and help keep the bit cool as you drill.

Glenda Taylor is a product tester and writer specializing in the construction, remodeling, and real estate industries. She and her husband own a general contracting company, and Taylor is experienced in both residential and commercial building applications. She tests a wide range of power tools as well as other home improvement, household, and lawn-and-garden products.

Some drill bits have coatings to improve their performance. Black oxide coatings are more durable than high-speed steel, as they resist rust and corrosion. Tungsten carbide coatings enhance the drill bit’s strength, enabling it to bore through stone and concrete.

Before selecting the concrete drill bit sets we wanted to test, we researched more than 20 sets, looking for high-quality bits made from steel with carbide tips. We considered brand to an extent—after all, manufacturers like Bosch and Makita have top reputations for producing high-end power tools and accessories. Still, we didn’t automatically eliminate smaller or niche manufacturers if their masonry drill bit sets were highly rated by customers.

You can drill as soon as the concrete is completely hardened, but pros often wait a couple of days to ensure the concrete is ready. Unlike needing to wait before painting or applying a sealer, you don’t have to wait 28 days to drill.

It’s easy to spend plenty of time researching for your next drill, but it’s just as important to find the very best drill bits for your project. That’s because when it comes to drill bits, all things are most certainly not equal.

This kit includes eight bits, ranging from 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch in diameter. The bits have SDS-plus shanks, so the user will need a rotary hammer drill to use them.

Masonry drill bits are specifically designed to tackle stone and can bore through these hard surfaces with ease. Often featuring tungsten carbide tips that can endure drilling through hard stone surfaces, masonry drill bits have wide flutes that allow them to pull away large amounts of material as they drill to prevent debris from jamming the bit. Some bits even use diamond-encrusted blades to cut through this material. They come in a wide range of sizes to suit different needs.

The bits feature SDS-plus shanks, and users will need a hammer drill to use them. The set comes with seven bits, ranging in size from 3/16 inch to 1/2 inch in diameter, making this a highly versatile set of masonry bits.

The bits are stored in a fairly tough plastic case, which can also function as a stand to make selecting the correct bit easier. Each bit is clearly labelled in the case too. The round shanks are suitable for use in the majority of drills with a three-jaw chuck.

Each bit has a wide spiral flute that bores evenly through stone, concrete, and brick. These bits will easily handle tough concrete-drilling jobs, but you’ll want to use a good drill for concrete—and it will need to be a rotary hammer drill with a minimum 7/8-inch chuck. We drilled several holes in quick succession, and the Makita bits performed flawlessly.

This set from Owl Tools includes 10 drill bits at an affordable price point. With its broad range of sizes, this set can handle most concrete drilling needs; bit sizes range from 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch in diameter, and we found them all to be durable and of good quality.

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Wood drill bits are usually the easiest to spot in your set because they often have a very sharp pointed tip on the end – a brad point – which allows the bit to grip the wood, without moving around, to start the hole. They have a sharp double-bladed thread which allows the drill to work its way through the wood quickly.