What drill bit do I need for concrete?

Last updated: July 14, 2026

To drill concrete, brick or block you need a carbide-tipped masonry bit driven by a hammer drill or rotary hammer — a regular twist bit in a regular drill won't cut it. Here's how to spot the right bit, match its shank to your drill, pick the right drill, and size the hole (which depends on the anchor you're setting, not the wall).

The short answer: a carbide bit and a hammer drill

Drilling into concrete, brick or block takes two things a wood or metal job doesn’t: a carbide-tipped masonry bit (one meeting ANSI B212.15) and a drill that hammers — a hammer drill or a rotary hammer. The carbide tip pulverizes the masonry while the hammering action chips it away, and the flutes clear the dust out of the hole.

The single most common mistake is reaching for a regular twist bit in a regular drill. A standard drill only spins — it has no percussive impact — so against concrete it’s painfully slow, it overheats, and it dulls the bit without making real progress. Masonry has to be hammered, not sliced.

How to spot a masonry bit

A masonry bit looks different from a wood or metal bit. Once you know the tells, it’s obvious at a glance:

• A carbide tip. A hard, usually grey tip brazed onto the nose of the bit — the single biggest giveaway. Wood and metal bits are one continuous piece of steel.
• A slightly oversized head. The cutting tip is a touch wider than the bit’s body, so the bit clears its own hole instead of binding.
• A blunt, chisel-like profile. Not a sharp brad-point or split-point — it’s built to pulverize, not to slice.
• Wide, deep flutes. The spiral grooves are deep so they can evacuate dust; without that clearance the bit clogs and overheats.
• The packaging says so. It’s labelled “masonry” or “concrete,” and usually notes hammer-drill use.

The three bit families — match the bit to the drill

1. Carbide-tipped masonry, straight shank. The everyday choice. Its plain round (or hex) shank fits a standard three-jaw chuck, so it runs in an ordinary drill or hammer drill. Ideal for light-to-medium work — brick, block, softer concrete, and the occasional anchor hole.

2. SDS-Plus / SDS-Max, slotted shank. For rotary hammers. The slotted SDS shank lets the bit slide back and forth independently of the chuck, so the tool’s impact energy goes straight to the tip — faster, with far less fatigue and less wear on the drill. Use SDS-Plus for most anchor-sized holes and SDS-Max for larger diameters and deep holes.

3. Diamond core bits. For large, clean pass-throughs — running a pipe or cable through a wall. They cut a ring rather than a solid hole, need a heavy-duty rig, and often run with water or dust extraction.

Which drill do you actually need?

• Standard drill / driver: only for the occasional small hole in soft material (soft brick or block). Expect slow going and a hot bit — it has no hammer action.
• Hammer drill: the baseline for light-to-medium DIY — brick, block and typical anchor sizes. If you buy one masonry tool, this is it.
• Rotary hammer (SDS-Plus / Max): for hard concrete, bigger holes, and frequent drilling. Much faster and far easier on your hands — and on the tool.

What size masonry bit? It depends on your anchor

Here’s the honest part: the material doesn’t set the size — the anchor does. “What size bit for concrete” has no single answer, because the hole has to match the anchor or fastener you’re installing. Common DIY masonry bits run about 3/16" to 1/2", and metric SDS bits are commonly 6, 8, 10 and 12 mm — but the right one is whatever your anchor calls for.

Each anchor type sizes differently, and the rule is not intuitive:

• Tapcon (concrete screw): the bit is one size UNDER the screw — a 1/4" Tapcon takes a 3/16" bit. Tapcon bit sizes →
• Wedge & sleeve anchors: 1:1 — the bit is the same diameter as the anchor. Wedge · Sleeve
• Drop-in anchors: the bit is OVERSIZED versus the stamped size (that number is the internal thread, not the hole). Drop-in bit sizes →

Not sure which anchor you even need? The concrete anchor finder picks the type from your wall material and load, then routes you to its exact bit size.

Technique & safety — the bits people miss

• Let the hammer do the work. Leaning hard on the drill binds the bit, adds heat and dulls the carbide — steady, moderate pressure actually drills faster.
• Drill deeper than the anchor needs. Dust settles in the bottom of the hole, so drill a little extra and blow the hole clean before setting an anchor.
• Drill the brick, not the mortar. In a brick wall the brick itself holds far better than the softer mortar joint.
• Hit rebar? Don’t hammer through it. Switch to rotary-only mode with a rebar cutter, cut through, then resume hammering.
• Silica dust is a real hazard. Drilling concrete releases respirable silica — use dust extraction and proper PPE (a rated respirator, not a paper dust mask).
• Replace worn bits. A worn bit drills an undersized, sloppy hole that ruins anchor fit — carbide is a consumable.