Metal drills
A drill works inside the hole, where heat cannot escape easily and the chips have to come out through the same flutes. That is why material and coating matter more here than on other cutting tools. Below we explain what each icon on the product cards means.
THE MATERIAL YOU ARE CUTTING6
Start here. Pick the material you are cutting and the collection filters down to only the tools that work it. The letters P/M/K/N/S/H are the ISO 513 standard, used by every manufacturer — the same letter means the same material in any catalogue.
In detail, per group: [P] Steel · [M] Stainless · [K] Cast iron · [N] Aluminium · [S] Titanium · [H] Hardened.
Plain and alloy steels — the largest and most forgiving group. They give a long, continuous chip, so chip control is what matters.
Stainless steels. They work-harden locally as you cut them, weld to the edge, and do not carry heat away. They want cobalt, a steady feed with no dwelling, and plenty of coolant.
Cast irons. They give a short, crumbling chip, but the material is abrasive and eats the cutting edge. Here you need abrasion resistance, not heat resistance.
Non-ferrous: aluminium, brass, copper. Soft and fast, but they throw a bulky chip that sticks. They want few flutes, large flute valleys and high revs.
Superalloys and titanium (Inconel, Ti). Very low thermal conductivity: the heat does not leave with the chip, it stays in the edge. Low speeds, steady feed, lots of coolant.
Hardened materials, typically above 45 HRC. They demand carbide and a thermally stable coating — plain HSS simply dulls immediately.
THE TOOL MATERIAL4
Click a material to filter the collection. For a detailed description of the grades (M2, M35, M42) see the Cutting Tool Materials article.
The classic high speed steel with high hardness and resistance to fracture, ideal for straightforward work.
High speed steel with 5% cobalt for increased resistance to high temperatures. Suitable for stainless (INOX) and hard steels.
High speed steel with 8% cobalt for excellent hardness even at high temperatures. For hard and difficult materials.
Tungsten carbide with cobalt, extremely hard and rigid. For very high cutting speeds in CNC and maximum tool life, but sensitive to vibration and impact.
THE COATINGS4
Click a coating to see only the drills that have it.
A coating offering high thermal stability during cutting. It delivers maximum tool life in hard materials and high-speed machining (HSC), and even makes dry cutting possible.
A hard ceramic coating with the characteristic gold colour that provides effective wear protection. It is the standard solution for longer tool life across a wide range of materials.
A premium YG-1 coating offering excellent resistance to heat and wear, especially for CNC. It delivers increased tool life in production machining, reducing frequent tool changes.
A surface oxidation that creates a porous layer to hold coolant and reduce friction. It is ideal for low-hardness steels and stainless, as it prevents material from welding to the edge (built-up edge).