How to Make Pilot Holes for Screws

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Step-by-step instructions to make drilling screws easier

Co-authored by Sam Hubbard and Eric McClure

Last Updated: October 2, 2025 Fact Checked

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Drilling the Hole

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When to Drill a Pilot Hole

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Pilot Drill Bit Sizes

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

Learning how to drill pilot holes properly is an essential part of working with wood. A pilot hole is a small hole drilled before driving a screw into a piece of wood that helps prevent the wood from splitting and makes installation easier. In this article, we’ll teach you how to drill a pilot hole, when and why you should make a pilot hole, and list the ideal pilot hole sizes for different screw sizes.

How to Make a Drill Hole

Mark your screw location.
Set an indentation in the material with a center punch.
Get a pilot drill bit slightly smaller than the screw.
Set the depth on the drill bit with painter’s tape.
Drive the pilot drill bit into the hole.
Use the hole to guide the screw into the hole.

Section 1 of 3:

How to Drill a Pilot Hole

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If the screw must be installed in a precise location, mark the spot with a pencil, pen, or marker. Use a ruler to determine your intended location (usually by measuring the distance from the edge of the material's surface), tracing along the ruler with a pencil. At the desired distance along the line you drew, make a small mark with the pencil.
2
Create an indentation using a center punch. A center punch is a small, slender tool with a pointed end that allows you to create a small indentation in the work surface. This indentation will help keep your drill bit from slipping when starting the pilot hole. Position the tip of the punch over your pencil mark, and then strike the punch gently with a hammer.
- If you’re drilling into a softer material, you can skip this step as it’s unnecessary. You should also skip the center punch if you’re working with any material that may shatter, like tile.
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3
Determine the appropriate size bit for drilling your pilot hole. As a general rule of thumb, your pilot hole should be slightly smaller than the diameter of your screw (not the threads, but the center of the screw). This will remove as much material as possible, which will reduce the likelihood of splitting, but will still leave enough material for the screw's threads to grip into.^{[1]
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- Find exact recommendations for pilot hole diameters based on screw sizes in our “Pilot Hole Sizes” section below. However, a visual check of your drill bit against the screw will suffice for most applications. It is best to err on the smaller side when choosing a bit; a pilot hole can always be made bigger, but not smaller.
- How do I tell if the pilot bit is smaller? Hold your pilot bit up near a light source so it’s sticking right up in the air. Then, set the screw behind it so that they perfectly overlap. Do you see the threads and the edge of the screw’s center sticking out? If so, you’ve got the right size!
4
Set the depth using some painter's tape (optional). Depending on the job, you may not want the pilot hole to extend past the maximum depth of the screw. If that’s the case, hold the tip of the screw you plan on using up against the pilot drill bit you’re going to use. Then, mark the area 0.5 in (1.3 cm) or so above the end of the screw with your finger. Peel off a piece of painter’s tape and wrap it around the spot you marked so the area below the line is covered with the tape.
- This way, you can stop drilling as soon as you reach the painter’s tape. This will prevent you from overdrilling and driving unnecessarily deep into your material.
- If it doesn’t matter how deep you go, feel free to skip setting the depth. You can also just eyeball the depth if you’re relatively confident you won’t overdo it.
After choosing a bit and fitting it into your drill, position the tip of the bit into the indentation you created with the center punch. Holding the bit at the angle you want the screw positioned, drill the hole to a depth equal to the screw's length. Back the bit out carefully.^{[2]
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Once the pilot hole is drilled, you can install the screw. Fit your drill with a screwdriver bit and position the screw's tip into the pilot hole. Drive the screw in, being careful to angle it to follow the path of the hole. Repeat this process for each screw used.^{[3]
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Section 2 of 3:

Why drill a pilot hole?

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Pilot holes prevent damage and make drilling easier. The pilot hole creates a small opening that allows the threads in a screw to catch much more easily than they otherwise would. A pilot hole also ensures the screw is guided perfectly into the material, which keeps the drywall, wood, or masonry you’re drilling into from splintering or getting damaged.^{[4]
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- When can you skip a pilot hole? If the wood or drywall is very soft and you have a smaller screw to install, you can skip the pilot hole. The screw should enter the material easily enough with the drill alone.
- If your job requires absolute precision, drill pilot holes. It’s 10 times easier to drill a pilot hole accurately than it is to install a screw without one. If the location of the screw must be precise, don’t skip the pilot hole.

Section 3 of 3:

Pilot Hole Sizes

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Screw Size	Drill Bit for Soft Wood	Drill Bit for Hard Wood
#0	1/64	1/32
#1	1/32	1/32
#2	1/32	3/64
#3	3/64	1/16
#4	3/64	1/16
#5	1/16	5/64
#6	1/16	5/64
#7	1/16	3/32
#8	5/64	3/32
#9	5/64	7/64
#10	3/32	7/64
#11	3/32	1/8
#12	7/64	1/8
#14	7/64	9/64
#16	9/64	5/32
#18	9/64	3/16
#20	11/64	13/64
#24	3/16	7/32

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I don't have a drill and I'm hanging a curtain rod. How do I get the screw started?

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The tip of a screwdriver should work.

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Can I use a 5/32 bit instead of a 7/32 bit for a pilot hole?

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You need the pilot hole to be smaller than the screw diameter you will use, otherwise screws will not hold.

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How do I start a hole in my screen door to put in a new closure?

Julie

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You could use a punch or a screw driver. Just start the screw to puncture or dent the metal.

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Tips

Pilot holes are not necessary when installing screws in very soft materials like gypsum board (drywall). These materials pose little risk of splitting or misaligning your screws.

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Pilot holes are especially necessary when installing screws near the edge of a piece of wood or into a very thin piece of wood. These tasks present the highest risk that the wood will split when screwed into.

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