How to punch a hole in slate
Updated: October 2026
You have a cut slate on the bench and two copper or aluminium nails waiting. The job is two holes at holing gauge that will take a legal nail, punched from the bed so the face countersinks. This page is holing only. The cutting sequence stays on [how to cut roof slates](/hub/cutting-tools/slate-scissors/sub/slate-scissors-how-to-cut). Product ranking and the three amazon.co.uk prices stay on the [slate scissors](/hub/cutting-tools/slate-scissors) comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have a cut slate on the bench and two copper or aluminium nails waiting. The job is two holes at holing gauge that will take a legal nail, punched from the bed so the face countersinks. This page is holing only.
You have a cut slate on the bench and two copper or aluminium nails waiting. The job is two holes at holing gauge that will take a legal nail, punched from the bed so the face countersinks. This page is holing only. The cutting sequence stays on how to cut roof slates. Product ranking and the three amazon.co.uk prices stay on the slate scissors comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Listed max thickness | Hole punch | Power | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  TSF Products TSF SC01G slate cutter | 5 mm | 3.2 mm, up to 60 mm from the edge | Manual | 8.8 | about £37.95 | View offer |
| Best value |  Tooltime Tooltime 320 mm slate cutter | 6 mm | Not listed | Manual | 8.0 | about £11.36 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Malco Malco TSNS1 slate turbo shear | 4–8 mm | Not listed | Drill attachment | 7.4 | about £247.83 | View offer |
On this page
Where the two holes go
Centre-nailed slates take two holes. SSQ’s design and fixing guide sets holing gauge as gauge plus headlap plus 10 mm, and puts each hole 20–25 mm in from the long edges. Read the gauge and the lap off the roof you are patching, or off the slate maker’s fixing sheet.
NHBC 7.2.19 follows BS 5534: two nails on centre-nailed slates. One hole is not a saving; it is a loose slate in the next wind. Mark both positions on the bed before you pick up the punch. If the remaining width is already under SSQ’s half-width rule, or under 95 mm at a hip or valley, cut a wider slate instead.
TSF’s 60 mm figure is how far the pin can reach, not holing gauge. Use the SSQ formula, then check the pin can reach. If it cannot, you need a longer punch or a hammer spike.
Punch from the bed
Punch from the bed so the pin exits through the face and leaves a slight countersink for the nail head. Punching from the face can spall the visible face and leave the head sitting proud. Mark or use the scale, pin on the back, and close the handles once or twice. Support the slate. An unsupported punch is how a hole becomes a crater.
The TSF SC01G is the only listing in this set with a printed 3.2 mm punch. SSQ says slates up to 4 mm can be holed by a spike hammer; thicker pieces need a hand or machine punch. If the pin stops on a dense 5 mm natural slate, switch to a slater’s hammer spike or stop. Tooltime and Malco do not name a punch, so keep a spike in the bag if those are the tools you own.
Nails that fit the hole
A 3.2 mm punch is in the same class as a 3 mm-class shank. SIGA and Cupa talk about a 10 mm head needing about a 3 mm shank, in copper to BS 1202-2 or aluminium to BS 1202-3. SSQ’s copper nails are listed at 3.3 mm minimum with a 10 mm head.
Do not use galvanised steel. NHBC 7.2.19 wants copper, aluminium, or silicon bronze. Two nails, correct metal, 10 mm-class heads, at holing gauge. If you are still choosing which cutter to buy so the punch is on the tool, best slate cutter UK names TSF as the default in this set for that reason.
When the punch is the wrong tool
The punch is the wrong tool when the slate is thicker than the cutter or the pin will not start. Thick heavies belong with a slater, not with a hopeful second squeeze.
Stop if the covering might contain asbestos, if you cannot measure gauge and lap, or if the roof is high, fragile, or a full re-slate.
Common questions
Which side do I punch from?
From the bed, the underside as the slate will sit. The pin then exits through the face and leaves a countersink for the head. Punching from the face can spall the visible surface and leave the nail proud. Mark both holes on the bed before the first stroke.
How far from the edge should the holes be?
SSQ puts them 20–25 mm from the long edges. TSF’s 60 mm figure is how far the pin can reach, not where the hole should sit. If 20–25 mm lands outside the punch’s reach on a small offcut, cut a wider piece rather than moving the hole into the overlap.
What is holing gauge?
Holing gauge is gauge plus headlap plus 10 mm on the SSQ sheet. It is the distance from the tail to the nail line. You must read gauge and lap from the roof or the maker’s sheet. This page will not invent a number for a roof it has not measured.
Will a 3.2 mm punch take a 10 mm-head nail?
It is in the right class for a 3 mm-class shank. SIGA’s 10 mm head needs about 3 mm; SSQ’s copper nails start at 3.3 mm with a 10 mm head. The punch does not guarantee the head will seat. If the head sits high, you punched from the face or the hole cratered.
Why did the TSF punch fail on natural slate?
One verified UK review could not make a hole in natural slate; others hole synthetic slate. Thickness, density, and support explain that better than a defect rate. SSQ already splits spike-hammer work at 4 mm. A dense 5 mm natural slate can beat a 3.2 mm pin. Support the bed, try once, then switch to a spike or stop.
Can I use galvanised nails?
No. NHBC 7.2.19 and BS 5534 want copper, aluminium, or silicon bronze on slates, not galvanised steel. A galvanised felt nail is the wrong metal even if it fits the hole.
Does the Tooltime cutter punch holes?
No punch is listed on the Tooltime 320 mm file. Hole those slates with a slater’s hammer spike, or buy a cutter that prints a 3.2 mm pin. Malco’s TSNS1 also has no punch in the listing. Holing is a separate tool on those two rows.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listing lines; retrieved 19 October 2026.
- HSE, Cutting roofing tiles (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE ST5, Sawing slate (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE, Roof work (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- NHBC 7.2.19, Fixing tiles and slates (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- SSQ, Natural slate design and fixing guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Wickes, Roughneck slate cutter and hole puncher (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk, TSF SC01G (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HG Roofing Supplies, TurboShear NS1 (retrieved 19 October 2026)