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Countersink drill bit set: buy the hole you still have to make

Updated: 2026-10-23

A countersink drill bit set is an awkward search because amazon.co.uk uses one name for two tools. One family drills a pilot and cuts the cone in the same pass. The other only chamfers a hole that already exists, usually as a 12 mm, 16 mm and 19 mm trio. This guide puts type, then cone angle, then shank and steel, ahead of the piece count. Prices from £3.98 to £31.97 sit in the [countersink drill bit comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/countersink-drill-bit). Products Compared read those amazon.co.uk listings on 19 October 2026 and did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A countersink drill bit set is an awkward search because amazon.co.uk uses one name for two tools. One family drills a pilot and cuts the cone in the same pass.

Our top picks

Makita Makita D-73455 4-piece countersink set

Best overall

Makita Makita D-73455 4-piece countersink set
7.5/10about £7.92
View offer
Torveen Torveen 3-piece 90° countersink

Alternative

Torveen Torveen 3-piece 90° countersink
5.9/10about £4.19
View offer
EZARC EZARC 12-piece countersink set

Rank 3

EZARC EZARC 12-piece countersink set
9.0/10about £17.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Combined bit or chamfer only
  2. 2.Angle, gauge and shank
  3. 3.Steel, stops and extras
  4. 4.What the piece count is hiding

Combined bit or chamfer only

Start with the hole that is not there yet. A combined bit carries a small drill, a countersink body and, on most of these wood sets, a stop you lock with a hex key. You chuck a 1/4 inch or 6 mm hex shank, and one pass is meant to leave a seat for the screw head. That is the shape of the DECKRKAT eight-piece at £18.98, the Makita D-73455 four-piece at £7.92, and the EZARC kits. A chamfer-only bit has no pilot. Torveen at £4.19 and Kaquxibix at £3.98 are 12 mm, 16 mm and 19 mm cones. ATOPLEE at £13.99 says the bits are not for opening holes, and hand drills are not allowed. If the hinge recess is already drilled, a chamfer is the smaller purchase. If you are still marking out a row of No.8 screws, it is the wrong first tool. Metric machine screws belong on the 82 or 90 degree countersink page once you know you need a cone at all.

Angle, gauge and shank

Most of the combined wood sets print 82°. NORTOOLS, DECKRKAT, both larger EZARC kits, TOLESA and the EZARC 12-piece all say 82°. Torveen, Kaquxibix and ATOPLEE say 90°, with Torveen's spec table also printing 9E+1 Degrees, which we have not rewritten. Makita prints 6E+1 Degrees, and that string is not a clean 82° or 90° you can quote. PATNFR and TMBMLPP print no angle. Every set here except ATOPLEE is a hex: 1/4 inch, 6 mm or 6.35 mm. ATOPLEE is a round shank. Reviews on more than one EZARC listing say the grub screw walks. Screwfix's screws guide shows a gauge 8 screw as about 4 mm, with a 2.5 mm pilot and a 5 mm clearance hole. The #4 to #12 labels are the seller's map onto pilots around 2 mm to 3.6 mm. Hole size for timber lives on the countersink drill bit for wood page.
Makita Makita D-73455 4-piece countersink set

Testsieger

Makita Makita D-73455 4-piece countersink set
7.5/10about £7.92
View offer

Steel, stops and extras

None of the twelve is tungsten carbide. Tooled-Up's notes put HSS with softwood and general carpentry, and TCT with hardwood, MDF and chipboard. DECKRKAT's title says 6542 while the bullets say M2 pilots and a high-carbon body. EZARC's 15-piece spec says titanium nitride and the bullets say nitrided. Plug cutters at 3/8 inch and 1/2 inch appear on NORTOOLS, TOLESA and both larger EZARC sets. A depth stop you tighten with the supplied key is the extra that changes a flush head.

What the piece count is hiding

Count cutters, not the headline. PATNFR's title says 12 pieces while the bullets also claim ten interchangeable drills. TMBMLPP's title says 5 pieces while the spec says 15. A 16 mm cone does not correspond to a #8 wood screw. If the bit is not as described, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives a short route to reject goods within 30 days.

Common questions

Do I need a bit that drills the hole as well?
You need a combined bit if the screw hole is not drilled yet. The hex sets in this comparison, from the Makita four-piece to the EZARC kits, are sold as pilot plus countersink. Torveen, Kaquxibix and ATOPLEE do not drill that pilot. ATOPLEE also says the bits are not for opening holes. Buy the chamfer only when a drill bit you already trust has made the hole.
Is a 12 mm, 16 mm and 19 mm set the same as a #4 to #12 set?
No. The 12 mm, 16 mm and 19 mm bits are cone diameters for a chamfer. The #4 to #12 labels on the wood sets point at small pilots, often about 2 mm to 3.6 mm, plus a countersink body. A 16 mm cutter will not substitute for a No.8 pilot. Use the # set when you are making the screw hole, and the millimetre set when you are opening a cone on a hole that exists.
What does a 1/4 inch hex fit?
It fits the quick-release holders used on most cordless drills and drivers in the UK, and the same shank is often written 6.35 mm. DECKRKAT's is 6 mm, which is the same idea in a metric hex. ATOPLEE is the exception here, with a round shank, and its listing says hand drills are not allowed. A hex shank does not, by itself, mean the bit is rated for an impact driver.
Should I pay for plug cutters if I only want the head flush?
No. A flush head needs a countersink matched to the screw, not a plug. Plug cutters on NORTOOLS, TOLESA and the EZARC 15-piece and 22-piece sets are for hiding the screw under a wooden plug. The EZARC 15-piece listing prefers a bench drill for that cut. If you will never plug the hole, the extra pieces are weight in the case.
Is HSS enough for MDF, or do I need carbide?
HSS will cut MDF for a short job, and the reviews in this sample also describe it going blunt in chipboard after a few dozen holes. Trade notes from Tooled-Up point at TCT for hardwood, MDF and chipboard. None of these twelve listings is TCT, so a day of cabinet carcasses in board is outside what this comparison can honestly call a durable bit.

Related pages

Best countersink drill bits

Countersink drill bit

82 or 90 degree countersink: match the screw in your hand

Countersink drill bit for wood: size the pilot first

How to use a countersink drill bit so the head sits flush

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE WIS23: wood dust (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE: cutting and sanding wood (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. HSE L25: eye protection (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 20 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Screwfix: screws buying guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. BSI: BS EN ISO 10642:2019 (retrieved 19 October 2026)