The best floorboard screws, compared.
Top pick: Keple floorboard screws, 3.9 x 58 mm Best value: fischer Power-Fast II chipboard screws, 4.0 x 40 mm – Lowest unit price in this set, about £19.85 for 1,200, about 1.7p each, as a bulk chipboard screw for 18 mm board if you clearance-drill or hold the sheet down. Updated October 2026.
Floorboard screws are countersunk steel screws that pull chipboard or softwood boards down onto a timber joist. You are replacing nails, laying 18 mm or 22 mm P5 chipboard, or chasing a squeak. The useful box is a flooring or chipboard screw of about 4 mm, not a mixed set, a decking screw, or a coach screw. Judge a box by length for the board you measured, a flush head, a drive your bit fits, and a thread that clamps the sheet. NHBC’s chipboard clause, a new-home warranty rule rather than a statute, asks for at least a 8 screw, at least twice the board thickness, at no more than 300 mm centres. Length and thread are set out in the [floorboard screws buying guide](/hub/flooring/floorboard-screws/sub/floorboard-screws-buying-guide). Face-fix flooring screws are often 4.2 x 45–55 mm, zinc and yellow, sometimes with a stick-fit bit in the box.
Floorboard screws are countersunk steel screws that pull chipboard or softwood boards down onto a timber joist. You are replacing nails, laying 18 mm or 22 mm P5 chipboard, or chasing a squeak.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you fixing?
Keple’s box is titled for timber and floor boards at 3.9 x 58 mm, square drive, 250 pieces, £18.99. Fifty-eight millimetres sits in the 55–60 mm band often bought for 22 mm chipboard, so the length is the useful part of the card. The listing conflicts with itself: one field says fully threaded and the thread-style field says partially threaded, and the metal field says stainless steel while another says alloy steel, under a yellow zinc plate. Those conflicts are not resolved on the listing. The star line is 5.0 from 1 review, and there is no review text, so grip and broken heads cannot be described. A driver bit is not stated. A single five-star rating is not a sample you can use to choose a floor screw, and yellow zinc is not evidence that the metal field’s stainless claim is the one that arrived.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have measured 22 mm board, you already own a square bit, and you will check the thread and the metal when the box arrives.
Less suitable: Anyone who needs review text, a settled partial thread, or a screw you can call stainless from this listing.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing name floorboards?
Yes. The title and a practical-use bullet name floor boards, wooden floors, skirting boards and wooden strips on a wooden base. The size is 3.9 x 58 mm, box of 250.
Is the thread partial or full?
The listing conflicts. One field says fully threaded. The thread-style field also says partially threaded. The metal field says stainless steel while another field says alloy steel. Those conflicts are not resolved on the listing.
Is there review text?
The rating line is 5.0 from 1 review. The listing has no review text, so praise and complaints are not stated. A driver bit is not stated.
The fischer Power-Fast II listing is 1,200 fully threaded 4.0 x 40 mm chipboard screws at £19.85, about 1.7p each, with 4.7 stars from 4 reviews. The title does not say floorboard. Forty millimetres meets a twice-the-board minimum of 36 mm on 18 mm chipboard and is short of the 45–50 mm length often bought for that board, and it is short on 22 mm board against a 44 mm minimum and a 55–60 mm practical length. The only review text on the listing calls the screws 5-star quality, so there is no comment on sheared heads, and four reviews is too small to treat as a pattern. No driver bit is recorded in the box. Blue passivated zinc is an indoor plating, and the listing spells the colour bule. It is the best value in this set only as a bulk chipboard screw for 18 mm board, if you drill a clearance hole or keep pressure so a full thread still pulls the sheet down.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are fixing 18 mm chipboard, you need a large count of 4 mm chipboard screws, and you will clearance-drill or hold the board down.
Less suitable: 22 mm chipboard, a floor that must be named as a floorboard screw on the box, or anyone who needs a review file larger than four.
Specifications
Common questions
Are these named as floorboard screws?
No. The title is fischer Power-Fast II 4.0 x 40 mm chipboard wood screws, fully threaded, box of 1,200. Floorboards are not named on the listing.
Is a driver bit included?
The product data do not record a driver bit in the box. The drive is Phillips.
What do the reviews say about the heads?
The listing shows 4.7 from 4 reviews. The only review text calls the screws 5-star quality. There is no criticism of heads in that text, so sheared heads are not stated.
Across 309 amazon.co.uk reviews the Ulti-Mate FB42050 is the box in this set titled as floorboard screws, at 4.2 x 50 mm, partially threaded, £9.99 for 200. That length sits in the 45–50 mm band often suggested for 18 mm chipboard, and it is short of the 55–60 mm band for 22 mm board. Reviewers describe boards pulled tight and heads sitting flush, and they also report heads or shanks shearing, including one estimate of about 10 percent at the shank near the end of the drive. The listing claims a stick-fit bit in every box; more than one review says the bit was missing, and one says the supplied bit snapped. Reviews of old dense pine recommend a pilot hole even though the bullets do not require one. Zinc and yellow is an indoor coat on alloy steel, not a stainless or wet-room finish. At about 5p a screw it is the named floorboard box with the only large review file here, which is why it is the top pick, and the shear notes are why 4.5 stars is not a promise that every head survives an impact driver.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are face-fixing 18 mm chipboard or softwood boards to joists, and you want a named floorboard screw with a partial thread and a review file you can read.
Less suitable: 22 mm chipboard if you want 55–60 mm, old pine if you will not drill a pilot, or a carpet repair where the head must snap off.
Specifications
Common questions
Are these sold as floorboard screws?
Yes. The title is Ulti-Mate FB42050 Stick-Fit Floorboard Screws, 4.2 x 50 mm, box of 200. The listing also names chipboard, plywood, wooden floorboards, sub-flooring and loft boards.
Is a driver bit in the box?
The listing claims a stick-fit driver bit in every box. More than one review says the bit was missing from an opened box, and one buyer says the supplied bit snapped.
Do reviews mention broken heads?
Yes. Reviewers report heads or shanks shearing, including near the end of the drive. One review estimates about 10 percent sheared at the shank. Reviews of old dense pine recommend a pilot hole. The bullets do not require one.
The Ulti-Mate TG35045 is 200 tongue-and-groove woodscrews, 3.5 x 45 mm, partially threaded, with a Torx drive, at £8.99. That is the slim family for a hidden fix through a timber tongue, not the No. 8-class screw described for a chipboard deck. The amazon.co.uk line is 3.8 from 12 reviews. Reviewers say the heads shear and feel soft beside Spax, and that the fine heads chew Torx bits. One long-term user prefers a drill-driver to an impact driver, and screws were returned because heads sheared at the same point. A bullet claims the upper thread stops wobble and squeaks; that is a listing line, not a measured result. The stick-fit bit is claimed in every box, and the bullets say the screws work with T10 bits. At 3.5 mm this is the wrong only fixing if you are face-fixing 22 mm chipboard to joists.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are secret-fixing timber tongue-and-groove boards, you have a T10 bit, and you will use a drill-driver rather than an impact driver.
Less suitable: Face-fixed chipboard, especially 22 mm, or old pine if you drive these heads with an impact driver.
Specifications
Common questions
What job is this screw for?
The title is tongue-and-groove woodscrews, 3.5 x 45 mm, box of 200. It is not the Ulti-Mate FB floorboard model. A bullet claims the upper thread stops wobble and squeaks.
Is a bit included?
The listing claims a stick-fit driver bit free in every box, and says the screws work with T10 Torx bits.
What do reviews say about the heads?
Reviewers say heads shear off easily and feel soft compared with Spax. Fine heads chew Torx bits. One long-term user prefers a drill-driver to an impact driver. Screws were returned because heads sheared at the same point.
The AYNEFY kit is £23.33 for 50 screws and five tools, with 2.9 stars from 5 reviews. Screw diameter, length, alloy and coating are not stated, so you cannot check the fixing against an 18 mm or 22 mm board. The bullets say the tools help you find joists, drive the fixings, unscrew, and snap the screws. A review says no screw heads remain afterwards, and says not to use the kit if the flooring may need to be lifted later. Other complaints are a plastic snap tool that failed after two screws, a driver head that wore away, and a drill bit that does not fit the screws. One review calls it an easy quick fix. That is a through-carpet product with a thin, mixed file, not a box of headed floorboard screws you can back out, and nothing in the listing shows it will miss a pipe.
Pros
Cons
Best for: The carpet cannot come up, you accept a snapped head, and you have checked the void for pipes and cables before you drive.
Less suitable: Any floor you may need to lift, a bare board you can screw with a headed fixing, or a job that needs a stated screw length.
Specifications
Common questions
What is in the kit?
The listing says 50 screws and 5 tools, for stopping squeaks by connecting the floor and the joists. Screw diameter, length, alloy and coating are not stated. The bullets say the tools help find joists, drive fixings, unscrew, and snap screws.
Can the screws be removed later?
A review says no screw heads remain afterwards, and says not to use the kit if the flooring may need to be lifted later.
What failed in the reviews?
The listing shows 2.9 from 5 reviews. Complaints include a plastic snap tool that failed after two screws, a driver head that wore away, and a drill bit that does not fit the screws. One review calls it an easy quick fix.
Five amazon.co.uk listings were scored on 19 October 2026 from the job the title names, the star line, the size of that sample, whether size, thread and metal agree, and the shelf price divided by the stated piece count. There is no screw test and no laboratory score. A 5.0 from 1 rating is not ranked above 4.5 from 309 reviews. The highest score is the top pick. The best value is the lowest unit price, and that score stays below the top pick because the sample is four reviews and the length is short of the usual buy.
Job and length
30%A named floor job and a length that matches the board score highest, up to 30 points. A chipboard title that is not a floorboard screw, a tongue screw used as the only chipboard fixing, or a kit with no size, scores lower.
Amazon stars
20%Stars are the amazon.co.uk average, scaled as (stars ÷ 5) × 20, rounded half up, for a maximum of 20. The star line is not multiplied by 20 to make the editorial score.
Review sample
20%The count behind the stars is scored up to 20. 200 or more ratings score 15. 10 to 19 score 5. Under 10 scores 2. A single five-star rating is not treated as a pattern.
Listing clarity
15%Size, thread and metal should agree, up to 15 points. A conflict between fields, or a missing screw size, lowers the mark. Yellow zinc is not read as stainless steel.
Unit price
15%Value is the shelf price divided by the stated piece count, up to 15. About 1.7p scores 13. About 5p on a named floorboard box scores 11. A 50-screw kit near 47p scores 3.
This guide follows the five amazon.co.uk listings kept on 19 October 2026 and the public UK notes on board thickness, spacing and services in joists. It does not add a laboratory score, an NHBC approval the boxes do not print, or a second live price check.
A floorboard screw is a countersunk steel screw that pulls a chipboard or softwood board down onto a timber joist. You use one when you are replacing nails, laying 18 mm or 22 mm P5 chipboard, or stopping a squeak. The useful box is a flooring or chipboard screw of about 4 mm. A mixed assortment, a decking screw, a drywall screw, a coach screw, or a plug set is a different product. Face-fix flooring screws are often 4.2 x 45–55 mm, zinc and yellow, sometimes with a stick-fit bit in the box.
An assortment, a decking screw, a drywall screw, or a 25 mm screw from a floor search is not the box this comparison is about. Face-fix chipboard wants about 4.0–4.5 mm. A 3.5 mm tongue screw is the hidden-fix family, and it is the wrong only fixing on 22 mm chipboard.
NHBC’s minimum is twice the board, 44 mm on 22 mm, and makers often sell 55–60 mm for that thickness. The fischer box is 40 mm. The Ulti-Mate floorboard box is 50 mm. Both are short of the 55–60 mm practical band on 22 mm board.
Reviews in this set report heads or shanks shearing, including fine Torx heads that chew bits. One long-term user prefers a drill-driver to an impact driver. Reviews of old dense pine recommend a pilot hole even when the bullets do not require one. Do not screw between the joists.
Face-fix chipboard and softwood want about 4.0–4.5 mm, a No. 8 or slightly over. A 3.5 mm screw is the tongue-and-groove family. A hex-head frame screw is not a floorboard screw. In this set the Ulti-Mate floorboard box is 4.2 mm, fischer is 4.0 mm, Keple is 3.9 mm, and the tongue box is 3.5 mm. The squeak kit does not state a diameter. Length follows the thickness you measured. NHBC’s published minimum is twice the board: 36 mm on 18 mm and 44 mm on 22 mm.
A partial thread, or a clearance hole through the board, lets the head pull the sheet onto the joist. Fully threaded chipboard screws need that clearance or firm pressure. The Ulti-Mate floorboard box and the tongue box are partially threaded. fischer is fully threaded. Keple’s listing says fully threaded in one field and partially threaded in another. Use a small countersunk head if you will see or sand the floor.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You are fixing 18 mm chipboard or softwood boards to joists and you want a named floorboard screw with a partial thread. The Ulti-Mate 4.2 x 50 mm box is about £9.99 for 200, at 4.5 from 309 reviews. That length sits in the 45–50 mm band often bought for 18 mm board. Some reviewers report sheared heads, and some say the claimed bit was missing.
You have measured 22 mm chipboard, so the practical length is 55–60 mm. Keple is 3.9 x 58 mm and the title names floor boards, at about £18.99 for 250. The listing conflicts on thread and on metal, and the star line is 5.0 from 1 review with no review text. Check the thread and the metal when the box arrives.
The carpet cannot come up, you accept a snapped head, and you have checked the void for pipes and cables before you drive. The AYNEFY kit is about £23.33 for 50 screws and five tools, at 2.9 from 5 reviews. Diameter and length are not stated. A review says no screw head remains, so the board will not lift later.
In this set of five amazon.co.uk listings, the top pick is the Ulti-Mate FB42050, 4.2 x 50 mm, about £9.99 for 200, at 4.5 from 309 reviews. It is the named floorboard box with the only large review file. Heads or shanks shear for some buyers, and 50 mm is short of the 55–60 mm band on 22 mm board. The best value is the fischer Power-Fast II, 4.0 x 40 mm, about £19.85 for 1,200, about 1.7p each. That score stays lower because there are four reviews, the title does not say floorboard, and 40 mm is short of the usual buy. The 5.0 from one Keple rating is not a value case.
fischer Power-Fast II chipboard screws, 4.0 x 40 mm
Lowest unit price in this set, about £19.85 for 1,200, about 1.7p each, as a bulk chipboard screw for 18 mm board if you clearance-drill or hold the sheet down.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listings, checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the figures in the display file. Aisle prices outside amazon.co.uk are context, not these shelf prices.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are from the UK listings checked on 19 October 2026. We did not lab-test these screws.
