Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

How to level timber battens with an adjusting screw

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are fixing timber battens to a wooden wall or ceiling, and packers at every screw are slowing the line. How to level timber battens with an adjusting screw depends on which screw is in your hand, because SPAX and fischer FAFS are adjusted by different motions. Use the sequence for the brand you actually hold, set the gap, keep the head flush, and wedge a floor afterwards. Product scores stay on the [adjusting screws comparison](/hub/screws-and-accessories/adjusting-screws). Peter F., DIY & tools editor, followed the SPAX flyer and the fischer UK page for the steps below. This is not a test run on site. A qualifying amazon.co.uk purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are fixing timber battens to a wooden wall or ceiling, and packers at every screw are slowing the line.

Our top picks

SPAX SPAX 6 x 160 mm

Best overall

SPAX SPAX 6 x 160 mm
7.0/10about £26.95
View offer
fischer fischer FAFS 5 x 80

Alternative

fischer fischer FAFS 5 x 80
6.6/10about £27.42
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What you are adjusting
  2. 2.The SPAX sequence
  3. 3.The fischer FAFS sequence
  4. 4.Floors, masonry and the point you stop

What you are adjusting

The job is a timber batten on a timber substrate. The screw fixes the batten and then sets the distance so the line is flat. The head should finish flush, or slightly below the face. In this comparison the SPAX screw is the 6 x 160 mm T30 with retaining grooves under a flat head. The fischer screw is FAFS 5 x 80 mm with a TX25 drive. SPAX’s flyer row lists a maximum wood thickness of 40 mm and a maximum distance of 120 mm. fischer’s page lists a maximum distance of 60 mm and a minimum timber thickness of 20 mm. Length and coating choices are in the adjusting screws buying guide.

The SPAX sequence

Fit a T30 bit. Drive the screw fully through the batten into the wooden base so the thread is home. Then turn it anti-clockwise. The retaining grooves under the head bite as you unscrew, and the batten lifts off the substrate. Stop when a straight edge shows the face where you need it. Countersink the head at least 1 mm below the face. That figure is on the SPAX flyer. Softwood often needs no pilot. Near an edge, or in hardwood, drill. Check the length before the first hole. One stored review says 6 x 80 mm arrived in a listing titled 6 x 160 mm.
SPAX SPAX 6 x 160 mm

Testsieger

SPAX SPAX 6 x 160 mm
7.0/10about £26.95
View offer

The fischer FAFS sequence

Fit a TX25 bit. fischer’s UK page describes a setting tool so you can drive the screw until the clip sits flush. You then use the bit alone and change direction. The clip stays in the timber while the screw turns. The amazon included line for this £27.42 listing does not list the setting tool. Pre-drill 6 mm when the timber is under 30 mm thick, when it is hardwood, or when you are near an edge. The 5 x 80 screw has a maximum distance of 60 mm. Count the screws before you lay out the wall. The piece-count field says 1 while the included line says 100. The two heads are compared on SPAX vs fischer adjusting screw.

Floors, masonry and the point you stop

After you have adjusted, the SPAX flyer tells you to shim a loaded floor with wedges so the load is not left on the adjustment alone. A ceiling or a sheltered wall batten does not get that wedge step. fischer allows FAFS into masonry only with a DuoPower or UX 6 x 50 after a 6 mm hole, and that plug is not in the pack. A frame that names BS EN 14592 needs the fastener on the drawing. Stop when the substrate is not the timber the screw was chosen for, or when the head will not sit flush without splitting the batten. Which listing to open is on best adjusting screws.

Common questions

What is the SPAX sequence?
Drive the 6 x 160 mm screw fully through the batten into the wooden base with a T30 bit. Turn it anti-clockwise so the retaining grooves lift the batten to the gap. Leave the head at least 1 mm below the face, which is the flyer figure. Sight the run before you fix cladding with a different screw.
What is the FAFS sequence?
Use TX25. Seat the clip flush with the setting tool fischer describes, then adjust with the bit alone by changing direction so the clip stays put. That tool is not listed in the amazon included components. Pre-drill 6 mm under 30 mm thickness, in hardwood, or near an edge. Stay within the 60 mm maximum distance for the 5 x 80.
How deep should the head sit?
On the SPAX flyer, at least 1 mm below the face. A proud head prints through the next board or leaves it rocking. FAFS is set so the clip sits flush, using the setting tool, rather than by the same countersink habit. Check with a straight edge across two battens, not by eye from the floor.
Do I need a pilot hole?
Often not in softwood for SPAX, though the amazon bullet says it depends on the wood, and you should drill near an edge or in hardwood. For FAFS, fischer recommends a 6 mm pilot under 30 mm thickness, in hardwood, or near an edge. Skipping that pilot is a common reason a short screw splits the batten or refuses to bite.
Can I level a floor the same way as a wall?
You can set the batten with the same brand sequence, and you then wedge the floor. The SPAX flyer is explicit about shims after adjustment when the floor will take load. A wall or ceiling batten in a sheltered room does not get that extra wedge step. Do not leave a walked-on floor supported only by the unscrewed adjustment.
What if the substrate is masonry?
Stop, unless you are following fischer’s masonry note: a DuoPower or UX 6 x 50 in a 6 mm hole, and that plug is not in this pack. The SPAX bullets in this comparison talk about wooden substructures. Brick, block and concrete are not close enough to a joist. Use the fixing specified for that wall.
When should I call a joiner?
Call one when the drawing specifies BS EN 14592, when you are replacing a window, when the first screws will not hold, or when the coating is unknown on timber that will get wet. A sheltered timber batten with the right length and the right bit is ordinary DIY. A structural or weathered connection is not.

Related pages

SPAX screws comparison

Adjusting screws

Best adjusting screws for a batten or a light foot

Adjusting screws buying guide for a batten or foot

Furniture levelling feet: match the M6, M8 or M10 hole

SPAX vs fischer adjusting screw for timber battens

Sources

Public sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the stored amazon.co.uk listings for these five ASINs, not a live re-check and not a laboratory test. SPAX and fischer review texts in the files are marked Germany. Uni-Fine has no UK-marked review in the file.

  1. SPAX UK, Adjusting screw WIROX (retrieved October 2026)
  2. SPAX adjusting screw flyer (retrieved October 2026)
  3. fischer UK, FAFS adjusting screw (retrieved October 2026)
  4. fischer UK, JUSS adjustable screw (retrieved October 2026)
  5. BSI, BS EN 14592:2022 (retrieved October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved October 2026)
  7. GOV.UK, competent person schemes (retrieved October 2026)
  8. SPAX coating notes (retrieved October 2026)