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Pozidriv vs Phillips

Updated: October 2026

You are looking at two crosses and the screw is already chewing. One head has four little ticks at the corners of the cross. The other is a plain cross and nothing else. Pozidriv vs Phillips is that difference, plus the size number printed beside it. Use the matching bit. If you only have the wrong one, stop once the recess starts to shine. The box you buy is the [screwdriver bit set buying guide](/hub/screws-and-accessories/bit-set/sub/bit-set-buying-guide), and the comparison is [bit set](/hub/screws-and-accessories/bit-set). This is not a laboratory test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are looking at two crosses and the screw is already chewing. One head has four little ticks at the corners of the cross. The other is a plain cross and nothing else.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch 32-piece Extra Hard

Best overall

Bosch Bosch 32-piece Extra Hard
7.5/10about £8.36
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Faithfull Faithfull 61-piece

Best value

Faithfull Faithfull 61-piece
5.1/10about £8.99
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Amazon Basics Amazon Basics 42-piece

Rank 3

Amazon Basics Amazon Basics 42-piece
4.9/10about £10.08
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On this page
  1. 1.How to tell them apart
  2. 2.What the wrong bit does
  3. 3.PZ2 is a size, not a type
  4. 4.Which listings name both

How to tell them apart

Hold the screw under a lamp before you reach for the drill. Pozidriv, often spelt Pozidrive, has a cross and four tick marks, one in each corner. Phillips has the cross only. Bolts.co.uk adds that Pozidriv faces are closer to parallel, while Phillips faces taper. Paint can hide the ticks, so wipe the recess and look again. UK woodscrews are commonly Pozidriv. Drywall screws are often Phillips when the box says Phillips. Deck screws are often Torx, a star. A star with a pin in the middle is tamper Torx. JIS is a different cross. If the packet says JIS, a Phillips bit is the wrong guess.

What the wrong bit does

A Phillips bit in a Pozidriv screw is the common way to ruin a woodscrew. Shop4Fasteners puts it plainly: Phillips is designed to cam out, and Pozidriv is designed not to. Bolts.co.uk says a Phillips bit may turn a Pozidriv screw at very low torque and can still damage it. A Pozidriv bit in a Phillips screw sits proud and scars the head. Fetch a PH bit. PZ2 in a PZ1 head rounds the screw even when the family is right. Stop at the first shine. How to seat the bit is how to use screwdriver bits.
Bosch Bosch 32-piece Extra Hard

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch 32-piece Extra Hard
7.5/10about £8.36
View offer

PZ2 is a size, not a type

PZ2 means Pozidriv, size 2. PH2 means Phillips, size 2. The letters choose the family and the number chooses the fit. BuildWiz’s table, not a British Standard, puts PZ2 on woodscrews of about 3.5–5.0 mm and PZ3 from about 6 mm. Wonkee Donkee’s example calls a 3.0 mm Pozidriv screw PZ1. Follow the packet when it disagrees. Drywall screws are often Phillips, so PH2 is the bit, even when the timber screws beside them are PZ2. Torx is a third shape, and neither cross drives it.

Which listings name both

A set is useful here only if it names both families. On 15 October 2026 both names appear on the Bosch, Bahco, Faithfull, Wera, and GEINXURN listings in this comparison. Amazon Basics names Phillips and does not name Pozidriv. Milwaukee’s Shockwave text does the same. Those two will not give you a PZ2. Which set to open first is on the best screwdriver bit set page. If the screw has tick marks, use PZ of the size that sits flat. If it has none, use PH. A Phillips bit in a Pozidriv screw is not a working method for a drill.

Common questions

Can a PH2 bit drive a PZ2 screw just this once?
It may turn the screw at very low torque, and it can still round the head. Bolts.co.uk makes both points. On a drill, driving on just this once is how the recess shines before the screw is flush. If the head is already marking, stop and fetch a PZ2. A hand screwdriver does less harm than a clutch set high, and it is still the wrong bit.
What happens if I use PZ in a Phillips screw?
The Pozidriv bit sits proud of the tapered Phillips flanks and rocks. It scars the head instead of driving it, and the screw often spins in plasterboard once the recess is torn. Take the PZ bit out and fit PH of the same size number. Do not grind the tip down to make it fit. You will end up with a bit that matches neither screw.
Which size is a 4 mm woodscrew?
On the BuildWiz table, a 4 mm woodscrew falls in the 3.5–5.0 mm band they assign to PZ2. That is their guide, not a British Standard being quoted, and the box can say otherwise. A 3 mm Pozidriv screw is the Wonkee Donkee example for PZ1. From about 6 mm they point at PZ3. If the printed size and the chart disagree, follow the screw box, then check that the bit does not rock.
Are drywall screws Pozidriv?
Often they are not. Many UK drywall screws are Phillips if the box says Phillips, so PH2 is the usual bit, while the woodscrews beside them are Pozidriv. Read the box before you assume one cross does the whole room. If the head has no tick marks, do not use the PZ2 you just used on the timber. Torx board screws exist as well. The star is a third shape, and neither cross drives it.
Is Supadriv a third bit I must buy?
Not if you already have a Pozidriv driver that fits. ITS Hub says Supadriv can use the same driver as Pozidriv. Buy a separate bit only if the packet tells you to, or if the Pozidriv tip rocks in that head. JIS is the cross that does need its own treatment, and it is outside the screws this page is sorting. Tick marks still mean Pozidriv or a Pozidriv-compatible screw, not a Phillips.

Related pages

Mixing up Pozidriv and Phillips

Bit set

Best screwdriver bit set for a first UK combi drill

Screwdriver bit set buying guide for recess and case

How to use screwdriver bits without rounding the screw

Impact driver bit set if ordinary tips already snap

Sources

Public UK sources on drive ends, Pozidriv and Phillips, impact-bit wording, satisfactory quality and work equipment. Listing prices and star counts are from the amazon.co.uk extracts kept for this comparison on 15 October 2026. Prices move.

  1. ISO 1173:2001, assembly tools for screws and nuts (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Bosch Professional GB, extra-hard screwdriver bits (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. Screwfix, types of screwdrivers (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Bolts.co.uk, Phillips and Pozidriv (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Milwaukee Tool UK, Shockwave impact duty bits (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. GOV.UK, accepting returns and giving refunds (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 16 October 2026)