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Cavity wall plug buying guide: wall, load, then pack

Updated: 22 October 2026

This cavity wall plug buying guide uses a different order. Name the wall, name the direction of the load, then check whether the pack includes screws and whether any kilogram is printed with its conditions. The seven cards, with GBP prices from amazon.co.uk listings checked on 20 October 2026, sit on the [cavity wall plug comparison](/hub/screws-and-accessories/cavity-wall-plug). Peter F. is the DIY & tools editor. This is not a pull-out test. If you buy through our links, a qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

This cavity wall plug buying guide uses a different order. Name the wall, name the direction of the load, then check whether the pack includes screws and whether any kilogram is printed with its conditions.

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Name the wall before the plug

A cavity fixing earns its name when something behind the face can take the grip. If the drill hits a stud, a plasterboard screw into the timber is the stronger job. Between studs you want a gravity toggle, a knotting anchor, or a winged hollow plug. A brick plug in that void has nothing solid to expand against. DIY Doctor’s note says an expanding plug loosens in the soft face. Dot and dab is a different buy. A toggle that only clamps the gypsum leaves the masonry unused. A flush television or a radiator close to the wall wants a bridge into the block, on the dot and dab wall fixings page. Solid brick under a thin skim wants a masonry plug.

Read the load with its conditions

fischer’s load table, which is not on the DuoTec listing, recommends 0.20 kN for one DuoTec 10 in 12.5 mm plasterboard at a 625 mm span, with a 4.5 or 5.0 mm chipboard screw. About 20 kg is only a conversion. The 0.36 kN row is a 120 mm span, the wrong row for a normal bay. The listing at about £12.99 claims a high load and prints no kilogram. The Corefix maker page states 55 kg per fixing, factor of safety 2, and 40 kg in aerated concrete. The six-pack also says up to 150 kg. The 24-box says up to 100 kg on four fixings. Do not add those lines. Homebuilding’s line that a 12.5 mm hollow-wall anchor should hold at least 30 kg is not a rating for these packs.
fischer fischer DuoTec 10, 20

Testsieger

fischer fischer DuoTec 10, 20
8.2/10about £12.99

Screws, drill and cavity depth

DuoTec 10 at about £12.99 is plugs only, a 10 mm hole, and the maker asks for at least 40 mm of cavity. PlasPlugs at about £3.99 is also plugs only. The drill size is on the pack, not in the listing. DuoHM at about £12.99 includes 25 M5 x 55 PZ screws. The listing prints no kilogram. The maker page states 20 kg in 12.5 mm plasterboard, a 10 mm hole and at least 45 mm of cavity. The Corefix six-pack at about £9.49 includes six 100 mm screws and a 10 mm bit. The 24-box at about £21.00 does not list a bit. Wavanta states an 8 mm hole, and its 100 pieces are 50 plugs plus 50 screws. PEAPIN asks for a 10 mm twist bit, not an impact bit, while a review measured 3.5 mm x 50 mm screws against an M8 field. The sequence is on how to fit cavity wall plugs.

What the prices in this set buy

About £3.99 to £5.99 is PlasPlugs, PEAPIN and Wavanta: quantity, not a published load table. Heavy duty with no kilogram is a phrase. Keep a television off that band. About £9.49 to £12.99 is the Corefix six-pack, DuoTec and DuoHM. DuoHM has 115 reviews against DuoTec’s 1,413. The 24-box is 4.7 from 1,437, and a stud void does not need a 100 mm hole into block. Who should open which card is on best cavity wall plugs.

Common questions

What should you check before the brand?
Check the wall and the way the weight pulls before logos or piece counts. A stud void, a dab gap over block, and solid masonry are three buys. A toggle does not become a dab bridge because both packets say plasterboard. Find the structure first, then read screws, hole size and any kilogram with conditions.
When is a toggle the right family, and when is a dab bridge?
A toggle, a knotting anchor or a winged hollow plug is for a hole between studs, where the grip is the back of the board. A dab bridge is for when the board is a skin on block or brick and the load should reach the masonry. Corefix is that bridge in this set. DuoTec and DuoHM are the stud-void cards.
Why is heavy duty not a kilogram?
Heavy duty is wording. A kilogram you can repeat has a board thickness, a span or a number of fixings, and a direction. DuoTec’s listing claims a high load and prints no kilogram. PEAPIN’s bullets say heavy duty and print no kilogram. Quote one Corefix line and leave the others beside it.
Which packs in this set include screws?
DuoHM, both Corefix packs, Wavanta and PEAPIN include screws. DuoTec and PlasPlugs do not. Wavanta’s 100 is 50 plugs and 50 screws. PEAPIN’s 60 is 30 anchors and 30 screws. Reviews on Wavanta say the screws come up short once the fixture is thicker than about 6 or 7 mm.
Can you multiply a per-fixing figure by the number of plugs?
No. Corefix’s 55 kg line is per fixing on the maker page. The six-pack’s up to 150 kg and the 24-box’s up to 100 kg on four fixings are group lines. Multiplying 55 by the number of plugs invents a capacity the sources do not state. Quote the sentence you mean, and name how many fixings it counted.
What is the difference between shear and a cantilever arm?
Shear is the load when the object sits flat against a vertical wall, the way a flush bracket does. A cantilever arm stands off the wall and asks the fixing to resist rotation as well as weight. Both Corefix listings say cantilever brackets are not recommended. A gas boiler stays with a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Related pages

Sources

Maker pages and UK public sources used for this comparison, checked on 20 October 2026. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listings checked that day.

  1. fischer DuoTec nylon toggle (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. fischer DuoTec recommended loads (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. fischer DuoHM cavity fixing (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. Corefix Connect 100 mm, 24 box (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Corefix, why standard plugs fail on dot and dab (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. HSE, electricity safety (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. BSI, BS EN 14566 mechanical fasteners for gypsum plasterboard (retrieved 20 October 2026)