How to fit wall plugs
Updated: October 2026
You have a plug in one hand and a wall you believe is brick, block or concrete. How to fit wall plugs, here, is that solid-wall sequence: check for cables, drill the diameter the packet states, go deep enough, clear the dust, and drive a screw that expands the sleeve. If the wall is plasterboard or dot and dab, stop and open [plasterboard or brick](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/wall-plug/sub/wall-plug-plasterboard-vs-brick). The five sets are in the [wall plug comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/wall-plug). This is not a load test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have a plug in one hand and a wall you believe is brick, block or concrete.
You have a plug in one hand and a wall you believe is brick, block or concrete. How to fit wall plugs, here, is that solid-wall sequence: check for cables, drill the diameter the packet states, go deep enough, clear the dust, and drive a screw that expands the sleeve. If the wall is plasterboard or dot and dab, stop and open plasterboard or brick. The five sets are in the wall plug comparison. This is not a load test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Drill on the listing | Screws | Failure in reviews | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  PlasPlugs PlasPlugs 52 assorted wall plugs | Not printed on the listing | No | Plugs break at the neck | 7.7 | about £4.22 | View offer |
 Merriway Merriway BH07204 yellow, red and brown | Gauges only, no millimetres | No | Sprigs hard to snap apart | 8.4 | about £4.56 | View offer | |
| Alternative |  Yibaijia Yibaijia 110-piece M6 and M8 set | M6 and M8 lengths named | Yes | Screw heads snap | 7.6 | about £4.99 | View offer |
On this page
Check the wall and the cable first
Call the wall solid only if you have a reason: exposed brick, a bit that meets hard masonry after the plaster, or a house you know is brick or block. Painted plaster hides a stud bay, a dot-and-dab gap and a solid wall equally well. A hollow sound is a hint, not a survey. If you are not sure, do not start this sequence.
Before the bit touches the wall, look for cables and pipes. The Health and Safety Executive says look both sides and stop if you cannot locate the cable. If the route is unknown, turn the supply off. Switching off at the consumer unit does not kill the incoming supply. None of the five packs includes a detector or a drill bit. Mark the hole, and wear eye protection when you clear masonry dust.
Bit, depth and dust
The bit is the plug diameter unless the packet says otherwise. B&Q puts it that way. TOX states drill diameter equals plug diameter, then names exceptions. Merriway gives gauge bands and no millimetres, so the card in that pack has to supply the bit. If the packet has no number, do not invent one from a colour name. Charts that disagree are on yellow, red and brown sizes.
TOX's rule for ordinary plastic plugs is hole depth equals plug length plus at least 10 mm, and screw length equals plug length plus the fitting thickness plus 5 mm. Those are method rules, not a test of these packs. Rawlplug UNO publishes its own minimum hole depths, 34 mm on the 5 mm yellow through 46 mm on the 10 mm grey. Do not paste those onto a PlasPlugs assortment that prints no length. Wrap tape on the bit. Hammer action is for hard brick and concrete, as Toolstation describes. Clear the dust or the plug springs back. If it rattles, the bit was large. Do not open the same hole with a bigger bit.
Plug in, screw in
The plug should finish flush. A screw that is too short clamps the bracket and never opens the plug. A screw that is too thin spins inside the sleeve. Stop if the plug rotates with the screw. DODIYDO reviews include screws that do not tighten. More torque chews the plastic or snaps the head. Drill a new hole at the correct diameter.
Yibaijia reviews are the other failure. Heads snap, including one in a pilot hole in wood. If the driver starts to jump, stop. The bit in your chuck is your responsibility, because none of these packs includes one.
When the fixing fails in your hand
Three causes cover most failures on a wall you were right to call solid. The hole is wider than the plug, often because someone opened it. The screw is thinner than the plug's range, so the sleeve never expands. The head snaps because the screw is soft or the driver is wrong, which is not a reason to enlarge the same hole.
A new hole, a short distance away, at the packet diameter, is the repair. If the masonry is crumbling, a plastic plug has nothing sound to expand against. A picture and a light shelf are the jobs these steps are for. A boiler, a large television, a radiator, a handrail or a kitchen wall unit needs the fixing the manufacturer specifies. If the plug is flush and the fitting does not move when you load it gently by hand, you are done.
Common questions
What size drill bit do I use?
Use the diameter printed for that plug. B&Q and TOX both start from the plug diameter and allow the packet to say otherwise. Merriway states screw gauges and not millimetre bits, so you need the card in the pack. A colour name from another maker's chart is not a bit size.
How deep should the hole be?
Deeper than the plug. TOX's rule is plug length plus at least 10 mm, so dust and the screw tip are not jammed at the end. Rawlplug UNO publishes its own minimums, from 34 mm to 46 mm by size, and those depths belong to UNO. Mark the bit with tape.
Do I need hammer action?
On hard brick and concrete, hammer action is what Toolstation describes for masonry. On softer block a rotary bit may be enough, and you still want the packet diameter. You do not use hammer action on plasterboard.
How do I stop the plug spinning?
Stop driving. A spinning plug means the hole is too big or the screw is too thin to expand the sleeve. DODIYDO reviews include screws that never tighten. Pull the fixing out and drill a new hole at the correct diameter.
Should the screw go past the end of the plug?
The tip needs enough length to expand the sleeve after it has passed through the fitting. TOX states screw length as plug length plus fitting thickness plus 5 mm. A screw that ends inside the fitting never opens the plug.
What if the screw head snaps?
Stop. Do not keep turning the stub. Yibaijia reviews include heads that snap and leave a screw in the hole, including one that broke in wood. The plug may take a better screw, or the stub may have to be drilled out. A larger plug in the same ruined hole is not the next step.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources on masonry plugs, plasterboard fixings, and drilling near cables. Listings checked 16 October 2026. Prices on amazon.co.uk move.
- DIY Doctor, fixing to masonry (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- DIY Doctor, fixing to plasterboard (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Rawlplug UNO data sheet (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Fischer DuoPower ETA (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- EOTA EAD 330284-00-0604 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- HSE, work near electricity (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- HSE CIS65 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- BSI, BS EN 14566 (retrieved 16 October 2026)