Do you need a hammer drill to drill into concrete?

For anything beyond a shallow hole in soft concrete, yes. A hammer drill (or a more powerful rotary hammer) pounds the bit forward thousands of times a minute while it spins, chipping through the aggregate — plain rotary drilling just polishes the surface and cooks the bit. You can start a small hole with a regular drill and a masonry bit in a pinch, but it is slow and hard on the tool. For repeated holes or anything into cured structural concrete, use a hammer drill and a carbide masonry bit.

What kind of drill bit do you use for concrete?

A carbide-tipped masonry bit, matched to a hammer drill (or an SDS bit for a rotary hammer). The bit has a distinctive wide, angled carbide cutting tip brazed to the end that survives the pounding and abrasion of concrete. A standard twist bit for wood or metal will dull almost instantly. Buy the bit diameter your anchor calls for — concrete anchors specify an exact hole size, and drilling the wrong diameter means the anchor won't hold.

How do you keep a concrete drill bit from overheating?

Back the bit out of the hole every few seconds to clear the dust and let it cool, and don't lean on the drill — let the hammering do the work with moderate pressure. Dust packed in the hole causes friction and heat and slows progress. For deep or large holes, a squirt of water or periodic vacuuming clears the dust and keeps the carbide cool. If the bit or hole is smoking, you are pushing too hard or not clearing dust often enough.

What do you do if you hit rebar while drilling concrete?

Stop hammering. If the bit suddenly stalls and stops progressing, you have likely hit steel reinforcing bar. Don't force it — a masonry bit won't cut steel and you can damage the bit or the drill. Either relocate the hole an inch or two over, or, if you must go through, switch to a rebar-cutting bit designed for it. Hitting rebar repeatedly in the same structural element can also weaken it, so relocating is usually the smarter move.

When should you not drill into concrete yourself?

Call a pro before drilling into concrete that might contain post-tension cables (common in some slab foundations and parking structures) — cutting one is dangerous and expensive, and these locations should be scanned first. Also stop if you suspect electrical conduit, plumbing, or radiant-heat lines run through the slab or wall. For ordinary anchoring into a garage floor, patio, or foundation wall, DIY is fine — but if the structure is post-tensioned or you can't rule out embedded utilities, get it scanned or hire someone with the equipment.

How to Drill Into Concrete (Hammer Drill, Bits, Anchors)

Written & researched by Priya Anand DIY & Tools Editor

Updated August 2026

Close-up detail of the material being worked in a power tools & workshop project, in soft early-morning light

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Drilling into concrete is well within DIY reach — the key is having the right tool. With a hammer drill and a carbide masonry bit, a typical anchor hole takes a couple of minutes, and a small project costs only the price of a bit and some anchors. It is safe DIY work for ordinary jobs like mounting a shelf bracket, a TV, or a railing post. The two things that ruin it are trying to use a regular drill with a regular bit (it just polishes the surface) and pushing too hard without clearing the dust (which burns the bit). One real caution: in post-tensioned slabs, or where utilities may be embedded, stop and get the area scanned first.

How to Use a Hammer Drill on Concrete — DIY Home Improvement Guide (ModernMilt)

Tools and materials

A hammer drill (or rotary hammer for big or frequent jobs) — a plain drill won’t cut cured concrete efficiently. If you’re choosing a drill, our best cordless drills guide flags which have a hammer mode.
A carbide-tipped masonry bit sized to your anchor, plus safety glasses and a dust mask — concrete dust contains silica.
A shop vacuum or a can of compressed air to clear dust from the hole — our shop vac picks help. Plus the anchors themselves (sleeve, wedge, or concrete screws like Tapcons).

Three-quarter view of a person drilling into a timber board on a workbench, sawdust in the air, in warm late-afternoon light

Step 1: Mark the hole and set depth

Mark your hole location and, if using an anchor, note the required hole diameter and depth from the anchor packaging — concrete anchors specify both. Wrap a piece of tape around the bit at the target depth as a visual stop, or use the drill’s depth rod. Drill a hair deeper than the anchor length so debris at the bottom doesn’t stop the anchor seating.

Step 2: Start the hole

Put on eye protection and a dust mask. Set the drill to hammer mode. Hold the bit perpendicular to the surface and start at low speed with light pressure to keep the bit from wandering off the mark. Once it bites and forms a starter divot, bring it up to full speed.

Three-quarter view of a person drilling into a timber board on a workbench, sawdust in the air, in bright midday sun

Step 3: Drill with moderate pressure, clearing often

Let the hammering do the work — moderate steady pressure, not leaning your weight in. Every few seconds, pull the bit most of the way out to clear the pulverized concrete dust, then continue. This keeps the bit cool and cutting; a hole packed with dust generates heat and stalls progress. Keep the drill straight so the hole stays true.

Step 4: Handle a sudden stall (rebar)

If the bit abruptly stops advancing and the drill bogs, you have likely hit rebar. Do not force it — relocate the hole an inch or two, or switch to a rebar-cutting bit only if you truly must pass through. Forcing a masonry bit into steel damages the bit and can weaken the reinforcement.

Over-the-shoulder view of a person drilling into a timber board on a workbench, sawdust in the air, in warm late-afternoon light

Step 5: Clean the hole and set the anchor

Vacuum or blow the dust out of the finished hole — a clean hole is critical for anchor holding power. Then set your anchor: tap in a sleeve or wedge anchor and tighten to expand it, or drive a concrete screw directly into a correctly sized hole. A hole that’s dusty or the wrong diameter is the top reason anchors pull out.

Where to go next

Drilling into brick uses the same masonry technique with softer material and different anchoring. To keep bits cutting, learn to sharpen drill bits (twist bits, not masonry). Understand your tools with drill vs impact driver. It all lives under the power tools and workshop hub.

We never buy or physically test the tools we rank — our picks come from aggregated owner reviews and expert consensus, explained on how we rank. Codes and structural rules are jurisdiction-specific; when in doubt about a structural slab, consult a pro.

How to Drill Into Concrete