How to remove a broken drill bit from metal, wood or concrete

Most likely situations

Stop the drill as soon as you feel the bit snap. Then look at what's left in the hole.

Fixes by what the bit broke in

Metal: the stub sticks out

1. Blow or vacuum the chips out of the hole. A magnet also pulls steel chips out.
2. Put a drop of penetrating oil on the stub. Give it a few minutes.
3. Clamp locking pliers on the stub as close to the surface as you can.
4. Turn counterclockwise while you pull. Go slowly. A twist bit cuts clockwise, so turning it backward lifts the cutting edges off the metal.
5. If it won't turn, wiggle it gently side to side and add more oil. Don't lever hard. A steel bit can snap again, flush this time.

Metal: it broke flush in a through-hole

If you can reach the back of the hole, this is the easy case.

1. Pick a pin punch a little smaller than the hole.
2. Set the part on a solid surface with the hole over a gap, such as an open vise.
3. Tap the stub back out the way it came in, with light hammer blows.

Metal: it broke flush in a blind hole

This is the hard one. A drill bit is hardened, so a regular bit just skates or dulls on it. That also rules out most screw extractors, because they need a pilot hole drilled into the broken part. Our screw extractor size chart is for screws and bolts, not bits.

Grind the stub out instead:

1. Clamp the part so it can't move.
2. Put a tungsten carbide cutter in a rotary tool. Dremel rates its 9909 carbide cutter for hardened steel.
3. Start in the center of the stub and work slowly. Let the cutter do the work. Short passes keep heat down.
4. Grind until the stub is gone or loose enough to pick out with a scribe.
5. For a broken carbide bit, switch to a diamond burr. Dremel describes tungsten carbide as the hardest material next to diamond, so carbide won't grind carbide well.

If the part is valuable, such as an engine block, a cylinder head or a threaded hole you can't move, stop and see the pro section below.

Wood: drill around it

Wood is soft, so you remove the wood, not the bit.

1. If the stub sticks out, try locking pliers first.
2. If it broke flush, pick a plug cutter or small hole saw. Its inside must clear the bit, so the teeth only touch wood.
3. Drill around the stub to the depth of the break.
4. Pry out the core of wood with the bit inside it.
5. Glue in a wood plug or a dowel the same size. Let it dry, trim it flush and redrill.

If nobody will see the spot, you can also leave the stub, fill over it and drill a new hole a little to the side.

Concrete, brick or block: move the hole

A masonry bit has a carbide tip. If it wedges and breaks, the tip often stays deep in the hole.

1. Cut off anything that sticks out with a hacksaw or a rotary tool with a metal cut-off wheel.
2. Fill the old hole with patching mortar or filler.
3. Drill a new hole far enough away that the two holes don't run together.

For better results next time, read how to drill into concrete.

Drywall: push or pull it

Drywall can't hold a bit tightly. Pull it out with pliers. If it's flush, push it through into the wall cavity and drill the next hole slightly to the side.

Why do drill bits break?

Most snapped bits come down to one of these:

• Side pressure. Leaning on the drill or letting it tilt bends the bit until it snaps. Small bits break first.
• Breakthrough grab. The bit catches as it exits the back of the metal and twists off. Ease off the pressure as you break through.
• Heat and a dull bit. A dull bit rubs instead of cutting. It heats up and can seize. If you see smoke or blue color, read drill bit smoking or turning blue.
• Carbide in a hand drill. Tivoly explains that carbide is much harder than high-speed steel (HSS) but more brittle. It can crack under shock or vibration. HSS is more forgiving for hand drilling.
• The wrong bit. Our drill bit types guide and the drill bit selector match the bit to the material.

If that didn't work

• The pliers keep slipping. File two small flats on the stub so the jaws bite. Or use a smaller pair of locking pliers with pointed jaws.
• The burr skates off the stub. Grind a small dimple in the center first. Then work outward from it.
• The hole is now oversize. Drill and tap it one size larger, or fit a thread insert, if the part allows it.
• The stub is loose but won't come out. Hold a strong magnet at the hole, or use a dab of glue on a stiff wire. Let it set, then pull.

When to call a pro

Take the part to a machine shop if a bit broke in an engine block, a cylinder head or any part that costs more than the repair. Many shops have an EDM (electrical discharge machining) machine. It burns away the broken piece with electric sparks, with no force on the part. That's often the only clean way to remove broken carbide.

Drilling metal again? Our how to drill metal guide covers speed, oil and pilot holes, and the best drill bit for hardened steel helps you pick a tougher bit. More drilling fixes are in the drilling hub, and the steel material page covers that metal.

What you'll need

• Safety glasses or a face shield: Broken bits and grinding throw sharp chips
• Locking pliers or needle-nose locking pliers: For a stub that sticks out
• Penetrating oil: Helps free a stub in metal
• Rotary tool with a carbide cutter or diamond point: For grinding a flush break
• Magnet or shop vacuum: Pulls chips out of the hole
• Pin punch and hammer: Only for through-holes
• Plug cutter or hole saw, wood plug or dowel, wood glue: For a bit broken in wood

Questions people ask

Change log: Nov 6, 2026: Rewritten from the 2023 archive post on carbide bits. Broadened to all bit types. Removed the advice to drill out a hardened bit with another bit and the claim that carbide bits suit wood drilling; added situation fixes and a safety note.