Is My Drill Machine SDS Plus or SDS Max? How to Tell — Plus a Model Lookup

September 23, 2026

Quick answer: look at the shank of a bit that fits your drill.

10 mm shank, two open grooves and two closed → SDS Plus.

18 mm shank, three open grooves and two closed → SDS Max.

Rule of thumb: nearly every SDS drill under 5 kg is SDS Plus. If it’s a big two-handed machine, it’s probably Max. Your model is likely in the lookup table below.

SDS Plus and SDS Max bits are not interchangeable — the shanks are different sizes and a Max bit simply won’t go into a Plus chuck. On the trade counter, “wrong shank” is the most common reason an SDS bit comes back. Here’s how to be sure before you order, three ways.

1. Check the shank

The quickest and most reliable check. Pick up any bit that fits your drill and look at the end that goes in the chuck.

SDS Plus

Shank 10 mm across
Four grooves — two open (run off the end), two closed
Bits from about 4 mm up to 30 mm
Also written SDS+, SDS-plus, or just “SDS”

SDS Max

Shank 18 mm across — visibly chunkier
Five grooves — three open, two closed
Bits from about 12 mm up to 50 mm and beyond
Always labelled SDS-max

Two rare ones you may meet: SDS Top (14 mm, on some older Bosch hammers, now discontinued) and SDS Quick (Bosch Uneo, a small DIY hammer). If your drill takes neither Plus nor Max, it’s probably one of these.

2. Check the drill

Weight and shape. A pistol-grip or compact D-handle hammer you can hold in one hand (roughly 2–4.5 kg) is SDS Plus. A big two-handed machine (5 kg upwards, often with a side handle and a large front collar) is SDS Max.
The label. Makers print the system on the tool or the box: SDS-plus / SDS+ or SDS-max. Hilti use their own names — TE-C is SDS Plus, TE-Y is SDS Max.
The biggest bit it’s rated for. If the spec says up to 24, 26 or 28 mm in concrete, it’s Plus. If it says 40, 45 or 52 mm, it’s Max.

Can you mix them?

You want to use	Does it work?
SDS Plus bit in an SDS Max drill	No. The 10 mm Plus shank is too small for a Max chuck. Buy the Max version of the size you need.
SDS Max bit in an SDS Plus drill	No. It won’t fit, and a Plus drill hasn’t the power for Max bits anyway.
SDS bit in a normal combi / hammer drill	No. A three-jaw chuck can’t hold an SDS shank. Use round-shank Profi or Extreme masonry bits instead.

Model lookup — SDS Plus or SDS Max?

Popular UK rotary hammers, taken from each manufacturer’s own product pages. Not listed? Use the shank check above — it works on every drill ever made.

Brand	Model	System	Power
Makita	HR2630	SDS Plus	Corded
	HR2670 / HR2670FT	SDS Plus	Corded
	DHR171	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	DHR202	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	DHR242 / DHR243	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	DHR263	SDS Plus	36V (2×18V) cordless
	DHR281	SDS Plus	36V (2×18V) cordless
	HR2470	SDS Plus	Corded
	M8701	SDS Plus	Corded
	HR1840	SDS Plus	Corded
	HR3210C	SDS Plus	Corded
	HR166D	SDS Plus	12V cordless
	DHR182 / DHR183	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	DHR241	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	HR007G / HR009G	SDS Plus	40V XGT cordless
	HR3540C/1	SDS Max	Corded
	HR4013C	SDS Max	Corded
	HR5212C	SDS Max	Corded
	DHR400	SDS Max	36V (2×18V) cordless
DeWalt	D25133K	SDS Plus	Corded
	D25144K	SDS Plus	Corded
	DCH133	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	DCH273	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	D25033K	SDS Plus	Corded
	D25333K	SDS Plus	Corded
	DCH072	SDS Plus	12V cordless
	DCH033	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	DCH172	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	DCH253	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	DCH333	SDS Plus	54V FlexVolt cordless
	DCH416	SDS Plus	54V FlexVolt cordless
	D25481K	SDS Max	Corded
	D25601K	SDS Max	Corded
	D25614K	SDS Max	Corded
	D25773K	SDS Max	Corded
	DCH481	SDS Max	54V FlexVolt cordless
	DCH733	SDS Max	54V FlexVolt cordless
Bosch Professional	GBH 2-26 / 2-26 F / 2-26 DFR	SDS Plus	Corded
	GBH 2-28 / 2-28 F	SDS Plus	Corded
	GBH 18V-18	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	GBH 18V-26 / 18V-26 D / 18V-26 F	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	GBH 2-21	SDS Plus	Corded
	GBH 2-24 D	SDS Plus	Corded
	GBH 3-28 DFR	SDS Plus	Corded
	GBH 4-32 DFR	SDS Plus	Corded
	GBH 18V-20	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	GBH 18V-21	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	GBH 18V-24 C	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	GBH 18V-28 CF	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	GBH 5-40 D	SDS Max	Corded
	GBH 8-45 D / 8-45 DV	SDS Max	Corded
	GBH 12-52 D / 12-52 DV	SDS Max	Corded
	GBH 18V-45 C	SDS Max	18V cordless
	GBH 18V-36 C	SDS Max	18V cordless
Milwaukee	M18 BH	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	M18 BLHX / M18 BLHACD26	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	M18 CHX	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	M18 FH / M18 ONEFHX	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	M18 FHAC16	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	M18 ONEFHPX	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	HD18 HX	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	M12 FHAC16	SDS Plus	12V cordless
	M18 FHAFOH16	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	M18 FHM	SDS Max	18V cordless
	M18 FHACO540	SDS Max	18V cordless
	M18 FHACO745	SDS Max	18V cordless
HiKOKI	DH26PX2	SDS Plus	Corded
	DH18DSL	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	DH18DPA	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	DH1826DA	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	DH24PH2	SDS Plus	Corded
	DH28PCY2	SDS Plus	Corded
	DH28PEC	SDS Plus	Corded
	DH18DPB / DH18DPC	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	DH36DPA / DH36DPB	SDS Plus	36V MultiVolt cordless
	DH3628DA / DH3628DC	SDS Plus	36V MultiVolt cordless
	DH40MC	SDS Max	Corded
	DH52ME	SDS Max	Corded
	DH40MEY / DH40MEY2	SDS Max	Corded
	DH52MEY	SDS Max	Corded
	DH36DMA	SDS Max	36V MultiVolt cordless
	DH3640DA	SDS Max	36V MultiVolt cordless
Hilti	TE 2	SDS Plus (TE-C)	Corded
	TE 7 / TE 7-C	SDS Plus (TE-C)	Corded
	TE 6-A22	SDS Plus (TE-C)	22V cordless
	TE 30-AVR	SDS Plus (TE-C)	Corded
	TE 2-A22	SDS Plus (TE-C)	22V cordless
	TE 2-22 / TE 4-22 / TE 5-22	SDS Plus (TE-C)	22V Nuron cordless
	TE 30-22	SDS Plus (TE-C)	22V Nuron cordless
	TE 60-ATC-AVR	SDS Max (TE-Y)	Corded
	TE 70-ATC/AVR	SDS Max (TE-Y)	Corded
	TE 50-22	SDS Max (TE-Y)	22V Nuron cordless
	TE 60-22	SDS Max (TE-Y)	22V Nuron cordless
Einhell	TE-HD 18/20 Li	SDS Plus	18V Power X-Change cordless
	TE-RH 40 3F	SDS Max	Corded
Erbauer (Screwfix)	ERH750	SDS Plus	Corded
	ERI1078SDS / ERI1079SDS	SDS Plus	18V EXT cordless
Titan (Screwfix)	TTB278SDS	SDS Plus	Corded
	TTB653SDS	SDS Plus	Corded
	TTB1341SDS	SDS Plus	Corded
	TTI871SDS	SDS Plus	18V cordless
	TTB571SDS	SDS Max	Corded
	TTB1345SDM	SDS Max	Corded

Guide only. Compiled from manufacturer listings and correct to the best of our knowledge at September 2026. Model variants (suffixes like K, Z, F, D) normally share the chuck of the base model, but check your own machine or its manual before you order — UK Drills can’t accept responsibility for bits bought for the wrong shank.

Now you know the shank, here are the bits

SDS Plus and SDS Max concrete drills in every size, single bits or packs, plus chisels for both. Over a million bits in stock, free next-working-day UK delivery on orders over £50.

SDS Plus bits · SDS Max bits · SDS chisels · All masonry & SDS

Frequently asked questions

Is SDS the same as SDS Plus?

Almost always, yes. When a drill or a bit just says SDS, it means SDS Plus, the 10 mm shank used by nearly every rotary hammer under about 5 kg. SDS Max is the bigger 18 mm system and is always labelled as Max.

Can I use SDS Plus bits in an SDS Max drill?

No. The 10 mm Plus shank is too small for a Max chuck. Buy the SDS Max version of the size you need.

Can I use SDS Max bits in an SDS Plus drill?

No. The 18 mm Max shank will not go into a Plus chuck, and a Plus drill does not have the impact energy for Max sized bits anyway.

Will SDS bits fit my normal combi drill?

No. An SDS shank needs an SDS chuck. A combi or hammer drill with a three jaw chuck takes round shank masonry bits instead, such as Profi or Extreme concrete bits, and the drill's own hammer action does the rest.

What do Hilti TE-C and TE-Y mean?

They are Hilti's names for the same two systems. TE-C is SDS Plus and TE-Y is SDS Max, so any SDS Plus bit fits a TE-C tool and any SDS Max bit fits a TE-Y tool.

UK Drills has supplied drill bits to UK trade and industry since 1985, from our trade counter in Hindley, Wigan. Still not sure which shank you’ve got? Email info@ukdrills.com with your drill’s model number — we’ll tell you.