Diamond Drill Bits for Porcelain, Tile, Glass & Stone

Drilling a clean hole in porcelain is a different animal than drilling wood or drywall, one wrong move and you've got a cracked tile and a hole that's already been set. This category covers what actually gets the job done, diamond bits and hole saws built to cut through hard, brittle material without blowing out the surface.

DiamondSure built its name on porcelain specifically, their bonded core bits are rated for ceramic, porcelain, glass block, slate, marble, and granite, though they're upfront that they're not meant for concrete or an impact drill. Rubi covers both sides of the wet and dry question, their FORAGRES and EASYGRES bits are built for wet drilling in porcelain, granite, and marble, while the DRYGRES line is vacuum brazed specifically to run dry on an angle grinder, useful for anyone who doesn't want to deal with a water setup on site. Dewalt's diamond bits are the ones most contractors already trust from other tools in their kit, also vacuum brazed for a stronger bond between the diamond and the bit itself. Bihui rounds things out with an electroplated option that covers a similar range of materials at a lower price point.

Vacuum brazed versus electroplated is the debate that actually matters here, more than brand loyalty. Vacuum brazing bonds the diamond particles directly into the metal surface, which holds up longer under heat and pressure, that's what you're getting with the Rubi DRYGRES and Dewalt bits. Electroplated bits use a thinner diamond layer bonded with a plating process, cheaper to make and buy, but the diamond layer wears through faster on heavy use. For an occasional hole, electroplated is fine. For a contractor drilling porcelain daily, the vacuum brazed bit usually pays for itself in how much longer it lasts.

One thing worth repeating because reviews bring it up constantly: keep the bit and the tile wet while drilling, unless you're running one of the dry-rated bits like the DRYGRES. A dry bit that isn't built for it overheats fast, and on porcelain that heat is what causes the crack you were trying to avoid in the first place.

Not sure which bit fits your material? Give us a call, we'll help you pick the right one.