What size drill for a grey rawplug?

Apr 14, 2005 23 Replies

I have to scrrew a fitting to a wall and it comes with screws and grey rawplugs. To save messing up the wall, what drill bit size matches with a grey plug?


If you can, throw them away and use red plugs and decent screws. (Seriously!)

The grey plugs generally provided are cr*p and the screws too spindly (that was a generalisation, of course, it may not be so for you).

It is best to ignore any fixings that come with stuff you buy. I only use the screws and rawlplugs that I've bought myself.

Christian.

There's no standard colour/sizing match. Use a drill just big enough to make a hole they'll fit into - but it's not a critical size.

Hi Christian

Yup! First thing I do is open the box & throw away the screws & fixings - why do they supply such crap ? Surely it's a matter of a few pence to supply decent ones?

Dave

There is a coloursize code on quality ones bought for the purpose. The crappy ones that come with fixtures are random sizes and colours (usually white or grey) and of generally dubious quality, being the ones supplied at the cheapest cost per 100,000 to the fixture manufacturer along with crappy Phillips head screws with small slots that no screwdriver tip can get more than 5Nm of torque on.

Christian.

If there is, it's vendor specific.

Now I use any old rubbish as wallplugs - they're only conveniently packaged matchsticks! For light use, I use whatever polyethylene or polypropylene plugs are nearest and I've never seen two makers who had a consistent colour scheme for them.

But for heavy stuff, I use nylon plugs. And these are always light grey, no matter what size. If they're "Rawlplugs" made by Rawl, then they're moulded together as a mix of sizes, all in the same coloured mix.

As "There is a coloursize code", perhaps you'd care to post it ?

Anyone remember Rawlplastic?

And as for c**p fixings; why oh why are the plastic thingies for fixing corrugated plastic sheeting supplied with dome headed screws. Alternatively where can I buy the plastic thingies without the useless dome headed screws?

Richard

What - the asbestos stuff in a plastic bag?

Yer just mix it we spit and bung it in.

Indeed. Best wall fixing *ever* IMHO - ignoring new fangled glue-in-wall-anchor nonsense that's far too complicated for my little brain.

Somewhere I still have a Rawlplastic tin complete with spike/tamping tool but, sadly, minus the Rawlplatic itself (all used).

Richard

Hi Andy

Rawlplug standard colours & sizes

Yellow screws No 4 - No 10, 25 mm long, drill size 5mm Red screws No 6 - No 12, 35mm long, drill size 6mm Brown screws No 10 - No 14, 45mm long, screw size 7mm.

Most 'pirate' plugs copy this colour code because it is so well known.

Dave

Thanks Mark that worked a treat.

In message , Richard writes

ISTR that screws that came with my fixings were ok, forget what head they were exactly but they went in fine with my cordless driver and a crosshead bit of some sort

Still got a load of it. Handy stuff.

You could still buy it in my local ironmonger's until recently. Well, until _I_ saw it there and cleared them out.

And how about the original Rawl Tool, where you bashed on end with a big hammer while turning it with the Tommy bar?

Manual SDS! Dead handy for a single hole.

Dave

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