SDS Plus vs SDS Max: Difference and Comparison

SDS Plus and SDS Max are two different kinds of drill bits from Bosch that are inserted into the drill shaft to do the actual drill process. Each drilling machine has got multiple kinds of bits to help it drill over different materials.

SDS Plus and SDS Max are commonly available with rotary or roto hammers that have a high horsepower.

Key Takeaways

1. Both are drill bit connections designed for rotary hammer drills, but SDS-Plus is suited for smaller tools, while SDS-Max is intended for larger, heavy-duty applications.
2. SDS-Max drill bits have a larger shank diameter, providing more power and durability than SDS-Plus drill bits.
3. SDS-Plus is more common for residential and light commercial use, whereas SDS-Max is used primarily in industrial and heavy construction settings.

SDS Plus vs SDS Max

The difference between SDS Plus and SDS Max is that SDS plus has a lower horsepower when compared to the SDS Max. Therefore their usage and the materials they are used to drill holes change drastically. SDS Max is used for materials that are heavy-duty material whereas SDS plus is used for lighter and regular materials.

SDS plus is a drill bit that is common for almost all drill machines produced by companies worldwide. They have a standard horsepower and force with which they can drill through all light materials.

They can be changed with other standard drill bits from different companies. This interchangeable nature makes it the most commonly purchased drill bit.

SDS Max is a higher horsepower and greater force-generating drill bit produced by Bosch.

Due to the greater power provided by SDS Max, it is only used for materials that are considered heavy-duty or thick because if they are used for lighter materials, there are chances that the material might splinter and be destroyed.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	SDS Plus	SDS Max
Diameter of Hole	1 1/8 inches	Almost 2 inches
Hammer Drill Size Needed	Small	Large
Presence of Chisel	No	Yes
Number of Open Grooves	2	3
Lock Mechanism	Ball system	Lock segments

What is SDS Plus?

SDS plus is the most standard size of all the drill bits manufactured by the German company, Bosch. The SDS stands for “Steck, Dreh and Sitz” which in English stands for insert, twist, and stay. These are the basic functions of a drill machine.

SDS plus comes with a classic number of groups that is 4 of which 2 are completely open grooves but the other two are the opposite and are closed grooves.

The drill bit comes with a ball system that is present on the grooves and helps lock the bit to the drill shaft.

One of the greatest advantages of the SDS plus drill bit is that it can be used in the same drill shaft like that of a standard SDS drill bit. That means it is interchangeable and can be exchanged with one another.

This is an added advantage as one needn’t buy another drill shaft to fit SDS plus. They can use the drill machine that they already have.

SDS plus has the most common size for drill bits and therefore is the commonly purchased drill bit. The size of the drill hole produced by SDS plus is a regular drill hole in its diameter and even depth of the hole.

The diameter can be as high as 1 1/8 inches. It is not usual for the diameter to go beyond the given size, but in general, it is the perfect size for most nails to be put in.

SDS plus comes with the smallest shanks that can be given a measurable dimension of about 10mm length which could be easily fitted into the 40mm of the drill.

Due to the small size of the drill bit, it is easier to purchase as it is pocket-friendly and also fits into most carrier pouches.

What is SDS Max?

SDS Max is a drill bit manufactured by the German hardware brand Bosch. The term SDS stands for the German words insert, twist and stay.

SDS Max requires a larger drill machine and such drill machines are commonly termed hammer drills that pose for higher horsepower.

There are four grooves of which three are open therefore helping with the greater horsepower and force that SDS Max has. There is a series of segments in the drill bit that helps it in locking itself inside the drill shaft of the drill machine.

SDS Max offers one of the highest drill holes possible as they have a diameter of almost 2 inches.

This is the biggest diameter of all the holes produced by Bosch drill bits. But the depth is more or less the same or else depending on the kind of material, it can go deeper.

The drill bit SDS Max has got chisel-like features on its surface that helps in drilling through heavy-duty materials. This chisel-like structure helps with cutting and chipping of high durability materials which might need a hole for insertion.

The shank length of the SDS Max is almost 18mm whereas the length of the chuck of the drill machine is a higher range of 90 mm.

Due to its bigger size and quality of drilling, SDS Max is always one of the most expensive drill bits produced by Bosch. It can’t be interchanged with any other drill bit in the same shaft of an individual drill machine.

Therefore it isn’t the most compatible drill bit out there manufactured by Bosch. SDS Max has one of the highest horsepower offered by any drill bit for a drill machine and this is the reason it can be used for heavy-duty materials.

Main Differences Between SDS Plus and SDS Max

1. The diameter of the hole made by SDS plus is just a small one of 1 1/8 inches whereas the diameter of the hole made by SDS Max is almost 2 inches.
2. SDS Max has the greatest horsepower among all the drill bits produced by Bosch, therefore, allowing it to drill through heavy materials whereas SDS plus has a low horsepower and force being able to drill through lighter materials.
3. SDS plus is pocket-friendly as it’s cheap due to its size and purpose whereas SDS Max is expensive.
4. SDS plus can be interchanged with other standard SDS drill bits whereas SDS Max can’t be interchanged with other drill bit shafts.
5. While the shank length of the SDS Max is one of the highest from the drill bits available and is about 18mm, the shank length of SDS plus is just 10mm.

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003687020302866
2. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Neil-Mansfield/publication/323561042_The_Influence_of_Drill-Bit_on_the_Measured_Vibration_Exposure_of_Hammer_Drills/links/0046352ab27076e851000000/The-Influence-of-Drill-Bit-on-the-Measured-Vibration-Exposure-of-Hammer-Drills.pdf

Last Updated : 02 July, 2023