What Size Pilot Hole For a 10 Screw
0.1094" in softwood, 0.125" in hardwood
- #10 wood screw (shank diameter 0.19")
Methodpilot hole sized to roughly the screw's root diameter in softwood, slightly larger in denser hardwood to avoid splitting.
Size up for wood close to an edge or end grain, where splitting risk is highest regardless of the general-purpose figure.
A #10 wood screw wants a 0.1094" pilot hole in softwood or 0.125" in hardwood — 7/64" and a clean 1/8" respectively — a heavier gauge reached for when a joint needs to resist real pull-out force, like fastening a face frame to a carcass or mounting hardware that takes ongoing stress.
Why this one specifically
#10 is where "screw gauge" starts to matter as much as screw length for holding power, rather than length alone doing most of the work the way it does with lighter #6 and #8 screws. The larger shank diameter also raises the splitting risk in hardwood measurably above the lighter gauges, especially close to a board's end or edge — this is the gauge where skipping a pilot hole entirely, something that sometimes gets away with a #6 in soft pine, reliably cracks hardwood stock.
What moves the number
Proximity to an edge or end grain is the practical variable that matters most at this gauge — sizing up the pilot hole slightly beyond the general-purpose figure is common practice near an edge, even though it costs a small amount of thread engagement.