Borewell Drill Bit Price & Size Guide for India

Search for "borewell drill bit price" and you will find listings that differ several times over for what looks like the same bit. That is not only a matter of margin: a 6½-inch borewell bit can be a DTH button bit, a steel-tooth tricone, a TCI tricone or a PDC bit, each built very differently. This guide explains what actually drives the price of a borewell bit, which sizes are used for borewells in India, what the bits are made of, and how to get a quote you can compare fairly.

One note up front: VBM India does not publish a price list. Bit prices depend on type, size, specification, quantity and the exchange rate on the day, so we quote each enquiry individually. What we can do here is show you how to read any price you are offered — ours or anyone else's.

What determines borewell drill bit price

Seven factors explain almost all of the price difference between two borewell bits of the same nominal size.

1. Bit type

The biggest factor. A DTH button bit is a single forged steel body with tungsten-carbide buttons, driven by an air hammer. A tricone bit has three rotating cones on bearings — a far more complex assembly. A PDC bit carries synthetic diamond cutters brazed to a steel or matrix body. Each type sits in a different price band, and each is suited to different ground (see our DTH vs tricone vs PDC guide).

2. Diameter

Bigger bits use more steel, more carbide or more cutters, and larger bearings. Price rises with diameter, though not in a straight line — popular sizes are produced in bigger batches.

3. Cutting structure

On a tricone, milled steel teeth cost less than tungsten-carbide inserts (TCI). On a DTH bit, the number, size and shape of the buttons and the carbide grade matter. On a PDC bit, the number of blades and the size and quality of the cutters drive cost.

4. Bearing and seal (tricone bits)

Open roller bearings are cheaper; sealed bearings keep drilling fluid and cuttings out and usually last longer. For deep or hard-rock holes, the sealed bearing often pays for itself.

5. Connection and special features

Standard API Reg pins are the norm; non-standard threads, gauge protection, extra nozzles or hardfacing change the specification and the price.

6. Manufacturer and quality control

Heat treatment, carbide quality and machining tolerances are invisible in a photo but decide how many metres the bit drills. Two bits that look identical in a listing can perform very differently in the hole.

7. Quantity, logistics and currency

Order volume, freight, import duties and taxes, and the rupee exchange rate all move the landed price. A bit available from stock may also be priced differently from one made to order.

Borewell bit sizes used in India

Borewell bit size follows the casing and pump you plan to install: the hole has to be larger than the casing outer diameter, with room for the casing to go in freely. In general terms, Indian practice looks like this:

• 4½"–5½" — smaller bores, hand-pump wells and some domestic wells.
• 6"–6½" — the most common range quoted for domestic and farm borewells with submersible pumps.
• 7"–8½" — larger-yield wells and the top section where wider casing is set through overburden.
• 10" and above — municipal, industrial and high-yield wells, often drilled as a pilot hole and then reamed.

The table below converts common sizes and shows where the Volgaburmash water-well series cover them.

TechnoPro is a sealed-bearing tricone series from 5½" to 12¼" with IADC codes from soft-formation steel tooth (115) to hard-formation insert (735Y). WaterDrill is a steel-body PDC series from 4" to 11 7/32" for soft formations and soft formations with medium interlayers. There is no exact 10" size in either series; the nearest sizes are 9⅞" and 10⅝" in TechnoPro. See the full ranges on our borewell & water-well bits page. For DTH button bits, send us your hammer model and size and we will confirm what we can supply.

Borewell drill bit material

What the bit is made of explains a lot of the price — and most of its life in the hole.

• Alloy steel body. Every bit type has a heat-treated steel body. Quality of the steel and of the heat treatment decides resistance to cracking and wear.
• Tungsten carbide. Used for TCI tricone inserts, DTH buttons and hardfacing. Carbide grades trade toughness (resistance to impact) against hardness (resistance to abrasion); the right grade depends on whether the rock is fractured or abrasive.
• Milled steel teeth. On steel-tooth tricones, the teeth are cut from the cone itself and often hardfaced. Cheaper than inserts, excellent in soft ground, short-lived in hard rock.
• Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC). Synthetic diamond cutters on a carbide backing, brazed into the blades of a PDC bit. Very fast in soft, uniform formations; vulnerable to impact in hard, broken rock. Read more in PDC bit full form and how it works.

Price per bit vs cost per metre

Borewell contracts in India are usually priced per foot or per metre, so the number that matters is the tooling cost for each metre drilled, not the sticker price. A simple way to compare two bits:

1. Note the price of each bit.
2. Record how many metres each one drills in the same formation before it is worn out.
3. Divide price by metres drilled, then add the rig time and fuel saved by a faster bit and the trips saved by a longer-lasting one.

A cheaper bit that wears out in hard rock and needs an extra trip out of the hole often ends up costing more per metre than a better-specified bit. Tracking metres-per-bit by formation is the most useful habit a borewell contractor can build.

How to get an accurate quote

The more precise the enquiry, the more useful the quote. Send us:

• Bit size (inch or mm) and quantity.
• Formation: what you drill through and what the hardest layer is (for example, alluvium over weathered basalt, or granite from near surface).
• Drilling method: mud rotary, air rotary or DTH hammer, and the rig model.
• Connection thread of your drill string.
• Delivery location in India.

With this, we can recommend the series and IADC code and give you a firm price and lead time. You can also check the borewell bits in stock in Dubai and the wider tricone bits and PDC bits ranges.

Buying mistakes to avoid

• Comparing prices of different bit types. A steel-tooth tricone and a TCI tricone of the same size are different products.
• Ignoring the thread. A bit that does not fit your sub or hammer is worthless on site.
• Buying hard-rock bits for soft ground, or the reverse. Inserts built for granite drill slowly in clay; steel teeth wear out in minutes in basalt.
• Running a worn bit too long. Once the gauge is lost, the hole narrows and the next bit can jam.

Frequently asked questions

What is the price of a 6.5 inch borewell bit?

It depends on the bit type (DTH button bit, steel-tooth tricone, TCI tricone or PDC), the cutting structure, bearing, connection, quantity and delivery location. VBM India does not publish a price list; send us your formation, rig and quantity and we will quote a firm price.

Which bit size is used for borewells in India?

Domestic and farm borewells are most often drilled at around 6 to 6.5 inches, smaller bores at 4.5 to 5.5 inches, and larger municipal or industrial wells at 8 inches and above. The final size follows the casing and pump you plan to install.

What material is a borewell drill bit made of?

A heat-treated alloy steel body with cutting elements of tungsten carbide (TCI inserts or DTH buttons), milled and hardfaced steel teeth, or polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutters, depending on the bit type.

Do you have borewell bits in stock?

Yes. TechnoPro tricone bits and WaterDrill PDC bits for borewells are held in stock in Dubai. See the stock table on our borewell bits page; the lead time to India is confirmed in each quotation.