Tricone Bits · India
VBM supplies the full Volgaburmash range of TCI (tungsten-carbide insert) and milled-tooth tricone bits across India — from 3¾" to 26" (95.3–660.4 mm), with IADC codes spanning soft formations through extremely hard rock. Sizing is INCH-first, led by the workhorse 8½", 12¼" and 17½" hole sizes.
Built for oil & gas operators (ONGC, Oil India and private E&P), geothermal wells and deep-hole projects, every rock roller bit is manufactured to API Spec 7-1 with sealed journal or metal-face seal bearing systems for predictable run life.
Product Series
Six core tricone families cover everything from slim-hole re-entry work to large-diameter surface holes. Each series is available to drillers across India with genuine, factory-direct tooling.
The flagship general-purpose tricone: sealed journal bearing, elastomeric O-ring seals and premium tungsten-carbide inserts. Standard API sizes from 5⅝" to 26" (142.9–660.4 mm) handle soft shale through medium-hard limestone and sandstone.
An advanced Grand built with metal-face seal bearings and optimized insert shapes for higher rate of penetration. Engineered for operators pushing for faster intervals without sacrificing reliability.
The premium tier: advanced metal-face seal, ultra-hard carbide grades and CFD-optimized nozzles for deep and high-temperature wells. The choice when bottomhole conditions punish standard tooling.
Designed for downhole motors and turbines with reinforced gauge protection and high-load bearings rated for elevated RPM. Keeps gauge and bearing integrity through demanding motor runs.
An enhanced motor bit combining metal-face seals with premium carbide for extended PDM runs. Built for directional and horizontal sections where every trip saved protects the AFE.
Compact bits for slim-hole and re-entry programmes starting at 3¾" (95.3 mm). The right tool for sidetracks, deepening and tight-clearance work where a full-size bit will not pass.
Specifications
Standard API sizes are listed below; custom sizes and connections are available on request. Sizing is shown INCH-first, with the metric equivalent and the Volgaburmash series available in each diameter.
| Bit Size (inch) | Bit Size (mm) | API Connection | Available Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3¾" | 95.3 | 2⅜ API Reg | SLHP |
| 4¾" | 120.7 | 2⅞ API Reg | SLHP |
| 5⅝" | 142.9 | 3½ API Reg | GRD, MTR |
| 6" | 152.4 | 3½ API Reg | GRD, GRPD, SLHP, MTR, MTRP |
| 7½" | 190.5 | 4½ API Reg | GRD, GRPD, GRDX, MTR, MTRP |
| 8½" | 215.9 | 4½ API Reg | GRD, GRPD, GRDX, MTR, MTRP |
| 9⅝" | 244.5 | 6⅝ API Reg | GRD, GRPD, GRDX, MTR, MTRP |
| 10⅝" | 269.9 | 6⅝ API Reg | GRD, GRPD, GRDX |
| 12¼" | 311.2 | 6⅝ API Reg | GRD, GRPD, GRDX, MTR, MTRP |
| 13¾" | 349.2 | 7⅝ API Reg | GRD, GRPD, GRDX |
| 15½" | 393.7 | 7⅝ API Reg | GRD, GRPD, GRDX |
| 17½" | 444.5 | 6⅝ API Reg | GRD, GRPD, GRDX |
| 20" | 508.0 | 7⅝ API Reg | GRD |
| 26" | 660.4 | 7⅝ API Reg | GRD |
Application Notes
India remains one of the world's active drilling regions. National operators such as ONGC and Oil India, alongside a growing field of private exploration and production companies, run continuous campaigns across onshore basins and the western and eastern offshore. Through all of this activity the tricone (rock roller) bit remains the dependable workhorse for surface and intermediate hole sections, where its tolerance of mixed and abrasive lithologies often outperforms more specialized cutters.
The variety of Indian geology is exactly what makes a broad tricone range valuable. The soft Cambay shale of Gujarat drills fast under low-IADC milled-tooth or soft-formation TCI bits, while the hard Deccan basalt of Maharashtra and the Madhya Pradesh traps demands the highest carbide grades and a robust bearing package. Between those extremes sit the Gondwana coal-measure sandstones of the eastern coalfields, which reward a balanced medium-hard insert design. Selecting the right bit starts with the formation and the correct IADC code, and our team can help map your offset data to the appropriate Volgaburmash series.
Bearing choice matters as much as cutting structure. Sealed journal bearings handle the high bottomhole temperatures encountered in deeper Indian wells and geothermal prospects, holding lubricant integrity where roller bearings would fail. Where drilling fluids carry abrasive fines — common in weathered trap rock and unconsolidated sands — the metal-face seals on the GrandPro, GrandXtreme and MotorPro families resist seal erosion and protect run life, keeping cost-per-metre under control.
Directional and horizontal work in the Cambay basin and across the Krishna-Godavari and Cauvery basins increasingly relies on downhole motors. The Motor and MotorPro tricones are built specifically for these high-RPM, high-load PDM applications, with reinforced gauge protection and high-speed bearing systems that survive extended motor runs. For shallower programmes, the same offset discipline carries over to borewell and water-well drilling, and operators evaluating cutter technology can compare roller-cone economics against PDC bits on a section-by-section basis.
VBM holds and moves stock through supply hubs in Hyderabad and Gujarat, which keeps lead-times short for the common 8½", 12¼" and 17½" sizes and shortens delivery on the wider catalogue. Because pricing on tricone bits varies with size, IADC code and bearing class, we quote transparently against your specific run plan — so you can weigh tricone bit price against expected footage and trip count before you commit to a programme.
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Send us your hole size, formation and IADC requirements and the VBM India team will respond with availability, lead time and pricing on the Volgaburmash tricone range.
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Tell us your hole size, formation and IADC requirements and the VBM India team will respond with availability, lead time and pricing on the Volgaburmash range.