Many jobs around the house require a hole of some kind to be drilled whether it is putting up a shelf, building a cabinet, or hanging pictures or frames. Drill bits are cutting tools used to remove material to create holes, almost always of circular cross-section. Bits are held in a drill, which rotates them and provides torque and axial force to create the hole.

The chuck of a drill holds the shank of the drill bit. The cutting edges of the drill bit are at the other end. There are many different materials that are used on making drill bits depending on the required application. High-speed steel drill bits can drill wood, fiberglass, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and soft metals such as aluminum. On the other hand, carbide-tipped drill bits are effective for drilling tile and masonry. Majority of drill bits are made of steel which are less brittle compared to other materials used such as carbides.

Drill bits come in standard sizes. There are many sizes and shapes of drill bits that can create different kinds of holes in various materials. However, specialized bits are also available for non-cylindrical shaped holes. Specially shaped bits can cut holes of non-circular cross-section and a square cross-section is also possible.