Annular cutter sizes: diameter x depth of cut part number chart

An annular cutter is a mag drill's hole saw for steel: a hollow M2 high speed steel tube with 3 to 12 teeth around its rim that cuts only the periphery of the hole and ejects the center as a solid slug, so a 1 in cutter in thick plate needs a fraction of the horsepower and thrust of a twist drill [1][10]. Hougen invented the category (the Rotabroach 12,000-Series, still cut in Swartz Creek, Michigan), and its part system is the one every counter in North America speaks, which is why this chart is built on it [1][6]. The spec that confuses buyers is that a cutter carries two numbers at once, diameter and depth of cut, and every combination has its own part number: 7/16 x 1 in is 12114, 7/16 x 2 in is 12214, and 1 x 6 in is 6-12232 [1]. Below is the full diameter x DOC matrix with pilots, the shank rules by diameter band, and the maker-published RPM table. For holes in sheet metal rather than plate, see our hole saw sizes and step drill bit sizes pages; those are the hand-drill answers where a mag drill is overkill.

The size grid at a glance

Four specs define a 12,000-Series cutter, and the maker prints all four on one page [1][4]:

One reading note before the matrix: the depth number is a rating, not the physical length. A 1 in DOC cutter is made about 1-1/4 in deep so it drills clean through 1 in stock and keeps extra length for resharpening, and Hougen's technical page adds that regrinding removes only 0.015 to 0.020 in per service [2][9]. Buy the DOC that matches your material thickness plus a little, not the length you measured with calipers.

Main matrix: diameter x depth of cut x part number

Every row below is anchored on the Hougen manufacturer table and corroborated row-by-row by at least two independent surfaces: the Hougen Mag Drills Canada dealer table and the Sonepar-distributed Hougen catalog sheet, with J. Fazzio's dealer listings covering the common sizes [1][2][3][6][8]. Rows are the standard fractional ladder; the repeating 1/16 steps from 1-5/16 through 2-3/8 follow the same pattern, and the full ladder sits on the maker page [1].

How to read the sparsity, because it is the actual buying advice. The 4 and 6 in DOC cutters exist only where structural steel actually gets that thick: 13/16 and 15/16 in, and the 1 through 1-1/4 in band [1]. Above 1-1/4 in, deep work hands off to the 3 in DOC line (3-12240 and up), and above 2-3/8 in there is no 1 in DOC at all on the current manufacturer table. The 2 through 2-3/8 in x 1 in DOC entries (12164 to 12176) are on the current maker table and dealer table but missing from older catalog printings, so if your distributor's book predates the current list those numbers will not be in it [1][3][6]. Every 1 and 2 in DOC cutter ships with its pilot included; deeper ones take the pilot as a separate line item [1].

Three companion ladders share the same diameter steps when you need a different steel or coating: the TiN coated 126xx/127xx series (12614/12714 at 7/16, rated to 325 BHN for gummy materials, 1 in DOC only to 2 in diameters), the M42 Xtreme Cobalt line for 450 BHN hardened material, and the metric 123xx/124xx/125xx ladders from 12 to 60mm [1][6][7].

Pilot cross reference: the part nobody orders twice

The pilot is the spring-loaded center pin that rides inside the cutter: it locates the hole, initiates coolant flow to the teeth, and kicks the slug out at breakthrough [6]. Order the wrong depth pilot and it bottoms before the teeth engage. The rule: pilot depth must match cutter DOC, and diameter coverage comes in two bands [1][2][3][8]:

Two traps worth money. First, the 3 in DOC pilot (24131) is listed by Hougen for 3/4 to 3-1/16 in on the current site but as 3/4 to 2-3/8 in in older catalog copies; both printings are Hougen's own, and the discrepancy is disclosed here rather than resolved [1][6]. Second, old-style cutters take different pilots entirely, 10533/10534 for 1/2 to 11/16 in; if a used cutter calls for a 10533, it is not a current-series tool [6].

Teeth by diameter

More teeth share the load, which is why a big annular cutter out-feeds a twist drill rather than out-forcing it. Hougen's count for the 12,000-Series [2]:

Feed logic follows the same page: Hougen's starting points are 0.002 to 0.005 in per tooth (0.001 to 0.002 for thin-wall, curved or fragile setups), and penetration rate is feed per tooth x number of teeth x RPM [2]. The drop from 10 teeth back to 6 at 2-7/16 in and up is real and printed by the maker: the big cutters use fewer, larger teeth.

The shank rule, and the 3/4 vs 1-1/4 Weldon split

Print one rule on the shop wall: every 12,000-Series cutter, 7/16 through 3-1/16 in, has a 3/4 in double-flatted shank. Hougen states it once and applies it across the series [1][6]. The two flats seat against the arbor's set screw; the mount is rigid, and Hougen claims up to twice the tool life of quick-change systems [6].

The split happens above the portable-drill range. When the same cutting geometry moves to the Heavy Duty Industrial series for stationary machine tools, the shank steps up by diameter band, and that is where buyers get burned ordering a 53,000-Series part expecting it to fit a mag drill arbor [5]:

To order a different depth in the industrial line you swap the series prefix, not the diameter suffix: 53074 is 3/4 x 3 in in the 53,000-Series, so the 4 in DOC version is 54074 in the 54,000-Series [5]. The rest of the mounting landscape, for completeness: RotaLoc and RotaLoc Plus cutters use a twist-on bayonet mount with no pilot, RotaCut sheet metal cutters use 3/8 or 1/2 in triple flat shanks for hand drills, Holcutters 3/8 in, and the carbide Copperhead line uses Hougen's Fusion2 shank that seats both in two-flat arbors and one-touch competitive arbors [4][6].

RPM by material: the maker table most charts invent

Hougen publishes one RPM-by-diameter-by-material table, and it is titled for the RotaCut and Holcutter model lines; it is printed here exactly as the maker publishes it, attributed, not silently generalized to the 12,000-Series [2]. Spot values across the ladder:

The pattern is the useful part: aluminum runs roughly 7 to 8 times the mild steel speed (high RPM, fast feed, per the maker's own note), and stainless and tool steel run almost exactly half. A 1/2 in cutter drops from 765 rpm in mild steel to 380 in stainless; a 3 in cutter from 130 to 65 [2]. For coated and cobalt cutters the ceilings move: TiN is rated to 325 BHN, M42 Xtreme Cobalt to 450 BHN, versus 275 BHN for plain M2 [4]. For general speed logic on conventional bits, see our drill speed chart and drill press speed chart pages.

Series comparison: which cutter family for which job

Hougen's own comparison chart, condensed; depth ranges and mounts are the maker's [4]:

The lines between them are application lines. RotaCut for sheet metal in a hand drill; Holcutter for thin-wall tube and sheet where an 1/8 in DOC is the whole point; 12,000-Series M2 for structural steel to 275 BHN; TiN when the material is gummy or to 325 BHN; Xtreme Cobalt to 450 BHN; Copperhead carbide for abrasive and high-speed work; RotaLoc when you want to change cutters with one twist and no pilot [4][7]. Stack-cut geometry (order by adding S to the part number, 12226S for example) is the variant that matters for drilling multiple plates in one pass, and the metric 12,000-Series now ships with the Fusion2 shank [6].

Kits, and what wears out

Kits exist because the 9/16 to 1-1/16 in band covers most structural work: the 12001/12002 five-cutter cases (9/16, 11/16, 13/16, 15/16, 1-1/16 in) with two pilots and two wrenches, in 1 or 2 in DOC; the 12005/12006 cases (5/8, 3/4, 7/8, 1, 1-1/8 in); metric 12003/12004; TiN 12601/12702; and three-piece 12,980-series cases [1][6]. What actually wears is the end teeth, and the 12,000-Series is resharpenable several times: Hougen sells the 10950 sharpening machine for exactly this and says a cutter pulled at a reasonable wear point needs only 0.015 to 0.020 in per regrind [2][6]. Regrinding shortens the cutter, which is the honest reason a 1 in DOC tool is built 1-1/4 in deep [2][9].

Related guides

Also on this site: hole saw sizes for the toothed-cup equivalent in wood and thin material, silver and deming bit sizes when the hole is 1-1/2 in or smaller and you want solid drilling instead of a ring cut, step drill bit sizes for sheet metal holes up to 1-1/4 in, tap drill chart if the hole is headed for a tap (several 12,000-Series sizes exist as tap drills, 12117 for 5/8-11 for instance), and how to drill through metal for the technique around the tool.

Sources

1. Hougen Manufacturing, 12,000-Series Annular Cutters product page (pulled live 2026-09-24): full inch and metric part-number matrices, 1/2/3/4/6 in DOC columns, 7/16 (.4375, 12114/12214) through 3-1/16 (3.0625), tap-drill subtable with thread sizes, pilot table, 3/4 in double-flatted shank statement, Quad Helix note for 4 and 6 in DOC cutters:: hougen.com
2. Hougen Manufacturing, Technical Cutter Info page (pulled live 2026-09-24): RPM table for RotaCut and Holcutter models by material (mild steel, soft aluminum, stainless/tool steel), teeth-by-diameter table for the 12,000-Series, feed-per-tooth table, SFM formula, regrinding guidance (0.015 to 0.020 in typical grind):: hougen.com
3. Hougen Mag Drills Canada dealer site, 12,000-Series inch and metric tables (pulled live 2026-09-24): row-by-row part-number corroboration of the full 7/16 through 3-1/16 matrix, including the 2-1/16 through 2-3/8 1 in DOC entries and live product pages per part number:: hougenmagdrills.ca
4. Hougen Cutter Comparison Chart PDF (pulled live 2026-09-24): series-by-series diameter range, max depth of cut, mounting (3/4 double flat vs bayonet vs triple flat vs Fusion2), cutter materials, hardness ratings (275 to 450 BHN), aluminum guidance:: hougen.com
5. AHB Tooling and Machinery, Hougen Rotabroach industrial products catalog PDF (pulled live 2026-09-24): Heavy Duty Industrial 53,000/54,000/56,000-Series Weldon shank bands (3/4 Weldon 3/4 to 1-7/16, 1-1/4 Weldon 1-1/2 to 3-1/16, 1-1/2 Weldon 3-1/8 to 4), teeth per diameter, 53,000 part ladder 53074 to 53423, industrial pilot table 21802 to 21808:: ahbinc.com
6. Sonepar Canada distribution copy of the Hougen 12,000-Series catalog sheet, PDF 13468287 (pulled live 2026-09-24): independent catalog-surface corroboration of the full matrix, 3/4 in double-flatted shank statement, stack-cut ordering rule (add S to part number), TiN 126xx/127xx part ladders, Copperhead Fusion2 ladders, kit contents:: cdn-e.soneparcanada.io
7. Hougen 12,000-Series TiN Coated Cutters page (pulled live 2026-09-24): 12614/12714 TiN ladder 7/16 through 2-3/8, 1 in DOC only to 2 in diameters, 3/4 in shank, 325 BHN rating:: hougen.com
8. J. Fazzio's shopjfi.com dealer table (pulled live 2026-09-24): per-diameter, per-DOC dealer listings 7/16 through 2-3/8 with pilot cross reference per row (10531/10532 for 7/16 to 9/16, 10527/10528 above) and 3 in DOC entries at 13/16, 15/16 and 1-1/16:: shopjfi.com
9. MRM Tool, Hougen edition explainer (indexed copy read 2026-09-24 via the search backend; the store's own page blocks direct automated pulls): the depth-rating note that a 1 in rated cutter is really 1-1/4 in deep so it drills through 1 in stock and leaves margin for resharpening:: mrmtool.com
10. Hougen Cutters flyer 2025 PDF (pulled live 2026-09-24): Hougen-Edge tooth geometry description, up to 3x cutting speed claim vs twist drills, resharpening program:: hougen.com