Put it upThe wall checker

What's my wall, and what fixing do I need?

Find the fixing, drill bit and screw for your wall from the makers' own charts.

fischer's load tables checked 12 Oct 2026

1What is your wall made of?

PlasterboardSounds hollow when you knockSolid brickFeels solid, reddish or yellowish dustConcretePoured concreteDense concrete blockDark grey dust, slow drillingAircrete or thermal blockLight grey dust, easy drillingTiles over a wallThe wall behind decides the fixingLath and plasterOlder houses, grey sandy dust Not sureWe will help you find out

Not sure what your wall is?

Three checks, from the gentlest. The answer is a likely wall type: confirm it at the first hole.

Knock along the wall

Fig. 2. Knock along a plasterboard wall to find the frame behind it, then mark the stud and the next one along. The strip below the wall shows the studs from above.

In Wickes' and Vogel's words:

Wickes: You can tell if you've got a plasterboard wall if it sounds hollow when you knock on it, but these walls are generally supported by a frame so there will be vertical and horizontal sections that feel a little more solid.
Wickes: If you knock on it and get a very solid and inflexible feeling that doesn't sound hollow, it will most likely be a brick or concrete masonry wall.
Vogel’s: For wooden profiles, you check this by knocking on the wall until you find a place that sounds less hollow.
Vogel’s: Mark this point and then check whether the next upright is placed at 450 mm or 600 mm.
Wickes: To know exactly where the solid sections are, you can use a stud detector.
Vogel’s: For metal stud profiles, you use a pipe finder, which allows you to detect the metal profiles.

Sources: Wickes, Where do I start putting up a shelf?. Checked 12 to 13 Oct 2026; Vogel's, How to mount a TV on a plasterboard or hollow wall. Checked 12 to 13 Oct 2026.

Before you drill, check for cables Cables, pipes and studs: check first

Drill a small test hole

Bosch: First you need to find out what type of material your wall is made from, which is best done by drilling a small test hole.

Source: Bosch DIY, Better safe than sorry: take the time to check the walls before you start drilling. Checked 12 Oct 2026.

Look at the dust on the bit

Fig. 3. What the drill dust tells you. The colours are a guide: the words beside the drawing are Plasplugs' own.

Fine white dust and paper shreds on the drill bit shows you have plasterboard
Reddish or yellowish dust shows you have brick walls
Dark grey dust (and slow drill progress) shows you have concrete block walls
Light grey dust (and easy drill progress) shows you have thermal block walls
Grey sandy dust (and possibly sawdust if you hit a lath) shows you have lath and plaster walls and ceilings
Sandy dust means you have hit a mortar joint. Drill a second hole about 50mm away from the first and 45º above it to confirm the wall type

Source: Plasplugs, Plasplugs Wall Fixings brochure, 2024/5 edition. Checked 12 Oct 2026.

Before you drill, check for cables Cables, pipes and studs: check first

2How heavy is it?

In kilograms or grams. Count everything that will hang on it.

Unit kg g

3How many fixings?

Count the fixings that carry it. We share the weight equally between them and compare each share with fischer's figure for one fixing.

4Which way does the load pull?

Flat against the wallA picture, a mirror, a flat railSticks out from the wallA shelf on brackets, a TV arm, a deep coat rack

See the fixings we checked

Fig. 1. Inside a plasterboard wall on timber studs, seen from above. A cavity fixing opens behind the board and grips its back face.

Job kit

Renting? Ask your landlord in writing first.

The fixing on your ticket shows here once you check your wall.

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It never changes the answer above.

fischer HM 4 x 32 S K NVThe fixing on your ticket.
fischer HM 5 x 37 S K NVThe fixing on your ticket.
fischer HM 5 x 52 S K NVThe fixing on your ticket.
fischer DuoPower 5 x 25The fixing on your ticket.
fischer DuoPower 6 x 30The fixing on your ticket.
fischer DuoPower 6 x 50The fixing on your ticket.
fischer DuoPower 8 x 40The fixing on your ticket.
fischer DuoPower 10 x 50The fixing on your ticket.
fischer DuoPower 8 x 65The fixing on your ticket.
fischer SX Plus 4 x 20The fixing on your ticket.
fischer SX Plus 5 x 25The fixing on your ticket.
fischer SX Plus 6 x 30The fixing on your ticket.
fischer SX Plus 6 x 50The fixing on your ticket.
fischer SX Plus 8 x 40The fixing on your ticket.
fischer SX Plus 8 x 65The fixing on your ticket.
fischer SX Plus 10 x 50The fixing on your ticket.
fischer SX Plus 12 x 60The fixing on your ticket.

More wall plugs on Amazon UK

How this checker decides

We use fischer's load tables, which give a recommended load for one fixing in each wall material. Every fischer table we use says “Required safety factors are considered”. The DuoPower and SX Plus tables add “Valid for installation and use in dry base material for temperatures in the substrate up to +24 °C (resp. short term up to +40 °C)”.

Your weight is shared between the fixings and compared with that figure exactly, with no margin of our own. Of the fixings that cover it, we show the one with the smallest hole first.

For anything that sticks out from the wall, like a shelf on brackets, we do not compare your weight with a figure per fixing. The bracket maker's own rating is then the limit, and the lower of the two applies. The full method, with every figure we use, is on How we check a fixing.

Sources: fischer, Loads, Metal cavity fixing HM, recommended loads for a single anchor. Checked 12 Oct 2026; fischer, Loads, DuoPower, recommended loads for a single anchor. Checked 12 Oct 2026.