Euro Screw (Furniture Screw): What Is It? Dimensions & 5mm Hole Drilling

April 18, 2026

A Euro screw is a specialised furniture screw with a blunt tip and a deep, cylindrical thread. It is tailored precisely to the standardised 32mm system in furniture making and is driven into a pre-drilled 5mm hole to mount fittings such as hinge mounting plates or drawer runners securely into engineered wood.

What Exactly Is a Euro Screw?

Unlike a traditional wood screw, a Euro screw does not taper to a sharp point at the tip, but is flat. Its thread is continuously cylindrical, has a high pitch, and features very deep flanks. This design is specifically engineered for use in industrially manufactured furniture boards made of chipboard or MDF. The coarse thread flanks cut into the board material as they are driven in, much like a tap into soft metal, achieving an exceptionally high pull-out strength. It represents the standard connection between the cabinet carcass and load-bearing hardware components.

Typical Dimensions and the 5mm Hole

Dimensional specifications in professional furniture construction are strictly standardised. The Euro screw builds directly upon these standards:

Thread diameter: The outer diameter of the thread is generally exactly 6.3mm.
Hole drilling: To grip the screw, the base material requires a pre-drilled hole with a 5mm diameter. This dimension corresponds exactly to the hole diameter of the line boring in the 32mm system.
Lengths: Common lengths are 10mm, 11mm, 13mm, and 16mm. The choice of length depends on the thickness of the fitting and the material thickness of the carcass wall (typically 16mm or 19mm).

Types and Variations

Depending on the hardware fitting to be attached, different head styles are used:

Pan head: This variant rests flat against the fitting. It is primarily used for installing drawer runners (such as full extension or partial extension runners), as the head does not sink into the fitting material and avoids obstructing the running mechanisms.
Countersunk head: The head is conical. It is used for fittings with a corresponding countersink, such as the cruciform mounting plate of a concealed cup hinge. Here, the screw head finishes flush with the metal surface.
Drive: Almost all Euro screws feature a cross recess drive, typically PZ2 (Pozidriv) or, less frequently, PH2 (Phillips).

Use and Installation in Furniture Construction

Installation takes place directly into the machine-drilled hole rows of the cabinet carcass. Because the pre-drilled holes already establish the grid spacing, fittings do not require complex measuring. When securing runner rails or hinges, the appropriate wood screws and furniture screws are driven in using a cordless drill at a low torque setting or by hand. Overtightening must be strictly avoided, as the thread in the chipboard would otherwise strip, leaving the screw permanently loose without grip.

Related Terms

32mm system: The international standard in cabinet making where hole centres are spaced 32mm apart with a 5mm diameter.
Chipboard screw: A pointed screw that, unlike a Euro screw, is often driven directly into the wood without pre-drilling.
Concealed cup hinge: A hidden furniture hinge whose mounting plate is standardly attached to the inner wall of the cabinet using Euro screws.