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These taps are made of cobalt steel for higher strength and wear resistance than standard taps. Their flutes are designed to keep chips clear, so they don't need to be reversed to prevent buildup. With a square shank, they're compatible with tap wrenches and tap holders for drill presses and milling machines. All have a plug chamfer with 3-5 chamfered cutting threads, so they're suitable for start-to-finish tapping.

Taps for through-hole threading have spiral-point flutes, which push chips ahead of the tap and out of through holes. They're also known as gun taps.

These taps are for use on most metal and plastic. They have a square shank that's compatible with tap wrenches and tap holders for drill presses and milling machines.

Use uncoated high-speed steel taps for small-scale tapping jobs. Titanium-nitride (TiN) coated high-speed steel taps resist heat and wear better than uncoated taps, letting them last up to twice as long.

Taper-chamfer taps have 7-10 chamfered threads at the tip for cutting into the workpiece. They require less torque than other chamfer types, making them a good choice for starting threads and tapping through holes. However, a longer taper means that they cannot thread as close to the bottom of closed-end holes.

Plug-chamfer taps are a versatile choice for most tapping applications. With 3-5 chamfered cutting threads, they require moderate torque and are often used for start-to-finish tapping of through holes and closed-end holes. However, they do not start threads as easily as taper chamfers. When using them to tap closed-end holes, be sure to leave sufficient space at the bottom for chips to accumulate.

Bottoming-chamfer taps cut into the workpiece with just 1-2 chamfered threads. This short chamfer lets them thread holes closer to the bottom than other taps, but they require more torque to start threads.