Core Drilling Rigs by Depth: 10 m to 3,000 m

Pick the band your hole depth falls in, then compare the models rated for it. Every rating below is quoted in NQ unless the row says otherwise — HQ and PQ ratings are lower, and each product page carries the full BTW/BQ to PQ depth table. The bands follow the standard hole classes: shallow below 300 m, medium-deep 300 – 1,000 m, deep holes 1,000 – 3,000 m.

Request a Quote Compare All Models

Depth is the first number buyers ask for, and the one most often quoted loosely. A rig rated to 1,000 m NQ will not pull 1,000 m of HQ, and a 300 m rig pushed past its rating loses the hole rather than the argument. The bands below follow the rating in NQ — the size most exploration programmes actually drill — and each row links to the model with its full BTW/BQ, NTW/NQ, HTW/HQ and PQ depth table. The six bands sit inside the three standard classes — shallow holes below 300 m, medium-deep holes 300 – 1,000 m, and deep holes 1,000 – 3,000 m.

If your programme sits on a band boundary, take the next size up: the extra cost is a fraction of a re-drilled hole. If the hole is shallow but the ground is broken, depth is not the constraint — look at the hole diameter and the flush pump instead.

10 – 300 m · SHALLOW-HOLE CLASS

10 – 300 m shallow-hole core drilling rigs

Portable and skid-mounted spindle rigs for shallow core, site investigation, grouting and water wells. These are the rigs that go where a crawler cannot: 90 – 650 kg, stripped into modules a two-man crew can carry, and rated up to 300 m in 46 – 110 mm holes.

Model	Rated depth	Rod size
PT-30	30 m	46.5 – 110 mm	View
XY-1A	150 m	75 – 110 mm	View
XY-200-4	200 m	75 – 150 mm	View
GR-200	200 m	73 – 300 mm	View
XY-2PC	300 m	75 – 150 mm	View

300 – 500 m · MEDIUM-DEEP CLASS

300 – 500 m underground core drilling rigs

Split-type electric rigs sized for mine drifts, tunnels and adits. Electric drive means no diesel exhaust underground; the frame splits so it can be carried through a 1.2 m drift and re-assembled at the face. Rated 550 / 450 / 350 m in BQ / NQ / HQ.

Model	Rated depth	Rod size
UG-550	550 / 450 / 350 m	BQ / NQ / HQ	View

500 – 800 m · MEDIUM-DEEP CLASS

500 – 800 m underground and mid-depth rigs

The working range for most underground definition drilling and mid-depth surface programmes. Two models cover it: 750 / 650 / 450 m and 950 / 850 / 600 m in BQ / NQ / HQ, both skid-mounted with hydraulic chuck and wireline winch.

Model	Rated depth	Rod size
UG-750	750 / 650 / 450 m	BQ / NQ / HQ	View
UG-950	950 / 850 / 600 m	BQ / NQ / HQ	View

800 – 1,000 m · MEDIUM-DEEP CLASS

800 – 1,000 m wireline core drilling rigs

Crawler-mounted full hydraulic machines with a 1,000 m NQ rating — the standard depth for grass-roots to resource-definition drilling. Hydrostatic head, 3.5 m mast, wireline winch and rod handler; the crawler walks between pads instead of being towed.

Model	Rated depth	Rod size
CH-1200	1,400 / 1,200 · 1,200 / 1,000 · 900 / 650 · 400 m	BTW/BQ · NTW/NQ · HTW/HQ · PQ	View

1,000 – 1,500 m · DEEP-HOLE CLASS

1,000 – 1,500 m deep coring rigs

Deep-hole class. Either a 1,300 m underground unit or a 1,500 m NQ crawler: bigger head torque, two-speed winch, and a mast tall enough for 6 m rod stands so tripping time stays down at depth.

Model	Rated depth	Rod size
UG-1450	1,600 / 1,300 / 800 m	BQ / NQ / HQ	View
CH-1680	1,700 · 1,500 · 1,150 · 800 m	BTW/BQ · NTW/NQ · HTW/HQ · PQ	View

1,500 – 2,000 m · DEEP-HOLE CLASS

1,500 – 2,000 m exploration coring rigs

Our deepest surface unit: 2,000 m NQ / 1,550 m HQ / 1,000 m PQ from a 179 kW deck. For programmes where the target sits below 1,500 m, and a second mobilisation would cost more than the step up in machine size.

Model	Rated depth	Rod size
CH-2180	2,200 · 2,000 · 1,550 · 1,000 m	BTW/BQ · NTW/NQ · HTW/HQ · PQ	View

DEPTH QUESTIONS

How depth ratings actually work

It means the rig can pull a full NQ rod string — 69.9 mm rods, 60 mm hole — to 1,000 m of hole. The same rig in HQ (96 mm hole) reaches roughly 650 m and in PQ (122.6 mm) about 400 m, because the rod string is heavier and the annulus needs more flush. Wireline rod strings carry a W after the size — BTW, NTW, HTW — for the same hole diameters in a wireline string.

The 500 – 800 m band: UG-750 rated 650 m NQ, or UG-950 at 850 m NQ if you want margin for deviation control and a heavier string. Both are electric and skid-mounted, so they suit drifts as well as small surface pads.

No. The limit is the pull-back capacity and the rod strength, not the feed speed. Overrunning the rating puts the string above its safe working load and usually ends with a twisted-off rod at the bottom of the hole.

Roughly, yes — but the jump is stepwise rather than linear. Moving from a 300 m portable rig to an 800 m crawler is a different class of machine: chassis, hydraulics and mast. Moving from 1,000 m to 1,500 m inside the same crawler family is mostly head torque, winch rating and mast height.

Rod diameter and thread stay the same inside a size, but wall thickness, joint capacity and the wireline winch rating change. Past about 800 m most programmes move to a heavier rod and a two-speed winch; the bit matrix usually goes harder as the rock temperature and trip time rise.

Tell us the depth, the rod size and the rock

We answer with the model, the rod string, the bit matrix and the scope of supply — usually within one working day.

Send the Hole Details Talk to an Engineer