Wall Anchor Reference
Every recommendation the Wall Anchor Selector can return, laid out side by side across drywall, plaster, masonry, and metal stud, for a range of representative loads per anchor point.
This is guidance for choosing a fastener, not a safety rating.
Every cell below assumes correct installation, an undamaged substrate, and a static load. For anything heavy, overhead, or that would injure someone if it fell — a wall-mounted TV, shelving above a bed or seating area, a wall-mounted cabinet — anchor into a stud or masonry, not into plasterboard alone, regardless of what a rating on paper suggests.
Recommendation by load and wall type
| Load per anchor | Drywall | Plaster (over lath) | Brick, block, or concrete | Metal stud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 lb | Plastic self-drilling anchor (rated to about 10 lb per anchor) | Self-drilling metal anchor (up to about 10 lb per anchor) — plastic anchors can crack plaster | Plastic sleeve anchor with a screw (up to about 20 lb per anchor) | Self-tapping metal-stud anchor (up to about 25 lb per anchor) |
| 10 lb | Plastic self-drilling anchor (rated to about 10 lb per anchor) | Self-drilling metal anchor (up to about 10 lb per anchor) — plastic anchors can crack plaster | Plastic sleeve anchor with a screw (up to about 20 lb per anchor) | Self-tapping metal-stud anchor (up to about 25 lb per anchor) |
| 15 lb | Plastic ribbed or wing anchor (rated to about 25 lb per anchor) | Metal ribbed anchor (up to about 25 lb per anchor) | Plastic sleeve anchor with a screw (up to about 20 lb per anchor) | Self-tapping metal-stud anchor (up to about 25 lb per anchor) |
| 25 lb | Plastic ribbed or wing anchor (rated to about 25 lb per anchor) | Metal ribbed anchor (up to about 25 lb per anchor) | Lag shield anchor with a lag screw (up to about 50 lb per anchor) | Self-tapping metal-stud anchor (up to about 25 lb per anchor) |
| 40 lb | Plastic screw-in toggle or a small toggle bolt (rated to about 50 lb per anchor) | Toggle bolt set into the wood lath behind the plaster (up to about 50 lb per anchor) | Lag shield anchor with a lag screw (up to about 50 lb per anchor) | Toggle bolt through the metal stud (up to about 75 lb per anchor) |
| 50 lb | Plastic screw-in toggle or a small toggle bolt (rated to about 50 lb per anchor) | Toggle bolt set into the wood lath behind the plaster (up to about 50 lb per anchor) | Lag shield anchor with a lag screw (up to about 50 lb per anchor) | Toggle bolt through the metal stud (up to about 75 lb per anchor) |
| 65 lb | Metal spring toggle bolt (rated to about 100 lb per anchor) | Locate a wall stud and use a wood screw or lag screw — plaster anchors alone aren't rated this high | Concrete wedge anchor or a Tapcon-style concrete screw (50 lb+ per anchor) | Toggle bolt through the metal stud (up to about 75 lb per anchor) |
| 75 lb | Metal spring toggle bolt (rated to about 100 lb per anchor) | Locate a wall stud and use a wood screw or lag screw — plaster anchors alone aren't rated this high | Concrete wedge anchor or a Tapcon-style concrete screw (50 lb+ per anchor) | Toggle bolt through the metal stud (up to about 75 lb per anchor) |
| 90 lb | Metal spring toggle bolt (rated to about 100 lb per anchor) | Locate a wall stud and use a wood screw or lag screw — plaster anchors alone aren't rated this high | Concrete wedge anchor or a Tapcon-style concrete screw (50 lb+ per anchor) | Through-bolt with a backer plate, or mount into a structural framing member instead |
| 100 lb | Metal spring toggle bolt (rated to about 100 lb per anchor) | Locate a wall stud and use a wood screw or lag screw — plaster anchors alone aren't rated this high | Concrete wedge anchor or a Tapcon-style concrete screw (50 lb+ per anchor) | Through-bolt with a backer plate, or mount into a structural framing member instead |
| 125 lb | No drywall anchor is rated this high — locate a wall stud and use a wood screw or lag screw instead | Locate a wall stud and use a wood screw or lag screw — plaster anchors alone aren't rated this high | Concrete wedge anchor or a Tapcon-style concrete screw (50 lb+ per anchor) | Through-bolt with a backer plate, or mount into a structural framing member instead |
| 150 lb | No drywall anchor is rated this high — locate a wall stud and use a wood screw or lag screw instead | Locate a wall stud and use a wood screw or lag screw — plaster anchors alone aren't rated this high | Concrete wedge anchor or a Tapcon-style concrete screw (50 lb+ per anchor) | Through-bolt with a backer plate, or mount into a structural framing member instead |
Bolded cells mean the calculation has passed the point where an anchor in that wall material is a reasonable choice at all — find a stud (drywall, plaster) or a structural framing member (metal stud) instead. Masonry has no such cutoff in this table because a wedge-style or screw-in concrete anchor keeps scaling with the fastener size, not the wall material's limits.
Installation notes by wall type
Drywall
Predrill only if the anchor's own packaging calls for a pilot hole — many self-drilling anchors don't need one. Don't force an anchor that isn't seating cleanly; that usually means the hole or the anchor class is wrong for this wall, not that it needs more pressure.
Plaster (over lath)
Start slowly and let the bit do the work — plaster chips and cracks under pressure more easily than drywall. A small starter hole through the plaster skin keeps the bit from wandering before it reaches the lath behind it.
Brick, block, or concrete
Use a masonry bit sized to the anchor and a hammer drill for brick, block, or poured concrete — a standard drill bit will glaze over and barely progress. Clear drilling dust from the hole before inserting the anchor so it can seat fully.
Metal stud
Use a bit or self-tapping screw rated for metal, and stop if the stud starts spinning instead of threading — metal studs are thin-gauge steel and strip out more easily than solid wood.
Always follow the pilot-hole size and installation steps printed on the anchor's own packaging — the notes above are general considerations, not a substitute for product-specific instructions.
Before you drill
Every row on this page assumes you already know what’s inside the wall cavity. A wall material tells you which anchor to use; it says nothing about wiring, plumbing, or ductwork that might be running behind the exact spot you’re about to drill. Run a stud finder with wiring detection over the area first, and be especially careful near outlets, switches, and light fixtures, and on any wall shared with a kitchen or bathroom — see locating wiring and pipes before you drill for the full checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this table a safety rating I can rely on?
No — treat it as guidance for choosing a fastener category, not a certified safety rating. Every recommendation here assumes the anchor is installed correctly, the wall material behind it is sound and undamaged, and the load is static rather than swinging, being bumped, or absorbing a sudden impact. A real wall that's cracked, water-damaged, or carrying a load that isn't staying still can fail well inside a rating that looks fine on paper.
Why does the same weight need a different anchor on a different wall?
Drywall and plaster are thin, somewhat brittle sheet materials backed by open air, so an anchor there relies on friction or a mechanism that spreads out behind the surface. Masonry is dense and solid all the way through, so an anchor can grip it directly and hold far more weight at the same hole size. Metal studs are thin-gauge steel — strong, but easy to strip if a screw is overdriven.
What does it mean when a row says a stud or structural framing member is required?
It means the weight per anchor has passed the point where any anchor in that wall material is a reasonable choice — the table is telling you to locate a wall stud (drywall, plaster) or a nearby structural framing member (metal stud) and fasten into that directly, rather than relying on an anchor in the surrounding sheet material at all.
What about anything heavy, overhead, or safety-critical, even if an anchor's rating covers it on paper?
Anchor into a stud or masonry, not into plasterboard alone, for anything heavy, overhead, or that would hurt someone if it fell — a wall-mounted TV, shelving above a bed or seating area, or a wall-mounted cabinet. A rating with room to spare is not the same guarantee as solid framing underneath the load.
Use it with
- Wall Anchor Selector — enter your own item weight, wall type, and anchor count to get a single recommendation, rather than scanning the full table.
- Picking a wall anchor by load and wall type — a worked walkthrough of identifying your wall material and dividing a real load across anchor points.
- Choosing the right wall anchor — the fuller background on why each wall material needs a different anchor class.