A pegboard can be an awesome organization tool to have in your workshop garage or even your bedroom. And to boost a pegboard’s effectiveness, you can hang up all of your accessories on helpful pegboard hooks. The only question is, what size are the holes on a pegboard?
The holes on pegboards come in one of three sizes—1/8, 3/16, and ¼ of an inch. The size of the holes will determine what hook diameters will fit inside the holes.
In today’s guide, I’ll talk about the differences between the common pegboard hole sizes and the different types of pegboards.
Pegboard Hole Sizes
When shopping for a pegboard, you should be aware of what hole size it comes with. Not only will the holes determine what size hooks you can get for the pegboard, but they will also determine how large of an object you can hang on the organization board.
There are several types of pegboards, but they will come in three common hole sizes—1/8, 3/16, and ¼ of an inch, with the latter being the more common of the three.
Differences Between 1/8-inch, 3/16, and ¼-inch Pegboards?
Now, you’re probably wondering yourself: why does the hole size matter? What benefits does one size have over the others?
The straightforward answer is that ¼-inch pegboards, which use thicker hooks, are used to hang large tools, such as power drills, orbital sanders, reciprocating saws, etc. Because the hooks are larger, they can support large, heavy objects without the risk of all of your expensive power tools falling onto the floor, assuming the board is installed correctly.
1/8-inch pegboards are typically used for organizing arts and crafts supplies, such as paintbrushes, stationery containers, tape, ribbons, etc.
As for 3/16-inch pegboards, they are typically the general-purpose pegboard size. They can be used to hang large tools, as well as large quantities of small supplies. However, due to the thinness of the hooks, users should still be wary about how many power tools they hang on the board.
So, the only question you need to ask yourself is this: how much money is going to hang on my pegboard? If you’re thinking about hanging potentially thousands of dollars of power tools, then don’t take the cheaper route. Instead, choose the pegboard with the thickest hooks—i.e., ¼-inch holes.
Pegboard Accessories
Not only can you insert hooks in your pegboard panel to support your tools and supplies, but there is an assortment of different accessories that will help improve workspace organization.
Some of the most commonly used accessories include baskets, racks, ring holders, and different hook shapes. You will need all of these add-ons for your pegboard to ensure that your stationery, booklets, and power tools are kept in place.
If you’re interested in a variety pack that consists of every accessory you could hope for, I highly suggest taking a look at eletecpro’s 84-piece pegboard accessory kit on Amazon. The accessories are designed to fit in ¼-inch holes, which is the most common pegboard hole size.
How Much Weight Can a Pegboard Hold?
As handy as pegboards are at organizing your tools and supplies, you should be aware of how much weight the board can hold at the same time. In very general terms, 1/8-inch hooks can support up to 5 pounds, while 3/16-inch hooks fall somewhere between 8 and 10 pounds. A typical heavy-duty ¼-inch pegboard hook is rated to support as much as 15 pounds each.
However, the best thing you can do to figure out how much weight a pegboard can support is by looking at the product description. Depending on the type of pegboard, it might support as much as 100 pounds in total, while other models can support 150 pounds without showing any signs of pulling away from the wall.
Pegboard Types—Masonite, Metal, and Acrylic
As the header suggests, there are three main types of pegboards to choose from, each of which has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Let’s take a close look at each type individually.
Masonite Pegboards
Masonite is a type of engineered wood that is made by compressing wood fibers and resin together before receiving a coating of oil. It’s not the most heavy-duty type of pegboard out there, but it’s relatively cheap compared to the other types. This type of pegboard is readily available in most hardwood stores, and they come in 1/8 and ¼-inch varieties.
However, Masonite pegboards require furring strips—i.e., spacers that keep the board away from your wall—distributed throughout the backside of the board, thereby reducing the number of holes you can utilize to hang your tools and supplies. In addition, even staying within the weight limit can cause excessive strain to the board, causing it to warp and possibly drop your tools over time.
Metal Pegboards
Metal pegboards are objectively the sturdiest type of them all. Not only does it have a sleeker look than the others, but its heavy-duty materials allow it to support much larger objects without causing the board to warp. In addition, maintaining a metal pegboard requires nothing but wiping it down with a clean cloth once in a while.
If you moisten the cloth, make sure to wring it thoroughly and wipe off any moisture on the surface of the board to prevent it from corroding. Also, metal pegboards are considerably more expensive than the other types. But in the end, you will get what you pay for.
Acrylic Pegboards
Acrylic pegboards do not corrode with time, they are easy to clean, and you can remove and hang the board with ease. They don’t require furring strips to install, despite being durable enough to hold onto large power tools. Plus, they can be made almost entirely out of recycled plastic, which is a huge plus for the environmentally conscious among us.
But as you might expect, acrylic pegboards don’t have the best of looks. Also, moisture and oils can strip the water-resistant coating off the surface of the board, in which case, you will have to retreat it. And despite having a higher weight capacity than Masonite, these boards are not meant for keeping large power tools in place for extended periods.
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