Understanding DeWalt Cordless Power Tool Model Numbers
If you work in the trades, there's a good chance you’ve heard of DeWalt or used their power tools. But do you know what DeWalt cordless power tool model numbers mean?
This might not be a question that comes up often, but it's certainly an interesting one for many tool users. While this blog is not an official guide, it offers insights I've gathered as a research enthusiast in the tool retail industry. Please let me know if I missed any!
Shown above is the Dewalt DCD999X1 cordless hammer drill kit.
In this blog, we’ll talk about how the DCD means this is a cordless drill, the 999 implies it’s a heavy-duty hammer drill, and the X1 means it is kitted with a single 18-54V FlexVolt 9Ah battery.
If you happen to have a DeWalt tool in your hand while reading this post, you can locate the model number on the product's rating label. DeWalt power tool SKU codes are typically alphanumeric, always starting with the letter "D." The complete model number, including battery specifications, can be found on the original packaging or your retailer receipt.
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Tool Categories Explained
The first part of the model number describes the product category. As you can probably guess, DC stands for Dewalt Cordless [tool type].
Here are all the DeWalt cordless power tool model number prefixes I could recall, though there may be others, with slight variations depending on the market.
DCB – Battery, charger, or USB adapter
DCBP – PowerStack battery
DCD – Drill
DCE – Equipment
DCF – Fastening tool (e.g. impact driver, wrench, or ratchet)
DCG – Grinder
DCH – Rotary hammer or breaker hammer
DCM – Material removal tool (e.g. band file, polisher)
DCK – Combination/Combo kit
DCL – Lighting
DCN – Nailer
DCR – Jobsite radio or speaker
DCS – Saw or oscillating multi-tool
DCV – Vacuum
DCW – Woodworking tools (sanders, routers, and similar)
Some product categories are broader than others. For example, the DCS category encompasses various types of saws as well as oscillating multi-tools. The DCF category includes impact drivers, impact wrenches, ratchets, and riveting tools, among others.
The DCE category serves as a broad catch-all for specialty tools such as trade-specific tools, jobsite blowers, fans, drywall sanders, adhesive applicators, pipe threaders, and other tools that don’t fit into a specific category.
Cordless Outdoor Power Tools
DeWalt uses specific model number prefixes for their outdoor tools, which makes sense given the smaller range. Here are some examples:
DCMBL – Blower
DCMCS – Chainsaw
DCED – Edger (US)
DCMHT – Hedge trimmer
DCMW – Mower
DCMPR – Pruner
DCMPS – Pole saw
DCSNP – Snow blower (US)
DCMST – String trimmer
As with the other prefixes, there could be more – please let me know if I missed any!
How to Identify the Batteries in Dewalt Cordless Tool Kits
The letter denotes the battery size, and the following number (#) tells you how many the kit comes with.
C# – 1.3Ah or 1.5Ah battery
D# – 2Ah battery
E# – 1.7Ah PowerStack battery
H# – 5Ah PowerStack battery
L# – 3Ah battery (compact or older style)
M# – 4Ah battery
P# – 5Ah battery
Q# – 4Ah compact battery
R# – 6Ah battery
T# – 6Ah FlexVolt battery
U# – 10Ah battery
W# – 8Ah battery
X# – 9Ah Flexvolt battery
Y# – 12Ah FlexVolt battery
Z# – 15Ah FlexVolt battery
Thus, the DCD800D2 cordless drill kit comes with 2x 2Ah batteries, the DCD800P1 drill kit comes with 1x 5Ah battery, and the DCD800D1E1 comes with 1x 2Ah battery and 1x 1.7Ah PowerStack battery.
What About Bare Tools?
That’s easy – the tool-only version (bare unit) adds a “N” after the model number (It’s “B” for the US market)
For example, the DCS999N is the bare-tool of the DC999 hammer drill. And, to reinforce what the kit suffix means, the DCS574X1 is the kit with 1x FlexVolt 18-54V 9Ah battery.
As far as I have seen, DeWalt cordless power tools are sold in bare-tool format, kit format, or as part of larger bundles or combo kits.
How about the numbers that follows the category prefix?
In the Cordless Drill category alone, Dewalt has numerous models in their 18V (a.k.a 20Vmax) lineup, and navigating all of these different options can be a chore.
DCD7XX – compact drills
DCD8XX – newest generation of compact cordless drills
DCD9XX – premium heavy-duty 3-speed cordless drills
Dewalt’s DCD800 (in the US) is their latest 20Vmax XR compact brushless drill, and the DCD999 is their top-tier 3-speed hammer drill at the time of writing (prior to the release of the DCD1007, also in the US).
Typically, the higher the number that follows the category prefix, the more recent the generation of the tool. DCDXX0 to DCDXX4 model numbers are for cordless drill drivers, while DCDXX5 to DCDXX9 are for cordless hammer drills.
For instance, DCD800 is a drill/driver, and DCD805 is the latest XR brushless hammer drill.
An exception is the DCD100, which is their 100th-anniversary limited edition hammer drill, even though it ends with “0”.
For premium heavy-duty drills, here's a deeper look at the current models:
DCD991 – Drill Driver
DCD996 – Hammer Drill
DCD997 – Hammer Drill with Tool Connect
DCD998 – Hammer Drill with Power Detect
DCD999 – Hammer Drill with FlexVolt Advantage
[US NEW] DCD1007 - Most Powerful Hammer Drill with Anti Rotation
All of these hammer drills are similar, with each model offering unique features: the DCD997 includes wireless app connectivity, the DCD998 offers a performance boost when used with higher-capacity batteries, and the DCD999 enhances performance when powered by a FlexVolt battery. Recently, however, DeWalt has discontinued most of the DCD999 FlexVolt Kits and introduced a DCD999H2T kit that comes with two 5Ah XR PowerStack batteries.
When it comes to DeWalt Cordless Impact Drivers, the number don’t tell you much. The DCF887 has been Dewalt’s flagship XR impact driver, preceded by DCF885, DCF886. So you must expect the next gen to be DCF888 right? But DeWalt has another plan. DCF888 (discontinued) was a Tool Connect impact driver, the DCF889 was an older model impact wrench, and the DCF890 is a brushless impact wrench. All this is to show that the numbers don’t always follow a logical progression, and that users shouldn’t make assumptions based on the numbers. For example, the DCF860 is an immense improvement over the DCF887. The numbers jump around a bit so the higher number doesn’t mean higher quality.
Combo/Combination Kit Model Numbers
The first three letters of the model number indicate the tool category, with "DCK" standing for DeWalt Combination/Combo Kit. The last two characters specify the battery size and count. For example, DCK368P3T is a combo kit with 3x 5Ah batteries, DCK694P2 comes with 2x 5Ah batteries, and DCK254E2 includes 2x 1.7Ah PowerStack batteries.
The number sequence in the middle helps to determine the number of tools included in the kit. The first digit of this sequence indicates the tool count:
DCK254E2 – 2-tool combo
DCK368P3T - 3 tool combo
DCK489D2 – 4-tool combo
DCK694P2 – 6-tool combo
What about DCK1020D2? 10 Power Tools in 1 Kit? Yes that’s right. It’s a 10-tool combo kit with 2x 2Ah batteries.
There are special cases too. For instance, DCKTS681D1P1 (discontinued) doesn't have 68 tools. "TS" means it includes a ToughSystem toolbox, "6" means it has 6 tools, and "D1P1" means it comes with 1x 2Ah battery and 1x 5Ah battery.
Another example is DCK2062L2T. It’s not a 20-tool kit; it's a 18V XR Brushless Twin Kit with 2 x 3Ah batteries. This is one of those exceptions in DeWalt’s numbering system.
On your tool, you can also find the Type Number, Date Code and Serial Number.
In order to find accurate parts, manuals and drawings for your tool you must know the tool's model number and type number. While the model number identifies which specific tool it is, the type number identifies the multiple versions of a specific model number. A type 1 version can have different parts to a type 2 version of a particular model number. The type number is as important to know as the model number in order to ensure you receive the correct service part(s). Some models can have multiple type numbers or, in some cases, no type number.
The Date Code tells you when the tool was made, using an 8-digit format: the first 4 digits are the year, followed by 2 digits for the week, and another 2 digits which might include letters. For example, a Date Code could look like this: 2017-22-59.
The Serial Number is usually found on the rating label or inside the battery compartment. It can be just numbers or a mix of letters and numbers.
