If you’re searching for the shank size on a Craftsman drill bit set and coming up empty, the short answer is this: the bits almost certainly use the same standard 1/4″ hex shank as every other major cordless tool brand. The gap isn’t in the engineering; it’s in Craftsman’s own product copy.
Across the rest of this site’s bit-compatibility series — DeWalt, Milwaukee, RYOBI, Makita, and Bosch — each brand states a shank type directly on its bit set product pages. Craftsman doesn’t. Its 140-Piece Drill/Drive Bit Set (CMAF140SET) and 35-Piece Screwdriving Bit Set (CMAF35SET) both list plenty of details about the bits themselves, but neither page mentions shank size or type anywhere. That’s a legitimate inconsistency, and it’s fair to notice it. But it doesn’t mean Craftsman is hiding a proprietary or non-standard shank.
What Craftsman does say about its bit sets
The 140-piece set is described as “Black oxide coated HSS,” made of “shock-resistant tool steel for maximum durability” to “resist a high level of impact and torque during tough applications.” Both the 140-piece and 35-piece sets carry the same precision claim: “CNC-machined bit tip ensures precise fit in screw heads reducing opportunity for cam-out.”
The 35-piece set is “Constructed with shock-resistant tool steel for maximum durability” and repeats the same CNC-machined tip language. Both pages talk about material, coating, and fit. Neither talks about the shank.
The page that does mention shank size
Craftsman’s Bit Tip Holder Set (CMAFHLD-3) is “engineered for drill and impact compatibility” and, importantly, uses a “1/4-in hex shank for drill and impact compatibility.” That’s the same 1/4″ hex shank the industry has standardized around for cordless drill/drivers and impact drivers. The holder set also has a “Rare earth magnet for bit retention,” “Includes 3-in and 6-in bit holders and 3.1-in drive guide,” and a “Drive guide [that] features sliding sleeve to hold screws, protect fingers, and reduce wobbling and slipping.”
So Craftsman does confirm the standard shank — just not on the bit set pages where most shoppers would expect to see it. That makes the omission a marketing-copy issue, not a hardware issue.
Why the missing shank size doesn’t matter much in practice
Hex bits with a 1/4″ shank are the default for modern cordless drills and impact drivers. Walk the accessory aisle at any hardware store or browse third-party listings for bit sets and you’ll see the same dimension repeated across brands. Craftsman’s own tools that accept 1/4″ hex bits — the V20 line and others — are built around that same convention. There’s no design incentive for Craftsman to switch to something proprietary here; it would only make its bits incompatible with the chucks, impact drivers, and bit holders its customers already own.
The absence of a shank spec on the 140-piece and 35-piece pages is also consistent with how accessory copy is sometimes written. Manufacturers often highlight material, coating, and tip geometry while leaving the shank as assumed knowledge. That’s not a great habit, especially when shoppers are comparing sets side by side, but it doesn’t change the physical product.
Practical takeaway
This is a gap in Craftsman’s own marketing copy for the bit set pages, not evidence of a non-standard or locked-in shank. The separate Bit Tip Holder page, from Craftsman itself, states plainly that it uses a “1/4-in hex shank,” the same standard used by every other brand in this series. There’s no real reason to think Craftsman’s bit sets use anything other than the standard 1/4″ hex shank — Craftsman just doesn’t say so on those specific product pages. If you already have a standard hex bit set from another brand, it will work in Craftsman tools that accept 1/4″ hex bits.
Model-level compatibility matrix
State labels separate source-backed facts from gaps: CONFIRMED is explicit in a reviewed primary source; UNSUPPORTED is outside the cited scope; UNKNOWN is not established by the reviewed source.
| Pair or boundary | State | Evidence / reason |
|---|---|---|
| Craftsman CMAFHLD-3 ↔ 1/4 in hex interface | CONFIRMED | Craftsman states 1/4 in hex for drill/impact compatibility. |
| CMAF140SET/CMAF35SET shank type | UNKNOWN | Reviewed set pages omit direct shank specification. |
| Non-1/4 in interface | UNSUPPORTED | The cited compatibility statement is specific to 1/4 in hex. |
| Unspecified set/tool pairing | UNKNOWN | Exact shank and receiver are required. |
How this was checked
Facts on this page are drawn from Craftsman’s own 140-Piece Drill/Drive Bit Set, Bit Tip Holder Set, and 35-Piece Screwdriving Bit Set product pages.
Sources checked: 2026-08-11. A new review date will only be set after the linked pages are re-checked.