The rule of thumb for perforating carbon steel and aluminum is that the hole diameter should not be less than the thickness of the material. The closer this 1-to-1 relationship is approached, the higher will be the probability for tool failure, and the greater the precautions necessary to avoid it. For stainless steel and other higher strength materials, it is best to drop at least one thickness gauge thinner than hole diameter.

In some cases, variations to these recommendations can be accommodated but with additional production costs.