The cordless drill battery charging time can be expressed as the drill battery capacity(Ah)/charging current (A). A single-cell Li-Ion drill battery has a 4.3V of charging voltage and 0.3A-3.0A charging current. The charging time of the drill battery depends on the charger capacity, battery capacity, and charging technology.
A cordless drill battery will take 30 mins to 5 hours to fully charge. Using an ultrafast charger will take 11 minutes. If you use a fast charger, it will take an average of 1 hour.
Black and Deck, Bosch, Craftsman, DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, and Ryobi are the most used drill batteries, and those have various charging times due to different battery technology. If your drill battery is not charged properly, it is due to overheating or damaged charger old or worn-out battery, damaged battery contacts, faulty power source and internal circuit issues.
What Does “Ah” or “AH” mean on a Drill Battery?
“Ah” or “AH” is used to state the capacity of the drill battery. Ah is a SI unit that is used to measure the capacity or the amount of electrical charge a battery can deliver over time. The most available drill battery capacities are 2Ah, 3Ah, 4Ah, 5Ah, 6Ah, and 8Ah. It indicates how long the battery can last before it needs to be recharged. The higher the Ah rating, the longer the battery will last.
What is the Meaning of “V” on the Drill Battery?
The “V” on a drill battery stands for the voltage of the drill battery. It’s a unit of measurement for electric potential and electromotive force. Drill battery voltages are available as 12V, 18V, and 20V. Among them 18V drill batteries are the most used voltage range. The higher voltage drill batteries are more powerful and have a higher RPM. Hence most of general-purpose cordless drill batteries are available 12V and 18V.
What is the Charging Voltage of Drill Battery?
The charging voltage of a single-cell Li-Ion drill battery is 4.3V. Drill battery charging voltage can be varied with the environmental factors, room temperature, battery capacity, and charging technology.
What is the Charging Time of a Drill Battery?
The battery capacity (Ah) divided by the charger current (A) is the charging time for the drill battery to charge fully. The charging time is the most important thing for the battery. The least time charging the battery will save you time. If we consider an ideal battery, we can calculate the battery charging time as below. Due to some environmental and other problems, the battery will not charge properly.
- Charging Time (Hr) = Battery Capacity (Amh) / Charging Current (A)
- Charging Time (Hr) = Battery Capacity (KWh) / Charging Power (KW)
Find the Charging Hours
Problem – A Drill battery is (20V and 5Ah) charged with 20V and 2.5A current. How much time will it take to charge from zero to 100%?
Solution – (20V*5Amh)/(20V*2.5A) = 2 Hrs
What is the Charging Current of a Drill Battery?
The charging current of a single-cell Li-Ion drill battery is between 0.3A -3.0A. The charging current can be varied with the charger current, environmental conditon, temperature, battery capacity and charging technology.
What are the Charging Factors of a Drill Battery?
Charging time can depend on the environmental condition, battery condition, and battery charging technology. So let’s see how these facts affect the charging time.
Environmental Conditions
For the best last long batteries charging should take place at room temperature (approx. 18°C- 21°C). Charging a cold battery can damage the cells. Especially charging in the winter allows the battery to first warm up to room temperature.
Battery Condition
The battery charging cycle is limited. The Li-Ion batteries can be charged up to 1000x times under optimum conditions. So when you charge, it will reduce from the total. Therefore do not recharge the battery again at every opportunity; rather always continue to use it for so long until it is almost empty (10% to 20% of charging status).
Charging Technology
Batteries can be charged with many technologies. Charging speed is different according to the technology. Currently, most brands offer Fast chargers and rapid chargers. Using this kind of equipment, batteries can be charged fastly.
Considering the above factors, manufactured companies have found the real charging time periods under the real situation. The brands such as Black and Deck, Bosch, Craftsman, DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, and Ryobi have different kinds of batteries with various capacities. In order to have the best result, you should use the recommended battery chargers for the cordless drill batteries.
How Long Does it Take to Charge Cordless Drill Battery?
Black and Decker Cordless Drill Battery Charge Time
The average charging time for the Black and Decker 20V Cordless Drill is 40 min to 5 hours. For the longest life and best performance can be obtained if the battery pack is charged when the air temperature is between 65°F and 75°F (18°- 24°C).
Black and Decker 20V cordless drill is widely used for drilling purposes. The maximum initial battery pack voltage is 20V, and it can be varied with the conditions. But nominal voltage is 18V. Many tools are powered with the 20V battery, and it is the most used power system in Black Decker. You can find cordless drills and drivers which are powered using 20V batteries.
Black + Decker (Black and Decker) 20V cordless drill/driver battery charging detail
| 20V Max Batteries | Watt-Hours | LCS200 Charger | LCS1620 Charger | LCS201 Charger | L2AFC Charger | L2AFCBST Charger | BDCAC202B Charger |
| LBX20 | 26 | 6hr 30min | 3hr 15min | 1hr 20min | 40min | 40min | 40min |
| LBXR20 | 30 | 7hr 30min | 3hr 45min | 1Hr 30min | 45min | 45min | 45min |
| LBXR20BT | 30 | 7hr 30min | 3hr 45min | 1Hr 30min | 45min | 45min | 45min |
| LBXR2020 | 40 | 10 hr | 5 hr | 2 hr | 1 Hr | 1 Hr | 1 Hr |
| LBXR2520 | 50 | 12hr 30min | 6hr 15min | 2hr 30min | 1Hr 15min | 1Hr 15min | 1Hr 15min |
| LB2X3020 | 60 | 15 hr | 7hr 30min | 3 hr | 1Hr 30min | 1Hr 30min | 1Hr 30min |
| LB2X4020 | 80 | 20 hr | 10 hr | 4 hr | 2 Hr | 2 Hr | 2 Hr |
Bosch Cordless Drill Battery Charge Time
Bosch cordless drill batteries consist of several voltages such as 12V, 18V, Procore 18V, and 36V. Bosch 12V battery will take 25min – 240min. 18V batteries will take 12min – 200min, and 36V batteries required 30min – 55min to charge fully. Using a high-ampere charger will reduce the charging time.
These values are based on the average charging time. According to the charger ampere, this time can be varied. You can find in detail the charging time for each charger and related batteries as follows.
Bosch 12V Cordless Drill Battery Charging Time
| Battery Capacity | GAL 1210 CV | GAL 12V.20 | GAL 1230 CV | GAL 12V 40CV |
| 1.5 Ah | 95 min | 50 min | 35 min | 25 min |
| 2.0 Ah | 120 min | 65 min | 45 min | 35 min |
| 4.0 Ah | 240 min | 125 min | 85 min | 65 min |
| 6.0 Ah | 360 min | 185 min | 135 min | 95 min |
Bosch 18V Cordless Drill Battery Charging Time
| Battery Capacity | AL 1814 CV | GAL 18V.20 | GAL 18V. 40 | GAL1860 CV | GAL 1880 CV | GAX 18V 30 | GAL 18V 160 |
| 1.5 Ah | 80 min | 50 min | 30 min | 25 min | 12 min | 30 min | – |
| 2.0 Ah | 105 min | 65 min | 40 min | 35 min | 15 min | 45 min | – |
| 4.0 Ah | 210 min | 125 min | 60 min | 45 min | 35 min | 85 min | 25 min |
| 6.0 Ah | – | 180 min | 80 min | 65 min | 50 min | – | 45 min |
Bosch ProCORE 18V Cordless Drill Battery Charging Time
| Battery Capacity | GAL1860 CV | GAL 1880 CV | GAL 18V 160 |
| 4.0 Ah | 75 min | 50 min | 50 min |
| 8.0 Ah | 120 min | 65 min | 55 min |
| 12 Ah | – | 90 min | 60 min |
Craftman Cordless Drill Battery Charge Time
Craftsman drill batteries will take 30 min – 2 hours for charging 0% to 100%. Most of the Craftsman drill batteries are fully charged within 1 hour. Charging speed is highly dependent on the charger. More ampere chargers can speed up the charging process.
Craftsman Drill Battery Charging Time
| Batter Voltage, Capacity, and Model No | Charging Time |
| V20 9.0 AH Li-Ion Battery CMCB209 | 1 hr |
| V20 6.0AH Li-Ion Battery CMCB206 | 1 hr |
| V60 5.0AH Li-Ion Battery CMCB6050 | 2 hr |
| V60 2.5 AH Li-Ion Battery CMCB6025 | 1 hr 15 min |
| V60 5.0AH Li-Ion Battery CMCB6050 | 2 hr 30 min |
| V60 7.5AH Li-Ion Battery CMCB6075 | 3 hr 45 min |
| V20 2.0AH Li-Ion Battery (2PK) CMCB202-2 | 30 min |
| V20 4.0AH Li-Ion Battery (2PK) CMCB204-2 | 1 hr |
| V20 2.0AH LI-ion Starter Kit CMCB202-2CK | 1 hr |
| V20 4.0AH Li-Ion Battery CMCB204 | 1 hr |
| V20 2.0AH Li-Ion Battery CMCB202 | 30 min |
| V20 2.0AH Li-Ion Battery (2PK) CMCB202-2 | 30 min |
| V20 4.0AH Li-Ion Battery CMCB204 | 1 hr |
| V20 4.0AH Li-Ion Battery (2PK) CMCB204-2 | 1 hr |
| V20 2.0AH Li-Ion Battery CMCB202 | 1 hour |
Makita Cordless Drill Battery Charge Time
Makita drill batteries take the minimum time period for charging such as 1.5 Ah = 15 mins, 2.0 Ah = 20 mins, 3.0 Ah = 30 mins, 4.0 Ah = 40 mins, 5.0 Ah = 45 mins, 6.0 Ah = 60 mins.
Makita uses advanced technology for the rapid charging systems, and also, they deliver longer runtime ( 3 years from the purchase date )for the Li-Ion batteries. And also they provide 3 years of warranty for the workmanship and materials.
Makita Cordless Drill Battery Charging Time
| Capacity | Charging Time (min) |
| 1.5 Ah | 15 min |
| 2.0 Ah | 20 min |
| 3.0 Ah | 30 min |
| 4.0 Ah | 40 min |
| 5.0 Ah | 45 min |
| 6.0 Ah | 60 min |
Milwaukee Cordless Drill Battery Charge Time
Milwaukee offers 3 types of chargers as standard chargers, rapid chargers, and superchargers. When charging an 18V 12 Ah battery, using the above chargers will take 60 min, 130 min, and 241 min. Other capacities of the batteries will take less than these time periods.
Milwaukee Cordless Drill Battery Charging Time
| M18 HD 12.0 | M18 XC 8.0 | M18 XC 6.0 | M18 CP3.0 | M18 HD9.0 | M18 XC5.0 | M18 CP2.0 | M12 XC3.0 | M12 CP2.0 | |
| Supercharger | 60 min | 45 min | 35 min | 35 min | 103 min | 60 min | 25 min | 46 min | 30 min |
| Rapid charge | 130 min | 83 min | 64 min | 35 min | 103 min | 60 min | 25 min | 46 min | 30 min |
| Standard charger | 241 min | 153 min | 119 min | 65 min | 184 min | 105 min | 42 min | 55 min | 43 min |
Ryobi Cordless Drill Battery Charge Time
Ryobi Battery charge time for 0% to 100% are as follow 1.3 Ah=50 min,1.5Ah = 60 min, 2.0 Ah = 80 min, 2.5 Ah = 100min, 4.0 Ah = 160 min and 5.0 Ah = 200 min. These batteries are Li-Ion, and charger output is 18V ,1.5A
Ryobi Cordless Drill Battery Charging Time
| Battery Pack | Battery capacity | Charging time |
| RB18L13 | 1.3 Ah | 50 min |
| RB18L15 | 1.5 Ah | 60 min |
| RB18L20 | 2.0 Ah | 80 min |
| RB18L25 | 2.5 Ah | 100 min |
| RB18L40 | 4.0 Ah | 160 min |
| RB18L50 | 5.0 Ah | 200 min |
Dewalt Cordless Drill Battery Charge Time
DeWalt batteries are with 8V, 12V, and 20V voltages. These batteries take maximum time for charging as follow: 8V (1Ah) = 60 min, 12V(1.5Ah) = 45 min, 20V (3.0Ah)= 90min, 20V (1.5Ah)= 45min, 20V (2.0Ah)= 60min, 20V (4.0Ah)= 120min, and 20V (5.0Ah)= 120min.
| Battery | Voltage | Capacity | DCB095 (charger) | DCB101 (charger) | DCR015 (charger) | DCB119 (charger) | DCB102 (charger) | DCB103 (charger) |
| DCB080 | 8V | 1 Ah | 60 min | – | – | – | – | – |
| DCB120 | 12V | 1.5 Ah | – | 30 min | 45 min | 45 min | 45 min | 45 min |
| DCB200 | 20V | 3.0 Ah | – | 60 min | 90 min | 90 min | 90 min | 90 min |
| DCB201 | 20V | 1.5 Ah | – | 30 min | 45 min | 45 min | 30 min | 30 min |
| DCB203 | 20V | 2.0 Ah | – | 35 min | 60 min | 60 min | 35 min | 35 min |
| DCB204 | 20V | 4.0 Ah | – | 70 min | 120 min | 120 min | 70 min | 70 min |
| DCB205 | 20V | 5.0 Ah | – | 70 min | 120 min | 120 min | 70 min | 70 min |
What are the Reasons to Not Charging a Drill Battery?
A drill battery will not charge due to these main 5 reasons such as overheating or damaged charger, old or worn out battery, damaged battery contacts, faulty power sources and internal circuit issues. You can check more drill battery problems here
- Overheated or damaged charger – If the charger gets too hot or has experienced a power surge, it may not be able to effectively charge the battery. Often, using a charger not meant for the drill battery can cause such issues.
- Old or worn-out battery – If the battery is several years old or has been used excessively, it may no longer hold a charge. In this case, the battery itself needs replacement.
- Damaged battery contacts – The contacts on the battery must connect appropriately with the contacts on the charger. If there’s any dirt, grime or corrosion on the contacts, it can prevent the battery from charging.
- Faulty power source – If the outlet or powerstrip where the charger is plugged into is damaged or not supplying proper power, this can prevent the battery from charging.
- Internal circuit issues – If the internal circuitry of the battery or the charger fails, it can prevent the battery from charging. This could be due to a blown fuse, damaged wires, or other electrical issues inside the devices.
Should I Charge Drill Battery to 100%?
No, You should not charge the drill battery up to 100%. It will reduce the number of charging cycles of the battery. You should charge the drill battery within 10%-90% capacity range. It will reduce the charging cycles and increase the lifespan of the battery.
Can I Revive a Drill Battery?
Yes, you can revive a drill battery. You can jumpstart a fully discharged drill battery using a fully charged drill batter and conduction wires. You should connect drill batteries using conduction wire and keep 5-10mins. Then you can charge the drill battery using a regular charger.
