A Baker Hughes company

IADC
DULL GRADING
SYSTEM
FOR FIXED
CUTTER BITS


Information provided by dull
grading bits can be very significant.
This value was recognized by the
IADC some 25 years ago when a
worldwide dull grading system
for roller cone bits was established.
For fixed cutter bits - that is,
all non-roller cone bits - this dull
grading system could not be applied,
and a new system had to be estab-
lished. The fixed cutter dull grading
system was developed by the IADC
Drill Bits Sub-Committee in 1987 and
revised in 1991.
The fixed cutter dull grading sys-
tem can be used for all non-roller
cone bits, including natural dia-
mond, polycrystalline diamond
compacts (PDC), thermally stable
polycrystalline (TSP) diamonds,
impregnated bits, core bits and non-
roller cone bits which do not em-
ploy diamond material as a cutting
element.
The system does not distinguish
between drilling and coring bits.
This guide will only show examples
of PDC, TSP, natural diamond and
impregnated or sintered drill bits.

INTRODUCTION

IADC DULL GRADING SYSTEM CHART

Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Inner Outer Dull Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Location Seals
1
/16 Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

X

The Dull Grading System Chart
adopted by IADC includes all codes
necessary to dull grade roller cone
bits and fixed cutter bits.
The chart describes eight factors
on drill bits. The first four spaces
describe the

Cutting Structure

. The
fifth space

(B)

refers to Bearing
Seals and does not apply to fixed
cutter bits. This space is always
marked with an X when fixed
cutter bits are graded. The sixth
space

(G)

refers to Gauge Mea-
surement while the last two

Re-
marks

spaces indicate Other Dull
Characteristics (or secondary dull
characteristics) and Reason Pulled.

Inner/Out er Rows

Using a linear scale from zero to
eight, a value is given to cutters in
the inner and outer rows of surface-
set bits to indicate the amount of
wear. Grading numbers increase
with amount of wear, with zero
representing no wear and eight
meaning no usable cutter left.
Accordingly, four indicates 50%
wear.
PDC cutter wear is measured in a
linear scale from one to eight across
the diamond table, regardless of the
cutter shape, size, type or exposure.

Figure 1

illustrates the cutter wear
grading system schematically.

SYSTEM STRUCTURE
FIGURE 1

INNER AREA
2/3 RADIUS
OUTER AREA
1/3 RADIUS

When grading a dull bit, the average amount of wear for each
area should be recorded. As shown above, 2/3 of the radius
represents the inner rows. The five cutters in this area
would be graded two. This is calculated by averaging the
individual grades for each cutter in the area:
(4 + 3 + 2 + 1 + 0) = 2
50000
The average wear for the outer area is calculated in the same
manner:
(5 + 6 + 7) = 6
3000
Six would be the average wear gradient for the outer area.
This information can now be transferred to the

I ADC Dull
Grading System Chart

above.
NOTE: For a core bit, the centerline in Figure 1 would be the
inside of the core bit ID.

Dull grading characteristics are based on PDC or stud wear, but also apply for
TSP or Natural Diamond material. See photographs on the following pages.

IADC DULL GRADING SYSTEM CHART

Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Inner Outer Dull Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Location Seals
1
/16 Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

X

Dul l Charact eri st i cs /
Ot her Charact eri st i cs

The third and seventh spaces are for
use in noting dull characteristics of
the bit, i.e., the most prominent phys-
ical changes from its new condition.
Codes for these characteristics are
listed below in

Table 1

. In general,
four different wear characteristics
can be distinguished for fixed cutter
bits, as shown in

Figures 2A and 2B

.

FIGURE 2A. STUD CUTTERS TABLE 1.
DULL/OTHER CHARACTERISTICS

FIGURE 2B. CYLINDER CUTTERS

*BC

- Broken Cone

BF

- Bond Failure

BT

- Broken Teeth/Cutters

BU

- Balled Up

*CC

- Cracked Cone

*CD

- Cone Dragged

CI

- Cone Interference

CR

- Cored

CT

- Chipped Teeth/Cutters

ER

- Erosion

FC

- Flat Crested Wear

HC

- Heat Checking

JD

- Junk Damage
*

LC

- Lost Cone

LN

- Lost Nozzle

LT

- Lost Teeth/Cutters

NO

- No Major/Other Dull
Characteristics

NR

- Not Rerunnable

OC

- Off-Center Wear

PB

- Pinched Bit

PN

- Plugged Nozzle/
Flow Passage

RG

- Rounded Gauge

RO

- Ring Out

RR

- Rerunnable

SD

- Shirttail Damage

SS

- Self Sharpening Wear

TR

- Tracking

WO

- Washed Out Bit

WT

- Worn Teeth/Cutters

*Show cone number(s) under Location.
NOTE: If no Dull Characteristic is visible,
mark this space No. If no Other Char-
acteristic is visible, mark this space No.

IADC DULL GRADING SYSTEM CHART

Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Inner Outer Dull Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Location Seals
1
/16 Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

X

SYSTEM STRUCTURE
Worn Cut t er (WT), Round TSP
Worn Cut t er (WT), Round TSP
Broken Cut t er (BT), Round TSP
Worn Cut t er (WT), Tri angul ar TSP
Broken Cut t er (BT), Tri angul ar TSP
Worn Cut t er (WT), Mosai c
Broken Cut t er (BT),
Nat ural Di amond
Broken Cut t er (BT), Tri angul ar TSP

IADC DULL GRADING SYSTEM CHART

Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Inner Outer Dull Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Location Seals
1
/16 Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

X

Cored PDC Bi t (CR)
Junk Damage (JD), PDC Bi t
Ri ng Out (RO) on a TSP Bi t
Ri ng Out (RO) on a PDC Bi t
Bal l ed Up (BU), Impregnat ed Bi t
Erosi on (ER) on a PDC Bi t

IADC DULL GRADING SYSTEM CHART

Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Inner Outer Dull Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Location Seals
1
/16 Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

X

SYSTEM STRUCTURE
Worn Cut t er (WT), PDC
Lost Cut t er (LT), PDC
Worn Cut t er (WT), PDC
Heat Checki ng (HC), PDC
Chi pped Cut t er (CT), PDC
Chi pped Cut t er (CT), PDC
Erosi on (ER), PDC

IADC DULL GRADING SYSTEM CHART

Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Inner Outer Dull Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Location Seals
1
/16 Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

X

Locat i on

The Location space is used to in-
dicate the location of the primary
Dull Characteristics noted in the
third space. Four possible fixed
cutter bit profiles are shown in

Figure 3

, along with the codes used
to identify commonly referred to
locations on the bit. One or more
of these codes are used to indicate
the location of the dull character-
istic(s) noted.

Beari ng Seal s

This space is used only for roller
cone bits. Therefore, it will always
be marked X when grading fixed
cutter bits.

Gauge

The Gauge (G) space is used to re-
cord the condition of the bit gauge.
Record an I here if the bit is still in
gauge. Otherwise, the amount the
bit is undergauge is recorded to the
nearest
1
/16. For specific undergauge
markings, see

Figure 4

.

FIGURE 3. FIXED CUTTER BIT PROFILES
FIGURE 4. GAUGE CONDITION

Code Explanation

I In Gauge
1/16 Undergauge
up to
1
/16
2/16 Undergauge
1
/16 to
1
/8
3/16 Undergauge
1
/8 to
3
/16
4/16 Undergauge
3
/16 to
1
/4

TABLE 2. REASONS FOR PULLING BIT
IADC DULL GRADING SYSTEM CHART

Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Inner Outer Dull Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Location Seals
1
/16 Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

X

Reasons Pul l ed

The last space on the IADC Dull
Grading System Chart is used to
record the reason the bit was pulled.
Alist of codes is shown below in

Table 2

.

SYSTEM STRUCTURE

BHA- Change Bottomhole
Assembly
DMF- Downhole Motor Failure
DSF - Drillstring Failure
DST - Drill Stem Test
DTF - Downhole Tool Failure
LOG- Run Logs
RIG - Rig Repair
CM - Condition Mud
CP - Core Point
DP - Drill Plug
FM - Formation Change
HP - Hole Problems
HR - Hours
PP - Pump Pressure
PR - Penetration Rate
TD - Total Depth/CSG Depth
TQ - Torque
TW - Twist Off
WC - Weather Conditions
WO - Washout Drillstring

IADC DULL GRADING SYSTEM CHART

Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Inner Outer Dull Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Location Seals
1
/16 Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

X

This S279 was used to drill a very
hard and abrasive sandstone forma-
tion in the Rotliegendes in Northern
Germany. The special feature on this
bit is its Core Ejector (CE).
It drilled 100 meters in 51 hours
on a 4
3
/4 Mach 2 downhole motor
at an average ROP of 2.0 m/hr, and
was pulled at 4750 meters to change
the BHA.
After pulling the bit, a uniform
wear pattern was observed with
the exception of the beginning of a
ring out on the bit shoulder. Eight
waterways were plugged with for-
mation, which did not slow down
the penetration rate. The bit was
still in gauge.
The following examples show how
to apply the IADC Fixed Cutter Dull
Grading System to worn bits.

Exampl e 1
DULL GRADING WORN BITS

BIT INFORMATION
Style: S279CE
Size: 5.875
TFA: 0.5
BIT INFORMATION
Pulled Bit

IADC DULL GRADING SYSTEM CHART

Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Inner Outer Dull Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Location Seals
1
/16 Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

X

This R437GN was run in a horizontal
well to drill brittle to plastic shale
and sandstone. It drilled 387 meters
in 29.5 hours with an average ROP
of 13.1 m/hr on a Mach 1 Adjustable
Kick Off Motor. The bit was pulled
at 1820 meters because of slow
penetration rates.
This R437GN was run in a horizontal
drilling operation. The first run was
in shale on a 6
3
/4 Mach 1 fixed
angle-build motor.
The bit drilled 118 meters in
8.5 hours and was pulled at 1433
meters. The ROP was 13.9 m/hr.
After the bit was pulled, no ob-
vious wear could be seen, resulting
in the IADC grading shown above.
The bit was re-run on another
well in the same field in the same
formation, drilling 218 meters in
13.5 hours for an average ROP of
16.2 m/hrs.
The bit was pulled when the
bottomhole assembly had to be
changed.
When dull grading the bit, little
wear on the cutting structure was
seen, resulting in a dull grading
of 1 for inner / outer rows. Three
cutters were lost due to matrix
erosion from a high flow rate, as
shown in the Dull and Other
Characteristics columns. The bit
was still in gauge, as indicated by
I in the Gauge column.

DULL GRADING WORN BITS
Exampl e 2
Exampl e 3
IADC DULL GRADING SYSTEM CHART

Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Inner Outer Dull Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Location Seals
1
/16 Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

X

IADC DULL GRADING SYSTEM CHART

Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Inner Outer Dull Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Location Seals
1
/16 Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

X

Dull grading for the rerun bit.

BIT INFORMATION
Style: R437GN
Size: 8.5
TFA: 0.6

This S725 BallaSet bit with cylindri-
cal TSPs was used to drill claystone
and sand in the medium hard and
dense Rotliegendes formation in
Holland. It drilled 154 meters in 57
hours, achieving an ROP of 2.7 m/hr
on a Mach 2 downhole motor in a
directional well. The bit was pulled
due to a slow rate of penetration.
Dull grading indicated the cutters
were worn 75% and 100% on the
inner and outer rows, respectively.
In addition, a ring out can be seen in
the taper area. The bit was also
1
/16
undergauge due to abrasive
sands in the formation.
Upon pulling the bit, it became ob-
vious why the bit had ceased drilling
it was cored out and had lost all
four nozzles. The remaining cutters
did not show any significant wear.

NOTE: Although the bit lost all four
nozzles, the primary Dull Characteristic
is cored because this is the main reason
the nozzles were lost. Lost nozzles are
recorded under Other Characteristics.

IADC DULL GRADING SYSTEM CHART

Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Inner Outer Dull Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Location Seals
1
/16 Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

X

BIT INFORMATION
Style: R437GN
Size: 8.5
TFA: 0.6
BIT INFORMATION
Style: S725GN
Size: 8.38
TFA: 0.10

Exampl e 4

IADC DULL GRADING SYSTEM CHART

Cutting Structure B G Remarks

Inner Outer Dull Bearing Gauge Other Reason
Rows Rows Charact- Location Seals
1
/16 Charact- Pulled
eristics eristics

X

Run 2
Run 3
Run 4

This R435SG was run four times in
the North Sea area. The bit drilled
a total of 977 meters in 166.3 hours,
mainly in salt/anhydrite formations
of the Zechstein. Three of the four
runs were on a Mach 1 DTU motor
with RPMs of 210 to 320.
Dull grading of the first two runs
shows no visible cutting structure
failure. The Reason Pulled was
Downhole Tool Failure (DTF) in both
cases. After the third run (389 meters
in 89.5 hours ), the bit was pulled due
to BHA prob-lems, and showed a
uniform wear pattern of

20% wear
for the inner and outer rows. When
pulled after run four, the cutting
structure wear was 50% and 60% for
the inner and outer rows, respective-
ly. After four runs, the bit also
showed some severe erosion and lost
cutters in the taper area.

(See photo
taken after run 4)

Pract i cal Appl i cat i ons.

The IADC Dull Grading System
can be used for multiple purposes.
Manufacturers evaluate bit design
and bit application. Operators eval-
uate and improve their drilling pro-
grams. The system can be computer-
ized to build up a worldwide data-
base in order to coordinate bit
applications.
The main objective of the dull
grading system is to draw a

stan-
dardization picture

of a bit, regardless
of where, or under what circum-
stances the bit may have been used.
This standardization is expected
to lead to better bit application and
design throughout the industry.

DULL GRADING WORN BITS
Exampl e 5

X
X
X

BIT INFORMATION
Style: R435SG
Size: 12.25
TFA: 0.65 - 1.60

References:

SPE/IADC Papers 16142, 16145 and 23939.

1996 Hughes Christensen Company. The emblems , and Hughes, Christensen, Eggbeater, Kingcutter and BallaSet are registered
trademarks of Hughes Christensen Company. Black Ice, CSE, ECP, Mosaic, and SEC are trademarks of Hughes Christensen Company.
Printed in U.S.A. WL / 6M US / 4M A4 / 6-96