What Your DeWalt Tool's Model Number Really Means

Before you try to understand the model numbers that DeWalt assigns to its tools, there are a few things you need to know: The model numbers are somewhat inconsistent, have a structure prone to changing a little over time, and are actually fairly comprehensible once you get a handle on their basic structure. The model number starts with a tool category code, beginning with "D" followed (usually) by three and sometimes four letters. Next comes a model identifier, usually three numerical digits, that might or might not mean much more than that. Then, for cordless tools, there's a code indicating the amp-hour rating(s) and size(s) of any included batteries. Finally, you might get a suffix or two that can mean just about anything, including type of specialty battery, type of transport case or bag included, and whether the tool has been reconditioned or refurbished.

It's also important to know that none of this is written in stone. You can't necessarily determine a tool's capabilities, or the combination of tools available in kits like DeWalt's cordless drill kit, from the model number alone. Verify any assumptions by consulting a DeWalt catalog or the company's website. Also, some retailers seem to have adapted, modified, or perverted (depending on your perspective) the DeWalt model numbering system for their own purposes. Witness the example of Home Depot, which has occasionally combined model numbers (sometimes replacing the initial letter of the second model number) to achieve such monstrosities as "DCS335BWCB205-2." These indicate that two products have been bundled together. But as this scheme is outside of the already-inconsistent DeWalt numbering scheme, caveat emptor.

All of this has been gleaned by tool users, journalists, and beautiful-minded obsessives over time. It doesn't come from DeWalt, but some parts of the decoding process are pretty straightforward, and that almost applies to the tool category and model identifier that start each model number. The set of three or four letters that start a model number are its category code. Cordless tools and DeWalt's outdoor power tools start with "DC," corded tools start with "DW" plus a letter specifying the type of tool, hand tools start with "DWHT," and DeWalt tool organizers begin with "DWST." DCM indicates a material removal tool, DCW a woodworking tool, and DCF a fastening tool like an impact driver or wrench.

Here are some other prefixes you might use to decode the first characters in a model number: DCB and DCBP are batteries or chargers, DCC is a chainsaw, DCD is a drill, DCG is a grinder, DCH is a rotary hammer, DCL is lighting, DCMW indicates a mower, DCN is a nailer, DCS is a saw or oscillating multitool, DCST is a string trimmer, and DCV indicates a vacuum. DCE represents a category of miscellaneous tools.

Next comes the model identifier, usually a three-digit numerical code. In the case of kits (prefix DCK appears to mean DeWalt Combo Kit), the first digit usually indicates the number of tools in the kit, so DCK368P3T is a three-tool combo kit. But, in general, these numerical identifiers are best used as a whole rather than trying to understand the very inconsistently applied meanings sometimes assigned to each digit.

What follows the model-specification part of the model number is an untamed jumble of possibilities that makes some sense but requires a decoder ring for a complete understanding. For cordless tools, the part immediately following the numerical model identifier is a single-letter code that tells you which (if any) batteries that particular part number includes. This begins with a letter code indicating the amp-hour rating of the battery, then a number indicating the quantity of batteries. So, the DCD800D2 comes with two 2Ah batteries, while the DCD800D1E1 comes with a single 2Ah battery and a single compact PowerStack battery. Here's a list of the battery amp-hour codes as we know them today: C is a 1.3Ah or 1.5Ah battery, D and F are 2Ah, G and L are 3Ah, M and Q are 4Ah, H and P are 5Ah, R and T are 6Ah, W is 8Ah, X is 9Ah, U is 10Ah, Y is 12Ah, and Z is for 15Ah batteries.

Then comes the real fun ... a Wild West of random letter designations that can many any number of things. Sometimes it's about the included carrying case (C simply indicates a case, while TS stands for ToughSystem toolbox), the nature of specialty batteries included (G for oil-resistant batteries and BT for batteries with Bluetooth Connect), and whether that particular model number indicates a tool-only bare unit (usually B, but sometimes XJ, or perhaps N in the EU). If the whole sequence ends with "R," that generally means that the unit has been reconditioned or refurbished.