Podiatry Burrs Materials, Shapes and Sizes: The Complete Guide
- Sales Team
- Canonbury
- 21 Jul 2025
Podiatry Burr Types: A guide on Materials, Shapes and Sizes of Foot and Nail Burrs
There is a wide range of podiatry burrs available from Canonbury Healthcare. The range includes a variety of finishes, shapes, sizes including single use and reusable.
Burrs - Filing & Finishing - Blades & Instruments
What are Podiatry Burrs?
A podiatry burrs is a small rotary tool that fits into the handpiece of a suction or spray drill. The diameter of the burr shank must be between 2.33mm and 2.35 mm to fit into the drill handle. The burr size and finish will determine the speed at which it can be used. It is usually between 10,000 and 35,000 rpm (revolutions per minute).
Uses within podiatry - reduce the thickness of pathologically altered tissue - nails or skin, this could be due to pressure / damage or a fungal infection.
The reusable burrs are bought singly however the single use burrs can be bought in multiples giving the practitioner a saving.
Key Features of Podiatry Burrs
Depending on the type of burr being used then they can have a specific task.
Where the nails are thickened then a carbide finished burr will remove larger pieces of nail reducing the dust in the atmosphere, whereas if you use a fine grit on a thickened nail then it will take a long while to reduce the nail.
Using the wrong burr, or for an excessive amount of time it can be hot to the patient. In patients with neuropathy e.g. diabetic patients this could lead to a blister or necrosis of tissue underneath the nail, due to the lack of temperature perception.
Also, using the wrong shank size or a bent shank then this can cause a vibration sensation - therefore the burr will not rotate properly, slipping within the hand piece and causing damage to the drill.
If you choose a cheaper option of burr or from a non podiatry source then the finish on the burr may not be appropriate for the treatment being undertaken. This would reduce the lifespan of the burr and sometimes cause the finish to delaminate from the instrument itself.
Burrs - Filing & Finishing - Blades & Instruments
Podiatry Burr Sizes
A burr size can be measured across the working end of the burr - D on the image below. This is what the size Dia 060 / 080 etc. refers to.
Taken from the Busch Podiatry catalogue pg. 7
Small Podiatry Burrs
The smallest burr Canonbury healthcare has is the ball burr type 801 and the enucleator.
Uses - to release a haematoma from under the nail, fenestration of the nail, corns within callus and under nails as well as around the nail sucli’s and cuticles with the ony-clean burr.
Advantages - precision for small areas requiring treatments
Susol Diamond Burr 1HP Enucleator
Busch Ony-Clean Stainless Steel Instrument
Medium Podiatry Burrs
Uses, reduces the skin and nails. Can be used to finish areas off once nippers or scalpel have been used.
Advantages - can be used across skin and nails without requiring to be changed during a treatment - an all purpose burr.
Ceramic Burrs - Medium Dia 060
Busch Tungsten Carbide Burr Type 425X Dia 060
Busch Tungsten Carbide Burr Type 424X - dia 060
Large Podiatry Burrs
The largest burrs that Canonbury Healthcare have are the dia 80, the dia twister 12mm, busch hybrid cap and the 16mm single use abrasive caps.
Uses, heel callus.
Busch Tungsten Carbide Burr Type 424X dia 070 and 080
Lukas Podo Orange Abrasive Caps 16mm
Podiatry Burr Shapes
An explanation of the different shapes of Podiatry Burrs, and the most common shapes.
Bud Podiatry Burr
To remove excessive callus or nail thickness. It can get into smaller areas due to the narrow top.
All Round general burr, can be used for multiple tasks.
Diamond Burr Type 602 Dia 050.
Pear Podiatry Burr
Large head on this allows you to finish an area of callus after debriding with a scalpel. Alternatively it can be used on the sides for reduction of nail thickness, however you will need to be careful near the nail sulci.
Instrapac Diamond Burr Pear Large
Instrapac Diamond Burr Pear Small
Tapered Podiatry Burr
Having a burr that tapers to a point allows you to get into smaller areas and complete fine work whether that is finishing or removing dry skin. The barrel as it tapers allows you to remove callus and nail thickness.
Busch Ceramic Burrs - Coarse K429GQSR Dia 040
Blunt Cone Podiatry Burr
With no diamond deb on the end of a blunt cone burr this allows you to reduce nail thickness without causing damage to the sulci. It can also be used on apical callus without catching or damaging the neighbouring digit.
Ball Cutter Podiatry Burr
These are ideal for fenestration where you wish to apply anti-fungal treatments to the skin below the nail, without removing the whole nail. Also they can be used if a patient requires treatment to release the pressure of a haematoma underneath the nail. An alternative is you can use the ball burrs to remove corns especially the tiny seed corns.
Dia Twister Podiatry Burr
These burrs, unlike the standard shaped burrs, are ideal for using with a spray or suction drill. When using a spray drill the slits in the burr allow water to cool the area being treated, however, when using in a suction drill it allows removal of dust. They can be used to remove nail thickness and callus.
Podiatry Burr Grit Levels
Different grit is useful in clinics for the reduction in thickness of nails and callus. It goes without saying that if your want to finish or remove a small amount e.g. on the edge of some callus or the nail edge then you would use a fine grit, however if you have a large area with heavy callus or nail thickness then you would want to go for a coarse grit to remove it quicker and then finish with either the fine grit or a polisher.
Busch manufactured burrs have a colour coding on their shank to what grit they are
2 black rings - mega coarse - removal of heavy thickened hard callus.
1 black ring - super coarse - removal of hard callus
1 green ring - coarse - removal of callus and coarse removal of nail
No ring - medium - all rounder - removal of callus and nail
1 red ring - fine - delicate treatment of nail and sulci
1 yellow ring - super fine - delicate treatment of cuticle and pre-polishing of nails.
The dia twisters follow the same as above apart from they also have a white ring as they are a combination of ceramic and diamond deb. The white indicates ceramic.
Busch Podiatry Products and Equipment | Canonbury
All burrs on the Canonbury Healthcare website apart from the Busch ones are classed as a medium grit, therefore they are suitable for removing callus and nail. With care they can also be used for corn removal, cuticle and nail sulci care.
Burrs - Filing & Finishing - Blades & Instruments
Podiatry Burr Materials
Not only is the coarseness of a burr important, it is also the material the burr is made from. Traditionally burrs were made from a diamond material covering the outer surface of the burr, however, now you have different options.
All of the burrs are made from instrument grade stainless steel and are non magnetic which is important in the sterilisation process because it prevents corrosion and rusting.
Ceramic Burrs
The ceramic burrs stocked by Canonbury Healthcare are made by Busch in Germany. The letters indicate their use
GQSR - has a high abrasion performance for very thickened nails, gryphotic nails, acrylic and silicone.
X - can be medium or fine. At Canonbury Healthcare they are medium - suitable for gryphotic nails and gels.
The numbers to the shape of the burr.
Ceramic heads on the burrs can be useful when you have patients with metal allergies.
However their main advantages are the longevity of the burr, the cooling properties whilst removing large pieces of nail and producing a smooth finish.
Busch Ceramic Burrs - Coarse K429GQSR Dia 040
Tungsten Carbide Burrs
The Tungsten carbide burrs are made by Busch in Germany. The ending of the code - X indicates the use. They are to be used on nails with abnormal thickness and not on Callus. The numbers e.g. 425 refers to the shape of the burr. Due to the manufacturing process they have a very longevity. They remove large pieces of nail and therefore reduce the dust produced.
Busch Tungsten Carbide Burr Type 425X Dia 060
Diamond Burrs
Diamond encrusted burrs are used for nail reduction and callus reduction. They can be used in the ball burr shape for removal of corns. These are a practitioner's everyday burr.
Hybrid Burrs
Are a mixture of ceramic and diamond . They offer a faster rpm, and speed of nail removal whilst providing cooling.
Busch HT852 Hybrid Twister Medium
Single use and Reusable Burrs
Advantages of Single use Burrs (Burr Caps)
Single use burrs and caps are ready to use and are disposable afterwards, allowing them to be disposed off and not needing to be processed for decontamination and lowering the risk of cross contamination.
With a single use burr or cap you know that the grit you have selected is correct for the conditions you are treating.
Advantages of Reusable Burrs
A reusable burr will have a longer lifespan, more economical when purchasing however they do need to be processed to prevent cross contamination.
If they are mistreated - not decontaminated properly, dropped whilst in the drill, then they can be costly as they will need replacing.
As the burr gets older from repeated use the medium grit may become fine, therefore this could cause repetitive strain on the drill, the practitioner and be uncomfortable for the patient.
Canonbury healthcare sells both the single use and the reusable as we appreciate that not everyone likes single use or reusable. Personally we don’t have a preference to sway a customer one way or the other when undertaking their purchases.
Podiatry Burr FAQ:
How to Clean Reusable Podiatry Burrs
Wash, then use an ultrasonic cleaner with suitable solution to remove debris before autoclaving. Due to the possible contact with blood or body fluids then it is essential to clean and sterilize the burrs between treatments to prevent the risk of cross- contamination.
MDS Ultrasonic Cleaner (6 Litre)
Prestige Classic Podiaclave (9 Litre) + Printer
How often do reusable podiatry burrs last before needing to be replaced?
This is difficult to be precise in answering. It depends on how often the burr is used, what nails /callus the burr has been used on and whether the correct grit has been used for the correct condition or whether it has been dropped during treatment.
Are all podiatry burrs compatible with all podiatry drills?
All the Podiatry drills that Canonbury Healthcare are able to take a burr with a 30mm shank.
Baehr Pur Via Dust Extraction Drill
Berchtold Podo-Q Dust Extraction Drill - Podiatry Drills
Berchtold Podo S60 Spray Drill
What type of podiatry burr is most expensive?
The most expensive range that Canonbury Healthcare stock is the Busch Dia twister burr. These burrs are an advanced product outweighing the expensiveness. They are manufactured with a hybrid grit - ceramic and diamond, giving a longer service. They are CE marked as a medical device and can be used in a dust extraction and spray drill. There are slots in the burr to all the extraction of the dust and cooling with the water.
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