Last updated: October 20, 2026. Drilling and tunneling equipment bores the blast holes, tunnels and foundations that mining and infrastructure depend on — and the category splits between surface and underground drill rigs, piling rigs and tunnel boring machines (TBMs). This ranking scores the global leaders and is a shortlist; a trial on your ground is the decision. See the Drilling & Tunneling Buying Guide for the selection path.
The core idea of this page: choose drilling and tunneling equipment by the ground, the hole and the advance rate — a surface drill rig for quarry blast holes, an underground jumbo for development drilling, a piling rig for foundations, and a TBM for long mechanised tunnels. The machine follows the geology, not the other way around.
Ranking methodology
This is an independent editorial ranking — no manufacturer pays for placement or position. We score each company on four dimensions and combine them:
- Technical capability — flagship model specifications and the breadth of the drilling/tunneling range.
- Market coverage — years in the market, global service network and downstream coverage.
- Equipment reliability — industry reputation, warranty and service commitments, published references.
- Data verifiability — whether key specifications are published; unpublished figures are marked "Not published".
| Rank | Manufacturer | Technical | Coverage | Reliability | Verifiability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Epiroc | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| 2 | Herrenknecht | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| 3 | Robbins | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| 4 | Boart Longyear | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| 5 | Furukawa Rock Drill | ★★★☆ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| 6 | J.H. Fletcher | ★★★☆ | ★★★☆ | ★★★★ | ★★★☆ |
The ten at a glance
| Rank | Manufacturer | HQ | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Epiroc | Sweden | Surface & underground drill rigs |
| 2 | Herrenknecht | Germany | Tunnel boring machines |
| 3 | Robbins | USA | TBMs & raise borers |
| 4 | Boart Longyear | USA | Exploration drilling rigs |
| 5 | Furukawa Rock Drill | Japan | Hydraulic crawler drills |
| 6 | J.H. Fletcher | USA | Underground jumbos |
| 7 | Sandvik | Sweden | Mining drill rigs |
| 8 | Komatsu | Japan | Mining & underground drilling |
| 9 | Develon (Doosan) | South Korea | Surface drill rigs |
| 10 | Stenuick | Belgium | Foundation drilling rigs |
1. Epiroc
Swedish manufacturer of surface and underground drill rigs, spun off from Atlas Copco in 2018 and now the category leader in rock drilling and automation.
Founded / HQ
2018 (Atlas Copco roots to 1873) · Nacka, Sweden.
Flagship
SmartROC D65 surface drill rig and Boomer underground jumbos.
Certification
ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 (manufacturer statement; certificate numbers not published).
Best for
production blast-hole drilling and underground development.
Product page: SmartROC D65
Why #1
the broadest drill-rig range and the deepest investment in automation (RCS rig control and autonomous drilling), unmatched by any competitor in the category.
Source: Epiroc
Surface and underground drill rigs for mining and construction.
2. Herrenknecht
German maker of tunnel boring machines and the market leader in mechanised tunnelling for metro, road, rail and utility tunnels.
Founded / HQ
1975 · Schwanau, Germany.
Flagship
Mixshield slurry TBMs and EPB shields.
Certification
ISO 9001 (manufacturer statement; certificate numbers not published).
Best for
long soft-ground and mixed-ground tunnels.
Product page: Mixshield TBM
Why #2
the reference for slurry and EPB shields in water-bearing ground, with the largest installed base of mechanised tunnelling projects.
Source: Herrenknecht
Mechanised tunnelling technology and tunnel boring machines.
3. The Robbins Company
American maker of hard-rock and soft-ground TBMs and raise borers, founded by the inventor of the modern TBM.
Founded / HQ
1952 · Solon, Ohio, USA.
Flagship
Main Beam hard-rock TBMs.
Certification
ISO 9001 (manufacturer statement; certificate numbers not published).
Best for
hard-rock tunnels and raise boring.
Product page: Main Beam TBM
Why #3
the reference for hard-rock open and double-shield TBMs, with the longest continuous history in the technology.
Source: The Robbins Company
Tunnel boring machines and raise borers.
4. Boart Longyear
Drilling services and equipment maker, one of the oldest names in mineral exploration drilling, with surface and underground rigs.
Founded / HQ
1890 · Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Flagship
LF350 surface coring drill rig.
Certification
ISO 9001 (manufacturer statement; certificate numbers not published).
Best for
mineral exploration and geotechnical coring.
Product page: LF350
Why #4
the deepest exploration-drilling footprint and the widest drilling-services network, the leader in coring rather than production blast holes.
Source: Boart Longyear
Drilling rigs and drilling services for exploration.
5. Furukawa Rock Drill
Japanese maker of hydraulic crawler drills and rock drills for quarrying and construction.
Founded / HQ
1914 (roots) · Tokyo, Japan.
Flagship
HCR1200-ED hydraulic crawler drill.
Certification
ISO 9001 (manufacturer statement; certificate numbers not published).
Best for
quarry blast-hole drilling.
Product page: HCR1200
Why #5
the leading Japanese specialist in hydraulic crawler drills, prized for reliability in quarrying rather than breadth of range.
Source: Furukawa Rock Drill
Hydraulic crawler drills and rock drills.
6. J.H. Fletcher
American maker of underground drill jumbos and roof bolters for mining, based in West Virginia.
Founded / HQ
1937 · Huntington, West Virginia, USA.
Flagship
J-352 drill jumbo.
Certification
Not published.
Best for
underground development and production drilling.
Product page: J352 Drill Jumbo
Why #6
a North American underground-mining specialist whose jumbos and bolters dominate US coal and hard-rock development, with a narrower geographic reach than the global leaders.
Source: J.H. Fletcher
Underground drill jumbos and roof bolters.
What these machines cost
Drilling and tunneling equipment is configuration-driven and rarely published; treat the bands below as editorial estimates, ex-works:
| Machine | Typical band |
|---|---|
| Surface crawler drill rig | US$300k–900k |
| Underground drill jumbo | US$800k–2.5m |
| Rotary piling rig | US$400k–1.5m |
| Tunnel boring machine | US$10m–60m+ |
Four pitfalls to avoid
- Buying on hole diameter alone. Rock hardness, hole depth and drill-string diameter decide the rig, not just the hole size.
- Ignoring ground conditions. A TBM chosen for the wrong ground stalls or wears the cutterhead — ground investigation first.
- Underestimating consumables. Drill bits, rods and cutters are the real cost per metre; budget them as a rate, not an afterthought.
- Skipping a trial on your rock. Penetration rate is rock-specific — a rig that drills fast in limestone may stall in granite.
5 questions to ask before you buy
- What penetration rate can the machine hold in my ground? Ask for a witnessed trial on your rock, not a brochure rate.
- What is the consumable cost per drilled metre? Request a bits-and-rods cost per metre for your hardness and depth.
- What is the parts lead time and who services it? Confirm dealer coverage at the site.
- Which safety and automation features are included? Guarding, dust collection and remote control must meet site rules.
- What warranty covers the carrier and the drill system? Separate consumables from structural warranty in writing.
Part of the Drilling & Tunneling equipment taxonomy.
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Last verified: October 20, 2026.