Installing Climbing Holds on Wooden Panels

Installation Instructions:

1 – M10 Allen Bolt

This system is used on some of our XS holds, nearly all S holds, and larger sizes. We recommend using 18–20 mm thick wooden panels. Before mounting the panel on the wall, drill 12 mm holes spaced about 20 cm apart. It's best to drill more holes than the number of holds you plan to install—this gives you flexibility to rearrange or increase the density of holds later without needing to remove the board.

On the back of the board, insert the tee nuts and tap them in gently with a hammer. Make sure the nut is flush against the wood—damaging the hole or inserting it incorrectly could cause the nut to spin when tightening or loosening the bolt, making the hold unusable. If this happens, one person usually needs to hold the tee nut with pliers from behind while another loosens the bolt from the front.

Once all tee nuts are installed, you can fix the board to the wall. Leave at least 5–10 cm of clearance behind the board so the bolts can go through fully without obstruction.

Select the hold you want to install and find a flat spot where it sits flush—avoid corners or angled surfaces.

Insert a bolt into the hold. When fully inserted, it should protrude at least 20 mm from the back of the hold, and the entire protruding section must be threaded. Longer bolts often have an unthreaded collar near the head—this part must stay inside the hold and not extend beyond it.

Insert the bolt gently and start threading it without applying pressure—pushing too hard can dislodge the tee nut. With some practice, you can use a cordless drill (preferably without hammer mode and with adjustable speed) for this task.

Although manufacturers often specify torque values (N·m), most gyms don’t use torque wrenches. You can tighten the bolt using a drill and then give a final twist by hand with a 20 cm Allen key. With experience, you’ll learn how tight is “tight enough” to prevent the hold from spinning without risking damage (avoid letting the strongest person overtighten them—bye-bye hold! 😅).

The main advantage of this system is how easy and fast it is to rearrange holds using just an Allen key or cordless drill.

Note: Our holds can be used with M8 bolts, but they’re not certified for that diameter. M10 is the industry standard, so if you're building a wall from scratch, we strongly recommend M10 tee nuts to avoid compatibility issues.

2 – Wood Screws

This system is typically used on small holds that could crack with a bolt or on hollow volumes. Unlike the bolt system, no prep is needed. Just find a flat section of your panel, align the hold flush, and begin screwing into one of the holes. Since these holds use two or more screws, they don’t require a high tightening torque to prevent spinning. Tighten by hand or set your drill to a low torque (8–10) to avoid overtightening and damaging thin edges. This system is more cost-effective—wood screws are MUCH cheaper than bolt + tee nut—and allows holds to be placed nearly anywhere. However, repositioning them later is a bit more tedious.

3 – Combined System: Allen Bolt + Wood Screw

Sometimes the design of a hold can create a strong lever effect, making it spin even when fully tightened. In these cases, our holds include an additional hole for a 4 mm wood screw at one end. This extra screw prevents rotation and removes the need to over-tighten the main bolt. Just screw the Allen bolt until the hold is firm against the wall, minimizing breakage risk.

Depending on your wall and hold layout, you may not always need the extra screw—but it's there if spinning becomes an issue.

Some holds (especially volumes) may have weak zones around the main bolt. In those cases, using the secondary screw with low torque on the main bolt is the safest option. We highly recommend using both anchors whenever available.

The downside of this combo system is that repositioning the hold takes slightly longer—but the added security and reduced risk of damage make it worth it.

Now you’re ready to climb!

Still have questions? Give us a call—we’ll be happy to help.

Phone: +34 967 03 75 24

WhatsApp: +34 647 29 24 11