Implant Screw Torque by Brand: Abutment and Multi-Unit Values

The crown is seated, the contacts are right, and the torque wrench is in your hand. Is it 15, 20, 30 or 35 Ncm? The answer depends on the brand, the connection and which screw you are tightening, and the number on the card in the drawer may be from a part the patient does not have.

This guide collects the tightening torques that eight implant brands common in US practices publish in their own current documents, with the name, number and date of each document, so you can check the source yourself. Why screws loosen in the first place is covered in our article on implant screw loosening.

Quick Answer

There is no universal implant screw torque. Current manufacturer documents give 15 to 35 Ncm for abutment screws, 20 to 35 Ncm for multi-unit abutments into the implant, and 10 to 20 Ncm for the prosthetic screws on top of them. Find the exact system, connection and component, use the value in that component's current instructions, tighten with a calibrated torque wrench rather than by hand, and retighten after a few minutes where the instructions or your protocol call for it.

What Torque Does Each Implant Brand Specify?

The table lists the final values for the most common restorative parts. "Abutment" means a single-tooth abutment or base screwed into the implant. "Multi-unit" is the abutment for screw-retained bridges and full arch, which each brand names differently. "Screw on multi-unit" is the prosthetic, bridge or cylinder screw that holds the restoration to it. Values are in Ncm.

Final tightening torques by brand (manufacturer documents, checked October 2026)

Two notes on reading it. First, some values come from product catalogs and technical guides rather than formal IFUs, because those were the current public documents on the manufacturer's own site; the IFU packed with the component is the final word. Second, Nobel Biocare is not in the table. Its IFUs are published at ifu.nobelbiocare.com, but we could not open a copy we could verify, and we would rather leave the row out than repeat numbers from secondhand lists.

Why Is the Screw on a Multi-Unit Abutment Lower?

A multi-unit abutment is tightened into the implant at the higher value and stays there. The restoration is then held to the abutment with a smaller screw at a lower value: 15 Ncm on Straumann's Screw-retained Abutment, 10 Ncm on Neodent's GM Mini Conical and ZimVie's Low Profile Abutment, 15 Ncm on BioHorizons and MegaGen. Using the abutment value on the prosthetic screw risks stripping or breaking a small screw; using the prosthetic value on the abutment leaves the base under-tightened.

The same caution applies inside a brand. BioHorizons lists 30 Ncm for its internal hex multi-unit abutment but 20 Ncm for the CONELOG multi-unit, a different connection. MegaGen lists 35 Ncm for straight multi-unit abutments and 25 Ncm for the separate screw that holds an angled one. Hiossen splits its ET abutment screws into 20 Ncm for Mini and 30 Ncm for Regular. Read the value for the exact part number.

Where the brands warn against going higher

• Straumann's Variobase guide: "Applying a torque >35 Ncm could damage the Screw AS."
• MegaGen's torque guide warns that more than 30 Ncm may fracture the driver, which is a limit for the tool, not a target for the abutment.
• BioHorizons tells clinicians not to exceed 30 Ncm with its multi-unit hex adapters.

How Accurate Is "Hand-Tight"?

Not very. In the classic study by Goheen and colleagues, clinicians using handheld screwdrivers aimed at 10, 20 and 32 Ncm delivered 0.7 to 18.1, 1.4 to 33.7 and 8.2 to 36.2 Ncm. Hand tightening has its place: manufacturers use it for try-in, for scan bodies (Dentsply Sirona's Ankylos quick guide says hand torque of at most 5 Ncm) and for seating parts before the final torque. Straumann's multi-unit sequence, for example, starts with light hand-tight force and then tightens to 35 Ncm diagonally. The final value, though, belongs to a torque wrench.

How to get the torque you intended

A 2026 study in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry found that both speed and viewing angle changed the torque a wrench delivered. Slow application, over 4 seconds, gave higher values than fast application, and spring-type wrenches read best when the clinician looked at the scale at 90 degrees. All the tested wrenches stayed within 10% of the target on average. In practice:

• Use the wrench and driver the system specifies, and check that the driver tip is fully seated in the screw head.
• Pull steadily, not in a quick snap, and read a spring-type scale straight on.
• Have wrenches serviced or checked on the schedule their manufacturer gives.

Should You Retighten After 10 Minutes?

A newly tightened screw loses some preload as its threads settle. In an in vitro study at 25 to 40 Ncm, Siamos and colleagues recommended retightening abutment screws 10 minutes after the first torque as routine. A 2022 study of four connection designs found that repeated tightening left higher removal torque than a single tightening and also recommended retightening a few minutes after insertion.

Among the documents in the table, ZimVie's Tapered Screw-Vent manual is the one that writes the wait into a procedure: tighten cast posts to 30 Ncm, wait ten minutes, then retighten to 30 Ncm. The other documents we opened do not give an interval, so a 10-minute retightening is a reasonable habit backed by bench studies, not a step every brand requires.

Should the Final Restoration Get a New Screw?

Straumann's Variobase guide is explicit: clean threads and screw heads, and use a new screw for the final restoration. Its Bone Level guide says the same for the basal screw at final insertion. A practical reading for every system: keep the screw used in the lab and for try-in separate from the one that goes in the mouth at delivery, and order the final screw from the implant manufacturer for that exact component.

A Delivery Checklist for Screw-Retained Implant Work

1. Confirm the brand, system, platform and connection from the patient's records and the parts in the box.
2. Look up the value for each component in its current IFU: abutment, multi-unit abutment and prosthetic screw are often different.
3. Seat and check the fit with light hand pressure, and use a radiograph where the manufacturer recommends one to confirm seating.
4. Use the new final screw, and tighten with a calibrated wrench, slowly, at the listed value.
5. Retighten after a few minutes where the IFU or your protocol calls for it.
6. Note the value and the screw used in the chart, so the next clinician does not have to guess.

If screws keep loosening after correct torque, look at fit, occlusion and design; our guides to implant abutments and screw-retained versus cement-retained crowns cover those choices.

Implant Restorations at Elegant Dental Laboratory

Elegant Dental Laboratory is a full-service dental lab at 2308 McDonald Ave in Brooklyn, New York, founded in 2007 by Gary Fingerman. More than 35 technicians make every case in our 7,000 sq. ft. facility, with no outsourcing. We work with all implant systems and keep design libraries for all major ones, and we make screw-retained and cement-retained implant crowns, custom screw-retained abutments and full-arch cases. Compatible scan bodies and titanium bases are accepted, and scan bodies are available to practices.

Our warranty runs up to 7 years on final restorations and up to 20 years on screw-retained implant abutments, and it covers the abutment screw. Turnaround starts from 5 business days; implant crowns and custom abutments take longer. Our drivers pick up and deliver free in all five New York City boroughs and 13 northern New Jersey counties, and practices anywhere can ship with a prepaid UPS label. See our implant restorations, or open an account and send your first implant case. Questions: 877-335-5221.

FAQ

What is the standard torque for an implant abutment screw?

There is no single standard. Current manufacturer documents range from 15 Ncm (Ankylos C/ abutments) to 35 Ncm (Straumann), with 20, 25 and 30 Ncm common in between. Use the value in the IFU for the exact component.

What torque for a multi-unit abutment?

Into the implant: 35 Ncm for Straumann's Screw-retained Abutment and MegaGen's straight multi-unit, 32 Ncm for Neodent's GM Mini Conical, 30 Ncm for BioHorizons and Hiossen, 25 Ncm for Astra Tech EV, 20 Ncm for ZimVie's Low Profile on Certain.

What torque for the prosthetic screw on a multi-unit abutment?

Lower than the abutment: 10 Ncm for Neodent, ZimVie Low Profile and Ankylos; 15 Ncm for Straumann, BioHorizons, Astra Tech EV and MegaGen; 20 Ncm for the Hiossen ET multi cylinder.

Can I tighten a final abutment by hand?

No. Hand drivers aimed at 20 Ncm delivered 1.4 to 33.7 Ncm in one study. Hand tightening is for try-in, scan bodies and seating before the final torque.

Do I need to retighten the screw?

Bench studies support retightening a few minutes after the first torque, often 10 minutes. ZimVie's Tapered Screw-Vent manual includes a 10-minute retightening for cast posts; the other documents we checked give no interval.

Where is the Nobel Biocare torque value?

In the IFU for the component, at ifu.nobelbiocare.com. We could not verify those documents for this article, so we did not list numbers for Nobel Biocare.

Reviewed by Gary Fingerman, founder and CEO of Elegant Dental Laboratory, Brooklyn, New York (founded 2007). Last reviewed: October 16, 2026.