What Timberline Drilling does

Timberline Drilling Inc. is a privately held specialty drilling contractor headquartered in Hayden, Idaho, founded in 1996. The company provides underground and surface core drilling services to mining companies, operating a fleet of approximately 85 drill rigs and a workforce of 300+ personnel out of its Idaho headquarters and field offices in Elko, Nevada and Virginia, Minnesota. Over the past six years, Timberline has drilled approximately 6.4 million feet cumulatively for its clients, including major North American mining operators such as Hecla, Newmont, Kinross Gold, Coeur Mining, and Cleveland-Cliffs, as well as junior exploration companies.

The company's core offering is contract mineral exploration and delineation drilling, with a rig mix that includes purpose-built equipment such as the Sandvik DE881 and a proprietary Smart 8 unit equipped with data management systems for productivity analysis. Timberline has selectively extended beyond commercial mining into scientific and specialty drilling, including the RAID Antarctica project and a partnership with the University of Minnesota, signaling capability beyond auction-grade footprint work. Acquisitions (notably IDEA Drilling in 2019) and a 2024 Diamond Achievement Award for safety reflect an accumulation of scale and a safety record that supports pre-qualification with major miners.

The business model is project-based contract drilling priced primarily on a per-foot or per-meter basis, with engagements awarded through competitive tenders or direct negotiation and structured around multi-project master service agreements with major mining operators. Revenue is generated from utilization of the company's rig fleet and field crews across the western US and Minnesota mining jurisdictions, with margin driven by rig utilization, mobilization efficiency across the three offices, and the mix of underground versus surface drill programs. Geographic concentration in major US mining belts, combined with a widening mix of junior-explorer and government-funded scientific work, is the primary vector for growth.

Name

Timberline Drilling

Legal name

Timberline Drilling Inc.

Website

https://timberline-drilling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Timberline Drilling is a privately held US drilling contractor founded in 1996, providing underground and surface core drilling services to mining companies with approximately 85 rigs and 300+ employees across Idaho, Nevada, and Minnesota.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mining Drilling Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Metal Mining (213114)

akta.pro primary industry

Exploration & Production Drilling Services (RC, Core, Directional, Sonic, Auger) (IMAKAKAB)

Keywords

• Core drilling services
• Mineral exploration drilling
• Underground core drilling
• Surface core drilling
• Mining drilling contractor

Headquarters

HQ city

Hayden

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Drilling Services: Timberline Drilling generates revenue through providing professional drilling services to mining companies. The company offers both underground and surface core drilling services on a contract basis. Revenue is earned through project-based contracts where they provide drilling services, equipment, and trained personnel to complete core drilling programs for mining exploration and development projects.
2. Exploration Drilling Contracts: Contract drilling services for mineral exploration programs including diamond drilling, geotechnical characterization, and environmental drilling. Projects include exploration drilling for precious metals (gold, silver), base metals (zinc, lead), and critical minerals at various mine sites.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Timberline Drilling is a contract core drilling services provider for the mining industry, executing both underground and surface drilling programs for exploration, resource delineation, and mine development. The company operates a fleet of 85 drill rigs and 300+ employees to deliver high-quality core samples on time and on budget, including specialized applications such as helicopter-supported drilling, horizontal drilling, and scientific research drilling (e.g., the RAID Antarctica ice/bedrock project).

Product overview

Timberline Drilling Inc. is a leading underground and surface core drilling contractor offering two primary service lines: Surface Core Drilling and Underground Core Drilling. The company operates a fleet of approximately 85 drill rigs and employs more than 300 dedicated employees. Surface drilling utilizes track, truck, or skid-mounted rigs including Atlas Copco, Boart Longyear, and Sandvik models for various applications. Underground drilling is supported by a diversified custom fleet including Smart 8, Smart 6, U8, and other specialized rigs. Services span mineral exploration, piezometer installations, temperature gradient holes, utility holes, and scientific research studies. The company also completed notable special projects including deep ice core drilling for the Rapid Access Ice Drill (RAID) in Antarctica.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Surface Core Drilling Contract surface core drilling services using track, truck, or skid-mounted drill rigs for mine sites and remote exploration programs. Includes horizontal surface drilling and helicopter-supported drills for accessing challenging terrain, from deep holes to infill drilling. Provided to mining companies on a project/contract basis.
• Underground Core Drilling Contract underground core drilling services performed with a diversified custom fleet of drill rigs, providing technical experience for various underground drilling programs at active mine sites. Provided to mining companies on a project/contract basis.
• Environmental and Utility Drilling Services Specialized drilling for environmental monitoring and utility applications, including piezometer installations, temperature gradient holes, and utility holes. Provided to environmental and utility clients.
• Scientific Research Drilling (Antarctic Ice/Bedrock Coring) Specialty drilling services for scientific research, including ice core drilling and bedrock sampling beneath glaciers. Delivered to academic and government research institutions for climate research projects such as the University of Minnesota-led RAID Antarctica program.

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bunker Hill Mining Corp.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Timberline Drilling was contracted for a multi-phase exploration drilling campaign targeting over 25,000 feet of drilling on high-grade silver at the Bunker Hill and Ranger Page properties starting April 2026. This supports the company's mine restart scheduled for June 2026.
• Grande Portage Resources Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026Timberline Drilling Inc. was secured as the drilling contractor for Grande Portage Resources' 2026 exploration program at the New Amalga Gold Project in Southeast Alaska. The contract involves up to 4,300 meters of diamond drilling from up to 14 drillholes to upgrade resource classification and gather geotechnical and hydrogeological data for mine development planning.
• University of MinnesotaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the University of Minnesota enabled Timberline Drilling to contribute to a major scientific breakthrough by being the first company to ever drill beneath the glacier ice and into bedrock in Antarctica as part of the RAID (Rapid Access Ice Drill) project.
• Rapid Access Ice Drill (RAID) ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTimberline Drilling provides field drilling expertise and staff for the RAID project to drill deep cores into Antarctic ice in search for 'very old ice' that helps scientists research ancient climate changes. The drill penetrates ice sheets to core through deep ice, glacial bed, and into bedrock below.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Boart Longyear: World's largest mineral exploration drilling services contractor with global underground and surface core drilling capabilities. Direct competitor to Timberline for the same mining-customer RFPs, including many of the same Tier-1 miner accounts (e.g., Newmont, Hecla).
• Major Drilling Group International: Public Canadian mineral drilling services company providing surface and underground core drilling to major mining customers globally. Direct competitor to Timberline on US exploration drilling contracts and a benchmark for similar customer mix and specialty deep-hole work.
• Foraco International: Global mineral, water, and energy drilling services contractor headquartered in France with significant North American operations. Competes directly with Timberline in surface and underground core drilling for mining exploration programs.
• Capital Limited: Mining services provider offering drilling, blasting, and on-site mining services to major miners globally. Capital Drilling's rig services business directly overlaps with Timberline's exploration core drilling offering for Tier-1 mining customers.
• Orbit Garant Drilling: Canadian-based mineral drilling contractor with US/Canadian/multi-region surface and underground core drilling operations. Directly comparable to Timberline on similar contract structures and customer base.
• Scientific Drilling International: Directional drilling and wellbore positioning services provider with overlap into mining and specialty drilling. Comparable to Timberline on specialty technical drilling capabilities and as a potential competitor for higher-margin, non-standard programs.
• Layne (formerly Layne Christensen): Historical US mineral and water-well drilling contractor (now part of Granite Construction) that competed for many of the same mining-exploration and water/geotechnical drilling contracts as Timberline.

Broad incumbents

• Perenti Limited (formerly Ausdrill): Australian diversified mining services contractor operating drilling, blasting, and surface mining services. Direct competitor to Timberline in exploration drilling while broader in scope (full mining services rather than drilling-only).
• Epiroc AB (Atlas Copco Mining and Infrastructure): OEM of most of Timberline's core fleet (Atlas Copco U8, CS14, CS4002) and operator of its own contract drilling services arm. Comparable both as equipment supplier and as a competing drilling services provider for major miner contracts.

Regional players

• Geodrill Limited: Multi-region exploration drilling services company focused on Africa and other emerging markets, with some North American footprint. Comparable to Timberline's exploration core drilling model and customer-type focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/timberline-drilling-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Timberline Drilling