Most buyers only need four or five hammer types, but catalogues list dozens. This chart groups the thirteen categories we manufacture by what they actually do: striking metal, driving nails, dressing stone, splitting wood, or hitting something that must not be marked. Head weight and handle length follow from the job.
| Type | Head weight | Handle length | Main use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machinist hammer | 0.1 - 0.8 kg | 260 - 330 mm | Metalwork, assembly, riveting |
| Ball pein hammer | 0.1 - 0.8 kg | 260 - 330 mm | Engineering, peening, metal shaping |
| Claw hammer | 0.45 - 0.6 kg | 330 mm | Carpentry, nail driving and pulling |
| Roofing hammer | 0.6 - 0.8 kg | 330 mm | Roofing, cladding, slate work |
| Mason's hammer | 0.6 kg | 330 - 370 mm | Brick, block and stone dressing |
| Stoning hammer | 0.8 - 2 kg | 260 - 900 mm | Stone dressing, heavy chipping |
| Sledge hammer | 4 - 10 kg | 600 - 900 mm | Demolition, stake driving, breaking |
| Axe | 0.6 - 1.25 kg | 360 - 900 mm | Felling, firewood |
| Splitting axe | see category | 600 - 900 mm | Splitting rounds along the grain |
| Pick axe | see category | 600 - 900 mm | Breaking ground, trenching |
| Chisel | 0.6 kg | 330 mm | Cold chiselling, masonry cutting |
| Rubber mallet | standard range | standard range | Tiling, assembly, non-marring work |
| Wrecking bar | n/a | see category | Prying, demolition, nail removal |
Ranges are the standard production range for each category; custom weights and handle lengths at MOQ 500 pcs per model.
These two look similar and are often confused. The machinist hammer has a flat face and a cross pein; the ball pein has a rounded ball for peening rivets and shaping sheet metal. Both sit in the 0.1 to 0.8 kg range, with 300 g and 500 g the most common export sizes.
If a workshop buys one hammer, it is usually a 500 g ball pein. If it buys two, the second is a 300 g machinist hammer for lighter assembly work.
A claw hammer is defined by its curved claw, which pulls nails without a separate pry bar. Roofing hammers add a hatchet edge or a slate spike, which is why they are not interchangeable with a claw hammer even at the same weight.
Handle length matters here: 330 mm is the standard, and going shorter trades reach for control.
Stoning hammers run 0.8 to 2 kg and are used to dress stone by hand; the head is often double-faced. Sledge hammers start at 4 kg and go to 10 kg, with long handles so the arc does the work rather than the arms.
Above 4 kg, head weight alone stops being the deciding factor: handle length and the user's height matter more for delivered force.
The same hammer carries three or four names across the UK, US and Europe. If a buyer asks for an "engineer's hammer" they mean ball pein; a "club hammer" is a lump hammer; a "brick hammer" is a mason's hammer. This table maps the trade names to the pattern.
| Trade name | Also called | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Engineer's hammer | Ball pein / ball peen | Flat face + ball, 100-800 g |
| Club hammer | Lump hammer | Short double-face, 1-2 kg, one hand |
| Cross pein hammer | Machinist hammer | Flat face + wedge pein |
| Brick hammer | Mason's hammer | Flat face + chisel edge, 600 g |
| Dead blow hammer | Shot-filled mallet | Non-rebound, automotive and assembly |
| Tack hammer | Upholstery hammer | Magnetic small face, 100-200 g |
Our production range covers ball pein/engineer's, machinist/cross pein, claw, roofing, mason's, stoning, sledge, axes, chisels and bars. Dead blow and tack hammers can be quoted as OEM patterns on request.
Claw, machinist, ball pein, sledge and rubber mallet cover most trade work. Roofing, masonry and stoning hammers are specialist categories bought by specific trades.
The machinist hammer has a flat striking face and a cross pein; the ball pein has a rounded ball used for peening and shaping metal. Both are metalworking hammers in the 0.1 to 0.8 kg range.
Catalogues list dozens, but thirteen categories cover almost all trade use: machinist, ball pein, claw, roofing, mason's, stoning, sledge, axe, splitting axe, pick axe, chisel, rubber mallet and wrecking bar.
A 500 g ball pein for metalwork or a 450 to 600 g claw hammer for carpentry. There is no single general-purpose hammer across trades.
Yes, with OEM branding and Russian or English packaging. MOQ is 500 pcs per model for custom marking.
Related pages: Hammer head weight chart · Hammer handle length chart · Sledge hammer weight chart
