Nails

Nails are really the bread and butter of a carpenter's selection of fixings. They have been used for thousands of years due to their ease of construction and have evolved over time to suit a variety of roles. In modern construction, many different types of nails are available to us for use in different applications. Here we shall look at each type of nail and its intended use and limitations. 

Anatomy of a nail

Nails come in a variety of different sizes, but all follow the same principles in their construction. The main length of a nail is known as the shank and is smooth in most cases. Some nails have raised rings around their shank and are known as ring shank nails. These rings add additional friction to the nail when installed in a material to resist draw out. The end of the nail that is struck with a hammer is known as the head. Regular wire nails are what most people associate in their mind with nails. These types of nails have wide heads that are easy to hit with a hammer. The wide head also distributes its size across the material that it is being driven into, allowing the nail to grab one material and pull it into another. Some nails have very small heads that are easily able to pass under the surface of a material for easy filling in interior finish scenarios. The business end of a nail that is driven into a material is known as the point, and it is sharp to allow for the nail to easily be driven into a material. This point acts as a wedge, and can cause the ends of boards to split as the wedge is driven in. 

Common nails

Now that we understand the anatomy of nail, its time to look at the wide range of the nails that are used in site carpentry and general construction.  

Wire nails

Wire nails are a relatively modern creation, appearing in large scale manufacturing operations in the early 1900’s. They were used in conjunction with cut nails in construction up until the latter half of the 1900’s when the cost of production for wire nails became significantly cheaper than that of cut nails. The manufacturing procedure for the creation of wire nails involves machines that pull wire stock through them, shaping the head and simultaneously shearing the length of the nail off into a point. The through section of regular wire nails is circular. Wire nails are the most commonly used type of nails in modern construction. They are made from corrosion resistant galvanised steel and come in a variety of different sizes for use in many applications. Wire nails are not hardened, and as such are very resistant to shear strength, meaning that they are able to move without snapping as a building dries and settles with the climate. In the UK, 3” and 4” nails are the most commonly used in structural carcassing tasks, with other regions such as North America using similar sizes. These larger nails typically have some form of ring shank that help to prevent the nail from being drawn out of the timber over time. In regions such as North America, a different scale of categorisation is used, which we will look at now. 

In North America, the different lengths and thicknesses of wire nails place them somewhere on the “Penny scale”. Originally used as a pricing system in the early days of mass-manufactured nails, the scale denoted the cost of 100 nails of a single length in pennies. A common sized nail at the time would have been a 6d nail (read as “6 penny nail”), with “d” being the symbol used to denote pennies. Therefore, in this period, 100 nails that were the size of 6d would have cost 6 pence. Due to the fairly standardised cost of production, these categories in relation to the cost of the nails became synonymous with the length of the nails. 6d nails are 2” long, and for a long time the cost of 100 nails at 2” long would have remained fairly steady around the price of 6 pence. As the length and thickness of nails go up on this scale, the cost of 100 nails of that length increases. Heavy duty 6” long nails would have taken a lot of material to produce, and as such 100 nails of this length would have cost 60 pence. In modern times the chart is still used to denote the length of wire nails, though the original relation to price is long out of use.

Every penny increase on the modern chart denotes a ¼” increase in the length of a nail. In modern construction, the most commonly used nails in timber framing are the 16d nail and the 8d nail. The 16d nail is 3 ½” long and is comparable in application to the UK standard 4” nail. The 16d nails that are used in North American framing are known as 16d sinkers, with the suffix denoting a coated, textured head for use specifically in framing. The 8d nail is 2 ½” long and is comparable in application to the modern UK 3” nail.  

The full penny chart for modern standard nails can be seen below.  

Cut clasp nails

Following the era of individually hand forged nails dating up until around the year 1800, advances in technology made the mass manufacture of nails possible on an industrial scale. Whereas blacksmiths and nailers were originally responsible for the creation of hand forged nails, early forms of machinery were introduced around this time that were capable of shearing and stamping cut nails from metal sheet stock. The increase in production of these types of nails allowed for advances and changes in the construction industry, moving it a step closer at the time to what we are familiar with now in modern times. The cut nails themselves have a very distinctive shape, with a rectangular through section that tapers to somewhat of a point. In comparison to modern wire nails, most cut nails of the time did not have such a wide head, though this was not necessary due to the way that cut nails work. Due to the steep angle of the wedge shape of the cut nails, they were much more effective than modern wire nails at pulling two materials together, utilising a mechanical wedging action when driven into wood or masonry.  

Cut nails can still be found in houses that have not been recently renovated, as they were still in use during the 1970’s and 80’s. Common applications for these nails would have been securing timber components such as door linings and skirting boards to masonry. Anyone that has ever tried to remove these components and nails during renovation projects will know how well these traditional cut nails hold when driven into masonry. Cut nails are not commonly used in modern times due to the comparative low cost of production of wire nails but can still be purchased for restorative work.

Masonry nails

Masonry nails are modern nails that are intended to be driven into concrete or masonry. Driving them into these hard substrates requires far more force in comparison to driving nails into wood, and so as such masonry nails are hardened to prevent them from bending. Due to the increased resistance from driving these nails, a large hammer such as a lump hammer may be required. Masonry nails find most of their utility in construction during carcassing tasks. A common use for masonry nails is attaching rods or templates to masonry.  

Lost head nails

Lost head nails are a type of small finish nail intended for use in second fix tasks or workshop applications. They are typically no longer than a couple of inches and have a very small head that is easily punched below the surface of a workpiece for ease of filling. Due to the shape of these nails, oftentimes it’s not necessary to punch the heads under the surface, as a hammer is capable of driving them flush. Common uses for lost head nails include fitting panelling or architrave in internal scenarios. 

Oval nails

Oval nails are a type of wire nail that are ovular in the through section. They are manufactured in much the same way that round wire nails are, with ovular stock being used instead of round stock. These types of nails are typically smaller and used for finer joinery or second fix operations. The ovular through section is intended to reduce the risk of splitting the ends of a workpiece, and they work well as intended. They are often galvanised or finished with a bright steel finish. Their head can be easily driven below the surface of a workpiece. They see common application in pinning door stops and architrave to door linings.  

Polytop pins

Polytop pins are a fairly modern invention that are intended for use in conjunction with plastic soffits and fascias. They are quite small, typically around 30-50mm in length. They have a very sharp point to prevent them from splitting the plastic that they are driven into. They are ring shanked along their entire length to prevent draw out over time. The head is coated in an impact resistant uPVC plastic, and many colours are available in order to match the different colours of soffit and fascia available. The plastic coating is also UV stable to prevent the colour from fading over time during external exposure to the elements.

Duplex nails

Duplex nails are a very useful piece of equipment within construction. They consist of a smooth shank with a double head at one end. The intended applications for these types of nails are temporary fixing of components such as shuttering. The nail can be fully driven in down to the first head, benefitting from the full advantages of a regular nail. The second head remains proud of the surface so that it can be easily pulled out at a later date. These nails are reusable, and a few should always be kept on hand to solve problems.  

Panel pins

Panel pins are very small, thin types of wire nail, typically no longer than around 50mm in length. They have a small lost head on them and are intended for fixing MDF or plywood panels to other surfaces. The small entry hole left by the nail when it is punched under the surface is easily fillable for a fine finish.  

Lathe nails

Lathe nails are small, sharply pointed nails with a fairly wide head used for fixing traditional timber lathes to the underside of joists or rafters, as well as stud walls. Traditionally these nails would have been cut from thin stock, with modern wire varieties being more commonly used in the later years of lathe installation. With lathes being so thin, lathe nails are typically no longer than 30mm in length, with an average diameter of around 2mm. For restoration work, modern lathe nails can be purchased on a reel for use with a modern nail gun.  

Upholstery tacks

These tacks are very small with a sharp point and a comparatively wide head. The sharp point makes it easy to start the nails by hand into a wooden substrate. The wide head is useful for securely grabbing the fabric as the tack is driven in. Traditionally these tacks would have been of the cut variety, though modern wire varieties are available. They are exclusively used for fine joinery and upholstery and serve no real purpose in the construction industry. They typically do not exceed 20mm in length.   

Wire clout nails

Clout nails are a type of wire nails that are made from galvanised corrosion resistant stock. They are typically quite short with a wide head for use in external roofing scenarios. Small 10mm clout nails are often used for fixing breathable felt membranes as well as shed felt to roofs. Longer 20mm or 30mm clout nails are used for fixing slates and tiles to roof battens. Beyond roofing they don't often have much use in construction. The cheaper varieties of clout nails are often made from steel, though varieties exist that are made of aluminium or copper. These materials are far more resistant to corrosion in the elements and can be a great choice for higher end construction. These types of nails are typically more expensive though. 

Gun nails

Gun nails are a variety of wire nails that have been assembled together into strips or coils to allow them to be used in conjunction with a nail gun. Both coils and strips involve attaching the nails together with the use of paper and glue to hold them in a specific orientation. These strips or reels can then be loaded into an appropriate mechanical or pneumatic nail gun that drastically decreases the installation time of nails. Coils are typically made from smaller round head ring shank nails that can be loaded into a drum magazine nail gun. These nails are great for sheathing work, such as gunning down plywood on a flat roof. Strips typically allow for the use of longer nails, with 90mm ring shank nails being the favoured option for most framing applications. In order for the nails on a strip to successfully operate within the gun, the heads are D shaped, with the flat edge of the top nail sliding over the shank of the nail below it when the gun is fired. The D shaped heads allow for the nails in the strip to all remain in the correct orientation for use in the gun. Many brands of gun nails are available with a heat actuated adhesive on their tips. When fired into a material the friction rapidly heats the adhesive and then quickly cools again inside the nail hole, giving the nail an added level of draw out resistance. Gun nails are usually a bit thinner than standard wire nails but still serve a great purpose. The gun nails are ordinarily made from galvanised steel.  

Plasterboard nails

Plasterboard nails are a short type of wire nail with a fairly large head. They are used for fixing plasterboard into timber. The material they are made from is a galvanised steel and they sometimes have ring shank or grooves cut in them for additional draw out resistance. 40mm nails are recommended for use with 12.5mm plasterboard. Despite their popularity in the past, plasterboard screws are used more commonly in favour of nails in modern construction, due to the increased speed of installation.

Twist nails

Twist nails are small wire nails that have been twisted during the manufacturing process. Their shank has a spiral shape to it, giving them fantastic draw out resistance when driven into timber. They are often small at around 30 mm in length and come with a black sherardised finish. They are corrosion resistant and are primarily used with timber hangers or truss clips. Some varieties of twist nails can be purchased on a reel for use with a special hanger nail gun.   

Brad nails/finish nails

Brad nails, also known as finish nails, are small thin nails that come on strips for use with second fix nail guns. Common lengths of these nails include 38mm and 50mm. They are most often used in second fix processes such as fixing skirting boards or architraves, though they can be used for tacking or pinning purposes in certain scenarios. The heads are small and are buried beneath the surface of the material they are fired into. The holes that are left behind are easily filled.  

Cut floor brad nails

Cut floor brads are a variety of cut nails that are used for fixing traditional floorboards. They can often be found in the floorboards of older houses that have not been recently renovated. The nails are typically 50mm to 100mm in length and have a rectangular thorough section. This makes them a great choice for nailing the ends of floorboards as the shape of the shank decreases the chances of splitting at the end grain of the board. They can still be purchased for restorative work or repairs, though they are not commonly used in modern new build construction.