Claw Hammer
The standard hammer with a face for driving nails and a claw for pulling them back out.
What is it?
The claw hammer is the everyday hammer: a flat face drives nails and a curved or straight claw pulls them. A well-balanced hammer is the first striking tool most people own.
What is it used for?
- Driving nails
- Removing nails with the claw
- Gentle demolition and fitting
How to choose
Choose a comfortable weight (16 oz is standard). A milled (textured) face grips nails better; a curved claw removes nails without marring the work.
Anatomy
Understanding the parts of a claw hammer helps you use, maintain, and buy it with confidence.
- Face: the flat striking surface that drives nails
- Claw: the curved split end that pulls nails
- Eye: the socket where the handle fits the head
- Handle: the shaft you grip for leverage and control
Materials & construction
Most modern hammers are forged from chrome-vanadium or high-carbon steel, chosen for the right balance of strength and striking durability. Handles range from hickory (traditional, with natural shock absorption) to steel or fiberglass (lighter and more durable).
Safety & maintenance
- Never strike one hammer with another; use a tool designed as a striking face
- Dress (file flat) any mushroomed or chipped face with a file or grinder
- Check the head is firmly secured to the handle before each use
- Wear safety glasses; nails and fragments can chip off
Also known as
framing hammer, curved-claw hammer