Nail size guide
Length holds the timber; gauge gives the strength. Here is how to pick both.
The rule of thumb
Drive the nail so at least two thirds of its length goes into the piece you are nailing into. For a 1 inch batten on a rafter, that means a 2½ or 3 inch nail. Use the thinnest gauge that will not bend in that timber; hardwood needs a thicker gauge than softwood.
By job
- Furniture, plywood, thin boards: 1 to 1½ in, 14G to 12G
- Roof battens, ceiling frames, general carpentry: 2 to 2½ in, 12G to 10G
- Formwork, door frames, framing: 3 to 3½ in, 8G
- Heavy timber, pallets, fences: 4 to 6 in, 5G
Gauge to millimetres
The wire diameters our nail dies are cut to.
- 14G = 2.00 mm
- 12G = 2.64 mm (medium 2.50 mm)
- 10G = 3.25 mm
- 8G = 4.00 mm
- 5G = 5.6 mm
The full TNR range
1 in 14G, 1¼ in 14G, 1½ in 14G / 12G / 10G, 2 in 12G / 12G medium / 10G, 2½ in 12G / 10G, 3 in 8G, 3½ in 8G, 4 in 5G, 4½ in 5G, 5 in 5G, 6 in 5G. All in 25 kg bags.
Wire nails