Knife Blade Shapes Guide: Every Blade Shape and What It’s For

Knives come in all shapes and sizes. Some look boringly familiar; others look straight out of an edgy teenager’s college-ruled notebook. But no matter what your scout leader told you, every blade shape has a purpose. In this article, I’ll break down every major blade style, what they’re good for, what they’re not so good for, and who might want one. Let’s jump right in! 

Blade Shapes

Drop Point 

Description: A simple blade style where the spine of the blade "drops" a little to meet the tip. Easily the most popular blade style, found on knives of every kind. 

Tanto 

Description: Characterized by two points – one at the front of the blade, another just before the tip. Popular on tactical and hard-working knives. 

Sheepsfoot 

Description: A mostly straight edge ending in a blunt tip with a sharp curve in the spine. Kind of resembles the side-profile of a sheep’s hoof, hence the name. Common on EDC knives and some kitchen knives. 

Reverse Tanto 

Description: Straight edge and straight spine with abrupt angled cut near the tip, sort of like a tanto, but sharpened along the opposite side. Most popular on EDC knives. 

Hawkbill 

Description: A sharp inward curve in the edge with a needle-like tip. Found on utility, agricultural, and tactical knives.

Kukri 

Description: An inward curve ending with a steep outward curve, with a boomerang-shaped curve in the spine. Most common on large fixed blades. 

Clip Point 

Description: Sections of straight and curved edge with a straight spine and an abrupt cut toward the tip, almost as if it had been "clipped." Common on many kinds of knives. 

Dagger 

Description: A symmetrical blade with two grinds, and sometimes even two edges. Found mostly on tactical knives. 

Spear Point 

Description: A symmetrical, or at least almost symmetrical, blade profile with only one grind. Found on all kinds of knives. 

Trailing Point 

Description: A deeply curved edge with a tip with an inward curve in the spine. Common on fishing and hunting knives. 

Standard

Description: A straight spine with a curved edge that rises to meet it. Very popular in chef’s knives. 

Kris 

Description: A blade with multiple inward and outward curves, making a squiggly, snake-like blade style. Found mostly on custom and ornamental knives. 

Wharncliffe 

Description: A straight edge with a mostly straight spine that drops toward the tip, forming a sharp point. Found mostly on EDC knives. 

Spay 

Description: A long section of straight edge with an abrupt curve near the tip that meets an equally abrupt clip point. Common in traditional pocket knives. You’ll never guess what it was made for.

Cleaver 

Description: A chunky rectangular blade with lots of weight towards the tip. Common in heavy chopping knives. 

Bayonet 

Description: A symmetrical blade with a partial grind on the top side, sometimes partially double edged. Popular option for tactical knives. 

Harpoon 

Description: A blade with a hook-esque hump on the spine. Found mostly on fancy EDC knives. 

Variants 

Recurve Blades

Any blade style with an inward curve in the edge is a recurve. If the curve is really deep, you can get into Kukri territory, but if it’s subtle, it’s just called a recurve. They look cool, and they deepen the belly of the edge for slicing cuts. They also gather material together for efficient push cuts, kind of like a sickle does. They’re great for cutting but can be tricky to sharpen. You see them mostly on hunting knives and artsy custom knives.

Trainer Blades

This can look like any blade you see above, but without a grind or an edge. These are for self-defense training. If you plan on carrying a knife to defend yourself, you should also get a similar trainer blade, a good teacher, and lots of practice! 

Gut Hook Blades

Once again, these can be added to many blade styles. In short, it’s a little hook on the back of the blade with a sharpened interior. These are for cutting open game without piercing anything gross. They don’t have much use beside that, but some hunters swear by them. 

Traditional Blade Styles

Many blade styles from old-school knives and various disciplines of martial arts have very distinctive designs. Think the Ginunting, Nessmuk, Citrus Peeler, or Coping Blade. Each of these is 100% a valid blade style, and each has a community that appreciates them, but they go beyond the scope of this article.  

Which blade style is best? 

It really depends on you. What cutting jobs do you have? How is your hand trained to hold and use a knife? What sorts of blades look good to you? Factor all of that into your choice of blade style. 

And while each blade style has its strengths and weaknesses, with a bit of creativity, most blade styles can do a lot more than what they’re designed for. I’ve see a karambit skin a deer, a sheepsfoot self-defense knife, and a folding cleaver in someone’s pocket. So whatever knife speaks to your needs and your preferences, carry it! A knife is only useless if you don’t carry it! 

My personal favorite blade style is the drop point. Judging by the number of drop points on the market, I’m not the only one!