The 14 Types of Knife Blade Shapes, Explained

There are admittedly dozens of areas and factors that one can — and should — take into account when buying a pocket knife. Alongside blade steel, handle material, size, deployment, and locking mechanism, one of the most crucial elements to factor into your decision is undoubtedly blade shape. While it’s easy to think that a blade’s silhouette is simply an aesthetic choice, the reality is that different profiles all boast their own unique strengths and drawbacks that make them more or less conducive to particular tasks and applications. So, with this in mind, we’re taking a deep dive into the world of edge tool profiles and silhouettes in our ultimate guide to pocket knife blade shapes. 

Getting To The Point: A Foreword On Pocket Knife Blade Profiles

As pocket knives have evolved over the decades, more and more blades have been designed with specific tasks and uses in mind. This has ultimately lead to, amongst other things, a wide range of available blade shapes and silhouettes, made for everything from opening boxes and packages to CQC and self-defense use. And while some may appear to have very similar shapes, it’s the smaller differences in a blade’s point or belly that can hugely alter its performance. Plus, in addition to the dozen-or-so profiles that make up the most popular and commonly-used silhouettes, there are also plenty of hybrid blade shapes that merge two or more profiles into a single silhouette. 

When talking about blade shapes, we also tend to focus on the profile of the actual blade, its point, audits edge, though there are also certain features or designs that have been integrated into a blade’s shape that can actually impact how a knife operates or performs, such as the Emerson Wave feature, which allows a blade to automatically open as it’s removed from the user’s pocket. What’s more, the profile of a blade can also determine how a knife’s blade is deployed. This includes everything from Spyderco-style thumb hole openings (or cutouts), and Carson-style flipper tabs — both of which are design elements incorporated into a knife’s blade shape. 

Cleaver

Modeled after butcher’s knives, cleaver-style blades are a profile that has become increasingly popular in recent years. Like the beefy kitchen knives that inspire them, cleaver pocket knives sport a more square profile with a slight curve across the blade’s belly. Unlike butcher’s knives, however, most pocket knives with cleaver-shaped profiles feature a lightly-pointed tip in order to be more utilitarian and useful to everyday carry applications. When large and thick enough, some cleaver-type EDC knives can actually offer some impressive chopping capabilities — though the reality is that most individuals that opt to carry cleaver-style blades mostly do so for aesthetic reasons, as this profile doesn’t really offer many other objective performance benefits compared to other more commonly-used shapes like tantos and drop points, aside from chopping and coping tasks.

The Knife Seen Here: Gerber Flatiron

The Gerber Flatiron is an unmistakably unique everyday carry knife that combines an ergonomically-shaped stainless steel frame-lock handle with an aluminum (or Micarta) show-side scale and a 3.6″ blade forged in 7Cr17MoV (or D2) in a classic cleaver profile and deployed via a thumb-hole opening. A stubby pocket clip and a lifetime warranty round out this value-laden folder.

Clip Point

One of the most popular blade shapes available today, the clip point is seen in everything from tactical fixed-blades to folding hunting knives. The unsharpened back of the blade extends about half of its length, before following a concave curve toward its point. The edge of the blade is primarily straight, but for a slight upward slope at the upper 1/3 of the blade toward the point. Also known as a “Bowie shape,” this blade profile type makes for an excellent all-purpose knife. It is easily sharpened, comes to an extremely sharp and narrow point, and features a long and functional belly. The primary downside to this blade type is that the very fine tip can be chipped and/or broken with repeated use.

The Knife Seen Here: Buck 110 Auto

The legendary Buck Knives 110 Folding Hunter first debuted back in 1964, and despite being more than half a century old, remains a fan-favorite to this day. The 110’s continued popularity has also prompted the American knife maker to deliver an updated, auto-deployment version of this folder that features an ebony handle decorated with brass bolsters, and an auto-firing 3.75” 420 steel blade with clip point profile. 

Dagger

Dagger-shaped blades likely need no introduction, as this silhouette has been in use for hundreds of years. Equipped with a single or double-edged design, this symmetrical blade shape sports straight edges that meet at the tip in an acute point which affords this shape incredible piercing capabilities. In fact, dagger-shaped blades don’t have a ton of practical use outside of combat and self-defense applications — though some appreciate them simply for their aggressive look. There are also bayonet-shaped blades, which are extremely similar to dagger profiles, albeit with a reinforced tip and only one sharpened edge. 

The Knife Seen Here: SOG Pentagon XR

The SOG Pentagon XR is a tactical flipper knife that’s engineered for both everyday carry and self-defense applications. Built around a G10 handle fitted with one of SOG’s signature XR locks, the Pentagon XR features a cryogenically-heat-treated dagger-style blade with a fuller running up the middle. Between its flipper tab, XR lock, and thumb-stud set, this knife can also be opened in three different ways. 

Drop Point

Without a doubt the most popular blade shape amongst the everyday carry community, the drop point is by far the most commonly available pocket knife blade type on the market right now. The unsharpened back of the blade follows a long and slight curve downward from its base toward the point. The belly, or edge, follows a similar but slightly more pronounced slope upward toward the point. The resulting blade features a long and easy to maintain cutting surface and a fairly sharp point. Popularized by knife-maker Bob Loveless, this blade is the most commonly-utilized — and purchased — for a reason, as it is one of the easiest to use and maintain. Its primary downside is that it features a less narrow tip and is, therefore, less suitable for piercing tasks than a clip point blade.

The Knife Seen Here: The James Brand The Carter

The James Brand’s The Carter is a brilliant mix of form and function, with a minimalistic, fashion-forward design that actually affords real utility. Fitted with an ambidextrous slide lock set in a Micarta or G10 handle, The Carter packs a 2.8” drop point blade crafted from Japanese-made VG-10 stainless steel. TJB also offers the knife in 10 colorways, regular and XL sizes, and with either straight or partially-serrated edges. 

Harpoon

Not entirely dissimilar a drop point blade, harpoon style blades are marked by an upward ramp on the unsharpened back of the blade. This ramp gives the blade the resemblance of a whaling harpoon with its sharp barb, hence the name. Typically, apart from the back ramp, harpoon style blades have the same gradual sloping silhouette as drop points, but can also be spear pointed, straight/normal, and more – as the ramp is the defining characteristic. The belly most often stays primarily straight, but with an upward slope toward the point at the top 1/3 of the blade. Though they are less common than other blade shapes, harpoon style blades offer a bit of extra leverage, as a thumb can be placed upon the ramp, allowing the user to exert extra downforce during cutting tasks.

The Knife Seen Here: OKnife Beagle

Made by eminent flashlight brand Olight’s knife-making division, the OKnife Beagle is a utilitarian, liner-locking EDC knife that offers excellent bang for your buck. Measuring 7.60”, this full-size folder comes loaded with a stainless steel liner that’s cloaked in grippy Micarta scales and mated to a 3.30” thumb-stud-deployed 154CM harpoon-style blade. Weighing less than 4oz, this knife is also offered in a blacked-out version with carbon fiber scales and blue-anodized hardware. 

Hawkbill

Fairly uncommon in the world of folding knives, hawkbill-shaped blades — also commonly referred to as talon-style blades — are named such for their similarity to the talons of a predatory bird. So, both the back and the edge of the blade follow a similar arcing slope and come to a fairly drastic curved point. This blade type is seen most commonly in knives used for combat, like the tactical “morphing” karambit seen here. This blade type is all but useless as an everyday cutting tool, but is certainly suited some for piercing and especially slashing tasks. The talon is easily the most combat-focused blade type available on the mass market.

The Knife Seen Here: Reate EXO-K

Easily one of the most unique and innovative knife designs in recent history, the Reate EXO-K is a tactical “gravity Karambit” knife with an ultra-idiosyncratic deployment setup that utilizes a hinged arm that extends from the knife’s button-locking handle. Spanning 6.69” overall, the EXO-K also features a titanium finger-ring that acts as a back-spacer, and a 3.07” hawkbill blade made from Böhler N690. 

Leaf Shape

The signature blade shape of Spyderco, the leaf is called such for its resemblance to the foliage of a plant. This was in part a stylistic decision to make the brand’s knives stand out from the crowd, but it also allowed for the inclusion of their signature Spyderhole oversized thumb hole – used as an alternative to a blade flipper as a means of easy deployment. Leaf shaped blades feature a drastic thumb ramp over the thumb hole, which usually features grip jimping, and then a straight downward slope toward the point. The belly of the blade follows a slight convex curve toward a harsh point. Spyderco’s blades tend to be on the smaller side of the spectrum and have the same point-downside as a clip point blade, but they’re still superb all-purpose EDC blades for.

The Knife Seen Here: Spyderco Para Military 2

Widely recognized as being one of the greatest all-time EDC knives, the Spyderco Para Military 2 is a tactical, full-size take on an EDC folder that features a slew of Spyderco’s signature design elements, from its leaf-shaped blade to its thumb-hole opening to its proprietary compression lock. The immense popularity of the PM2 has also given way to an enormous number of available aftermarket scales, back-spacers, and other available upgrades.

Reverse Tanto

As this profile’s monicker suggests, reverse tanto blade shapes are essentially just mirrored/inverted versions of standard tanto knives. As such, they retain the regular tango’s reinforced point and triangular tip, though the spine of the standard profile has been reversed and now carries a sharpened edge. This ultimately makes for a silhouette with stellar slicing and puncturing capabilities. In fact, reverse tanto blades are some of the most versatile and utilitarian blade shapes in existence. Just like any other blade shape, there can be a decent amount of variation in reverse tanto profiles, with some featuring a more standard-style straight edge, with others sport a more curved belly. 

The Knife Seen Here: Benchmade Osborne 940

Since debuting around the turn of the millennium, the Warren Osborne-designed Benchmade Osborne 940 has become one of the most lauded everyday carry knives of all time. Widely credited for popularizing the reverse tanto profile, the 940 is crafted around a set of handles that have been precision-machined from aerospace-grade6061-T6 aluminum before being fitted with an AXIS lock and a 3.40” CPM S30V reverse tanto blade. 

Sheepsfoot/Wharncliffe

Sheepsfoot and wharncliffe style blades are somewhat like the opposite of normal/straight shaped blades. That is, they both feature a long slightly or non-sloped belly edge with a back that slopes toward the point. The difference between the two, however, is that sheepsfoot blades feature a straight back that curves toward the point at the top 1/3 of the blade, whereas wharncliffe blades tend to have a more gradual full-blade back slope toward the tip. These blades offer an excellent long straight cutting surface that’s easy to maintain, but they are not particularly suited to piercing tasks, as a result of the sloping unsharpened portion of the blade.

The Knife Seen Here: Microtech MSI

Short for “Microtech Standard Issue,” the Microtech MSI is an extremely capable and robust folding knife that was engineered to offer years of hard use. Alongside a polymer (or G10) handle, the MSI also features one of Microtech’s all-new RAM-LOK mechanisms, and a 3.85” sheepsfoot blade that’s composed of M390MK — a special updated version of M390 steel created by Microtech in conjunction with Böhler. 

Spear Point

A bit like a more aggressive version of a drop point blade, spear points have a very similar silhouette. The primary difference, however, is that spear point blades are sharpened along a portion (or in some cases all) of the back of the blade. While the addition of an extra edge changes little about the basic cutting functionality of the blade, it certainly makes the spear point a good deal more capable when it comes to stabbing or piercing tasks. Two other blade types that are similar in format to the spear point are the dagger and needle. Dagger blades are straight and come to a more drastic point than a spear point and needles are even thinner and pointier than daggers.

The Knife Seen Here: CRKT M16-01S

Columbia River Knife and Tool’s M16 range first appeared in 1999, and has since become a staple in the brand’s lineup. Offering fantastic value, this M16 variant — the  M16-01S — is comprised of a black skeletonized stainless handle fitted with a frame-lock mechanism and a pokey spear-point blade forged in 8Cr14MoV steel. CRKT also produces this knife in a huge number of different variants, as welll.

Standard

About as basic as they come, the standard — also known as “straight,” Straight back,” or “normal” — blade is an old-school blade profile dating back literally thousands of years. It is marked by a very simple, yet time-proven silhouette. The unsharpened back of the blade follows a straight non-sloped line from its base to the point. The sharpened belly edge also follows a straight non-sloped line, but for the top 1/3, at which point it slopes upward toward the tip. The long belly of these knives make them excellent candidates for slicing and cutting tasks, but the point is less effective than those of both the clip and drop point blades. That being said, this blade type is also probably the most easy to maintain and is superb for everyday use. Most slipjoint folders, like Swiss Army Knives,  feature this type of blade.

The Knife Seen Here: Boker Plus Kwaiken Button Lock

Penned by Lucas Burnley, the Boker Plus Kwaiken Button Lock is a minimalistic flipper knife with a remarkably smooth action and deployment. Equipped with a 3.03” CPM S35VN blade with a standard profile, this Kwaiken variant features a titanium handle with a button lock and a matching titanium back-spacer. If you’re looking for a high-end integration of a minimalist EDC knife, than look no further. 

Tanto

Named after a traditional short dagger that was carried by the samurai of feudal Japan, tanto style blades have perhaps the most immediately recognizable shape of all of these common blade types, apart perhaps from the talon. Typically, they will feature a straight unsharpened back with a harsh angle toward the point at the upper 1/4 of the blade. The belly follows a similar pattern, but with the upturn toward the point occurring at a harsh angle at about the upper 1/3 of the blade. The result is a knife that has a strong point, but it is somewhat limited in slicing tasks, due to its lack of a curved belly.

The Knife Seen Here: Toor Chasm XLT

Meticulously crafted by hand in San Diego, the Toor Chasm XLT is a premium EDC knife that punches well above its weight in terms of utility, offering ample workhorse capabilities in a compact package. The knife is constructed around a titanium framelock handle with a textured G10 scale on its show side and a billet titanium pocket clip. Mated to the handle is a super beefy 0.22” thick tanto blade that can handle a wide variety of tasks and applications. 

Trailing Point

A trailing point — or “trailing edge” as it’s sometimes called — blade is similar to a talon in that the blade and the back follow a fairly drastic curve. The difference, however, is that with a trailing edge, the outside of the blade’s curve is the belly or edge and the inside is the unsharpened back of the blade. These knives tend not to be as curved as talons, but their shape is certainly more drastic than nearly all other common types. The largest benefit of a trailing edge blade is that it offers the greatest belly surface of any other blade type. They can also be helpful in piercing tasks, if the knife is not too harshly curved. They can, however, be difficult to sharpen due to their curvature.

The Knife Seen Here: Zero Tolerance 0460TI

Penned by Dmitry Sinkevich, the Zero Tolerance 0460TI is a sleek titanium frame-locker with a deadly 3.25” trailing point blade that’s made from top-shelf CPM 20CV and guided by the KVT ball-bearing system. While it’s a fairly simple design on the surface, ZT’s 0460TI is a wildly practical knife that, despite its super pokey blade shape, offers some impressive workhorse capabilities — while still making for a stellar self-defense blade. 

Hybrids

It’s not uncommon to see some blade shapes that blur the line between two different profiles. In fact, there are even some silhouettes that are intentionally designed to take on a hybrid form of two different shapes, such as the tanto-meets-Wharncliffe — or “Wharnto” — seen here. As one might expect, the hybrid silhouettes aim to offer the best of both worlds. 

The Knife Seen Here: WE Knife Co Ingio

Born out of a collaboration between WE Knife Co. and German knife-maker and designer Toni Tietzel, the WE Ignio is a high-end take on a titanium frame-locking hybrid Wharnto-style knife. Forged in top-shelf CPM 20CV, the Ignio’s 3.3” Wharnto blade is set of a caged ceramic ball bearing pivot and features a flipper tab and thumb-hole opening that allow for dual deployment options. 

The Complete Guide To Knife Handle Materials

Now that you’re privy to blade shapes and profiles, why not take a deep dive into the materials that these handles are forged from? And everything you need to know about these modern-day materials can be found in our complete guide to knife handle materials.