Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Garden trowel or brick trowel: which blade matches the job

Updated: October 2026

You searched for one tool and the results mixed compost, mortar, and plaster. A garden trowel or brick trowel is a choice of blade shape, not a smaller copy of the same tool. The scooped blade lifts soil. The flat pointed blade carries mortar. The flat rectangle levels plaster. This page, from the Products Compared editorial team, sorts those silhouettes against the amazon.co.uk listings in our [trowel comparison](/hub/digging-tools/trowel). We used listing text and UK trade notes checked on 15 October 2026, and we did not run a workshop test. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You searched for one tool and the results mixed compost, mortar, and plaster. A garden trowel or brick trowel is a choice of blade shape, not a smaller copy of the same tool. The scooped blade lifts soil.

Our top picks

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson Elements 4058NB

Best overall

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson Elements 4058NB
8.3/10about £7.70
View offer
Faithfull Faithfull 150 mm pointing trowel

Best value

Faithfull Faithfull 150 mm pointing trowel
8.2/10about £3.90
View offer
onesto Onesto 5 inch brick trowel

Alternative

onesto Onesto 5 inch brick trowel
4.2/10about £7.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.A scooped blade and a flat blade do different work
  2. 2.Pointing trowel or brick trowel
  3. 3.A plastering trowel is not a garden trowel
  4. 4.Which listing to open

A scooped blade and a flat blade do different work

A garden hand trowel in this set is a short scooped blade for planting, lifting a weed, and moving a little soil. Aluminium and stainless suit ordinary soil. Powder-coated carbon is the heavier-ground option, and only if you dry the blade and oil it. A brick trowel is a flat pointed triangle. BuildWiz describes it as the blade that carries and spreads mortar. A plastering trowel is a flat rectangle, often between 280 mm and 405 mm, and it works on a wall rather than in a hole. None of those scooped garden listings is a mortar blade. Wet mortar packs into the dish, and the curve will not lay a bed. For soil, use the trowel buying guide for steel, length, and handle. The digging motion sits on the how to use a trowel page.

Pointing trowel or brick trowel

A pointing trowel is the smaller flat triangle. BuildWiz puts the usual range at 4 to 7 inches, with 6 inches as the UK shop default. The Faithfull, ASIN B002KHR75C, is that tool: alloy steel, 150 mm, London pattern, listed at £3.90, rated 4.6 from 1,714 reviews, for forming and repairing joints. A reviewer says it is not for laying bricks. A brick trowel is the larger mortar carrier. A London heel is rounded and narrower, for face brick. A Philadelphia heel is squarer and holds more mortar, and BuildWiz treats about 10 inches in that pattern as a practical start for block. This set has no 10 to 12 inch brick trowel. The Onesto, B0FQB1LM4T, is carbon, 5 inches and 91 g, listed at £7.99, rated 4.5 from 15 reviews, with a wooden handle and no heel pattern stated. One review says the handle broke after a short time. A wall or chimney needs a bricklayer.
Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson Elements 4058NB

Testsieger

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson Elements 4058NB
8.3/10about £7.70
View offer

A plastering trowel is not a garden trowel

A plastering trowel is a flat rectangle for a gypsum skim, and a scoop will not level that face. Square corners catch until worn or bought pre-worn, and a bent corner is damage. BuildWiz notes that carbon rusts and can mark pale gypsum, while stainless is the usual skim choice. Three listings sit here, and none is a crown for a first room. The OX, B00JFXY8MY, is stainless, 127 mm by 356 mm, pre-worn and curved so the edge is less likely to dig in, listed at £28.79 and about 400 g. The Draper, B01278STMI, is lacquered carbon at 280 mm, listed at £10.02, and damp storage lets it rust and stain a pale skim. The Gunpla, B0DC6M7SLK, is stainless, the title stating 280 mm by 130 mm, listed at £27.45, with 5.0 from three reviews only. Choose stainless for a pale finish if you will not oil carbon after every session. A full room, if you have not plastered, is a plasterer's job.

Which listing to open

Named leads are on the best trowel page. Joints take the Faithfull 150 mm pointing trowel. Skim takes OX or Gunpla for stainless, or Draper if you accept lacquered carbon.

Common questions

Is a pointing trowel just a small brick trowel?
They share a flat pointed outline, and the pointing blade is smaller. BuildWiz puts the UK shop size around 6 inches, inside about 4 to 7 inches. The Faithfull listing is 150 mm and limited, in its own text, to forming and repairing joints. A reviewer says it is not for laying bricks. A brick trowel for courses is larger, with about 10 inches as a practical start.
Can the 5 inch Onesto lay a wall?
No. The Onesto here is a 5 inch carbon blade, about 91 g, listed at £7.99, rated 4.5 from 15 reviews, with no heel pattern named. It is not the Faithfull pointing trowel and not a 10 to 12 inch brick trowel. One review says the handle broke after a short time. This set has no full-size brick blade, so a structural wall or a chimney is a bricklayer's job.
When do I need a flat plastering trowel instead?
You need the flat rectangle for plaster or a skim, not for soil or a mortar joint. A scoop and a pointing triangle will not level gypsum. Here the Draper is 280 mm of lacquered carbon, and the OX is 127 mm by 356 mm of pre-worn stainless. Square corners dig in until worn or bought pre-worn, and a bent corner is damage. A full room is a plasterer's job if you have not plastered.
Should I choose stainless or carbon for a skim?
Stainless is the usual skim choice, because damp carbon rusts and can mark pale gypsum. OX and Gunpla are stainless. Draper is lacquered carbon. Lacquer slows rust, and damp storage still leaves a mark risk. Choose carbon only if you will dry it and can accept a stain. Three Gunpla reviews at 5.0 are not a verdict.
Which of these jobs needs a professional?
High or listed repointing needs a professional, even when a 150 mm blade can fill a small joint. Structural walls and chimneys need a bricklayer, and this set has no 10 to 12 inch brick trowel. A full-room skim needs a plasterer if you have not plastered. Planting and weeding stay with a scooped garden trowel, if you are not levering it or leaving it wet.

Related pages

Trowel for planting bulbs

Trowel

Best trowel for a border, a joint or a plaster skim

Trowel buying guide: name the job before the stars

How to use a trowel for planting and weeding in beds

Sources

Sources from the research digest. amazon.co.uk listings in this category were captured on 15 October 2026. We did not run a laboratory test.

  1. RHS, Planting bulbs (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. RHS, How to plant bulbs in grass (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. RHS, Cleaning garden tools (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. The English Garden, garden trowels (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. BBC Gardeners' World, hand trowels (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. BuildWiz, brick trowel (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods remedies (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  9. HSE, Manual handling (retrieved 15 October 2026)