Felling wedge vs splitting wedge
Updated: 22 October 2026
You searched wedge and amazon.co.uk shows orange plastic packs beside drop-forged steel splitters and twisted firewood tools. If you are still in the back cut with a chainsaw, only one of those families belongs in the kerf. The [felling wedge comparison](/hub/forestry-tools/felling-wedge) keeps plastic felling packs and leaves out hardened steel splitters that would sit next to a running chain. This page explains why. Peter F. read the listings and the public UK sources below, and did not lab-test either tool. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You searched wedge and amazon.co.uk shows orange plastic packs beside drop-forged steel splitters and twisted firewood tools.
You searched wedge and amazon.co.uk shows orange plastic packs beside drop-forged steel splitters and twisted firewood tools. If you are still in the back cut with a chainsaw, only one of those families belongs in the kerf. The felling wedge comparison keeps plastic felling packs and leaves out hardened steel splitters that would sit next to a running chain. This page explains why. Peter F. read the listings and the public UK sources below, and did not lab-test either tool. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Material | Lengths | Splitter wording | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  LDXDRU LDXDRU 6, 8 and 10 inch | ABS plastic | 6, 8 and 10 inch | Log splitting in the bullets | 10.0 | about £17.99 | View offer |
 ORETG45 ORETG45 yellow plastic wedge | High-impact plastic | 5 inch | Splitting and cleaving in the title | 9.6 | about £10.34 | View offer | |
| Best value |  kuzuryu kuzuryu 5.5 inch 6-pack | ABS plastic | 5.5 inch only | Logging wedges, not a steel splitter | 9.0 | about £10.37 | View offer |
On this page
Two tools, two jobs
A felling wedge is a low-taper plastic or aluminium aid driven into the back cut of a standing stem. It holds the kerf open and adds lift toward the notch while the saw is still part of the operation. A splitting wedge is a steep, hardened steel tool driven into the end grain of a round that is already on the ground, usually with a maul, to split firewood. The first tool works beside a chain. The second assumes the chain is not in that kerf.
Gustharts, a UK dealer, states the split plainly: plastic or a chainsaw-safe alloy for felling, and hardened metal splitting wedges only on bucked logs, never near a running saw. Confusion comes from listings that use both vocabularies. Several kept plastic packs say log splitter wedge in the title while the bullets describe stopping pinch in the back cut. That is browse-node noise, not an instruction to fell with steel.
What belongs next to the chain
Husqvarna UK's felling wedge article groups high-impact plastic and aluminium as materials less likely to damage the chain than steel if contact happens. STIHL safety manuals, echoed in Canadian occupational guidance, repeat the material point: wood or plastic wedges in the felling cut, not steel, because steel can damage the chain and create a hazardous rebound. Those lines are not a UK statute copied verbatim. They are why this comparison dropped steel splitters from the table.
When steel meets a chain, reports describe broken teeth and a violent kick. Treat those stories as warnings, not as a measured incident rate for your job. Aluminium felling wedges on STIHL's UK site are still felling tools, with a smooth side for stacking a second wedge. They are not a licence to put a firewood splitter into a living stem. Dealers sometimes recommend aluminium when plastic slips. That is a grip problem on a felling wedge, not a reason to swap in hardened steel.
What this comparison left out
Amtech B0058GK2AE is a drop-forged steel wood wedge around £9.75. Rotatech B0HJ2C4DV7 is a 1.7 kg twisted steel splitter near £14.99. A yoga stretch wedge also turned up in search noise. None of those belong beside ABS packs.
ORETG45 B08CZ47SKT titles splitting, cleaving and splitter, while a bullet still mentions the wood falling toward the notch. QWORK, LDXDRU and AR-PRO repeat log-splitting language while describing back-cut pinch. They stayed because the material is plastic and a felling use is stated on the page. A UK line in the shared AR-PRO text says the plastic helped open felled logs. That is secondary use once the stem is down. For firewood as the main job, buy a steel splitter and keep the chain away.
When a felling wedge is the wrong buy
If you only split bucked rounds, buy a steel splitting wedge and a maul. If you already own steel, leave it out of the back cut. The strike order for a plastic wedge is on how to use a felling wedge.
Steel splitters and plastic felling packs both sit near £10 to £15. The cheaper steel tool is a poor saving if it ends up in the chainsaw kit. Keep felling plastic with the saw and splitting steel with the firewood. If the open question is 6 inch or 10 inch plastic, that is length, on felling wedge size.
Common questions
Can I fell with the steel wedge I use on firewood?
No. A hardened steel splitting wedge belongs on bucked rounds, with a maul, and with the chain out of that kerf. In a standing stem the felling aid is plastic or aluminium. Gustharts states the same split for UK buyers: chainsaw-safe material for felling, hardened metal only on logs that are already down.
What happens if the chain hits steel?
Teeth can break and the saw can kick. That is why felling materials are plastic or aluminium, not hardened steel. Husqvarna UK groups high-impact plastic and aluminium as the materials less likely to wreck the chain if you touch the bar. Treat kickback stories as a warning, not as a counted incident rate.
Why do plastic felling wedges say log splitter in the title?
Seller wording in a shared browse node. Read the bullets for back-cut language, pinch, or a fall toward the notch. QWORK, LDXDRU and AR-PRO use splitter phrases while describing that felling job. The title does not turn ABS into a steel maul wedge.
Is aluminium a splitting wedge or a felling wedge?
Aluminium wedges sold for felling and cleaving on STIHL's UK site are felling-side kit, often with a smooth face so a second wedge can stack. They are not drop-forged steel splitters. Use aluminium when plastic slips, still as a felling wedge beside the saw.
Which amazon listings were left out, and why?
Amtech B0058GK2AE, a drop-forged steel wood wedge around £9.75, and Rotatech B0HJ2C4DV7, a 1.7 kg twisted steel splitter near £14.99, plus an unrelated stretch wedge from search noise. They are not chainsaw-safe felling aids, so they are not in the plastic table.
Can a plastic felling wedge split a round after the tree is down?
Sometimes. A UK line in the shared AR-PRO reviews says the plastic helped open felled logs. That is secondary use once the stem is on the ground. Primary splitting still belongs to a steel wedge and a maul, with the saw out of the cut.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, retrieved on 22 October 2026. amazon.co.uk listing fields are cited on the product cards.
- Husqvarna UK, Felling wedges (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE, Working with chainsaws (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, When a felling licence is needed (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Forestry Act 1967, section 9 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, Tree felling: getting permission (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE INDG317 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- STIHL UK plastic wedges (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Forestry Commission eAlert, 28 June 2018 (retrieved 22 October 2026)