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16 oz or 20 oz claw hammer

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are choosing a claw hammer for skirtings and doors, or for longer nails in softwood studs. A 16 oz or 20 oz claw hammer is that choice, with one condition this amazon.co.uk set forces on you: the ounce and the gram row have to describe the same mass. Peter F. updated this on 22 October 2026 from twelve listings snapshotted on 19 October 2026. About 454 g for 16 oz and about 567 g for 20 oz are rules of thumb, not weighed heads. There is no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Shelf prices stay on the [Claw hammer comparison](/hub/hand-tools/claw-hammer).

You are choosing a claw hammer for skirtings and doors, or for longer nails in softwood studs.

Our top picks

WORKPRO WORKPRO 16 oz and 8 oz set

Best overall

WORKPRO WORKPRO 16 oz and 8 oz set
6.3/10about £16.99
View offer
HOUSERAN HOUSERAN 500 g claw hammer

Alternative

HOUSERAN HOUSERAN 500 g claw hammer
6.0/10about £13.99
View offer
OX OX Pro 20 oz framing hammer

Rank 3

OX OX Pro 20 oz framing hammer
5.3/10about £24.59
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What the two weights are for
  2. 2.When the listing’s grams do not match the ounces
  3. 3.The 20 oz hammer in this set
  4. 4.When 8 oz is the honest choice

What the two weights are for

Choose the 16 oz class for doors, skirtings, and ordinary nails, when you want to place the face. BuildWiz puts 16 oz, stated there as 450 g, on that joinery. A missed swing with a heavier head marks the timber more. Choose the 20 oz class for larger softwood nails, the sort BuildWiz describes as 75 mm nails in studs. Twenty ounces is not automatically less effort. Take 16 oz if the title and the item-weight row agree. Take 20 oz only if the title says 20 oz and you accept the shaft reviews on the only such hammer here.

When the listing’s grams do not match the ounces

Do not treat the ounce as proved because a UK guide uses it. The WORKPRO pair is titled 16 oz/720 g and 8 oz/340 g, at £16.99. The item weight is 720 g. Sixteen ounces is about 454 g, not 720 g. The HOUSERAN is closer: the title says 500 g (16 oz) and the item weight is 500 g, at £13.99. One bullet still says 8 oz. Use 500 g as the figure the listing repeated. The Uadme bullet says 13 oz against an item weight of 670 g and a length of 40 cm. Do not treat those two weights as the same head.
WORKPRO WORKPRO 16 oz and 8 oz set

Testsieger

WORKPRO WORKPRO 16 oz and 8 oz set
6.3/10about £16.99
View offer

The 20 oz hammer in this set

Only the OX Pro OX-P088920 is titled 20 oz, at £24.59, with 4.2 from 20 reviews, length 44.5 cm and item weight 950 g. A 20 oz head is about 567 g on the rule of thumb, so 950 g is not that head figure. Bullets say a straight claw. The style row says curved framing hammer. Three of six UK reviews describe a cracked or snapped hickory shaft. If those reviews are already too many, skip this listing.

When 8 oz is the honest choice

Eight ounces is the right hammer for panel pins, gripper nails, and a bag you carry. The MAXPOWER is titled 8 oz with an item weight of 226 g, at £9.78, and those figures agree. UK reviews say it is too light for site joinery, so it is the wrong hammer for 75 mm stud nails. The Amtech is the other clear 8 oz, at 225 g, and fence-nail pulls in that file describe a bent claw or a head off. The Fadayunn at £5.99 is 11 oz and 330 g. Its framing line does not move it into the 20 oz class.

Common questions

Should I buy 16 oz or 20 oz for ordinary DIY?
For doors, skirtings, and ordinary nails, choose a 16 oz class hammer if the title and the item-weight row agree. For larger softwood nails, about the 75 mm stud nails BuildWiz describes, 20 oz is the extra blow, which in this set means the OX title plus its shaft reviews. A quicker lighter swing can beat a slow heavy one. Picture hooks are an 8 oz job.
What is 16 oz in grams?
About 454 g, as a rule of thumb for the head. CMT prints 16 oz / 454 g on its own hammers, and BuildWiz states 16 oz as 450 g. Twenty ounces is about 567 g on the same rule. None of those figures are a weighed head from this set. Use them to test whether a gram row is in the same size class. The WORKPRO’s 720 g next to 16 oz is not.
Is the WORKPRO 16 oz/720 g a 16 oz head?
Not on the numbers printed. The title pairs 16 oz with 720 g and 8 oz with 340 g, and the item weight is 720 g. Sixteen ounces is about 454 g. You can treat it as a two-hammer set at £16.99 with 4.7 from 59 reviews. You cannot treat 720 g as a confirmed 16 oz head. The reviews praise the pair. They do not correct the conversion.
Is there a 20 oz hammer in this amazon set?
Yes, one title. The OX Pro OX-P088920 is titled 20 oz, at £24.59, length 44.5 cm, item weight 950 g, 4.2 from 20 reviews. The 950 g row is not the 567 g rule of thumb for a 20 oz head. Three of six UK reviews describe a cracked or snapped shaft. Other titles that say framing are not 20 oz hammers. The Fadayunn is 11 oz and 330 g.
When is 8 oz the right hammer instead?
When the fixings are panel pins, gripper nails, or picture hooks, and you want the hammer in a bag. The MAXPOWER’s title and 226 g item weight agree on 8 oz, at £9.78. Reviews that call it too light for site joinery are describing a different job. The Amtech is also an agreed 8 oz at 225 g. Do not use either claw to pull old fence nails if you have read the bend-and-break reviews.

Related pages

Claw hammer buying guide

Curved claw or rip claw

Best claw hammer

Claw hammer

How to use a claw hammer: drive a nail and pull it

Sources

The standard identifier is BS 876:1995, with HSE guidance on work equipment and eye protection, plus a UK retailer hammer guide. Prices, stars, and review counts are amazon.co.uk captures from 19 October 2026, scored on 22 October 2026. They are not a lab test.

  1. BSI Knowledge: BS 876:1995, specification for hand hammers (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. ANSI webstore: BS 876:1995 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Intertek Inform: BS 876:1995 contents (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. HSE L22: Safe use of work equipment (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. HSE: Using the right type of PPE (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Toolstation: hammer buying guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Sealey: hammer instructions (retrieved 22 October 2026)