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Wood or metal bandsaw blade: which family you hold

Updated: 22 October 2026

The listing title says the blade cuts wood and metal, and you are about to put it on the bench saw you use for oak. A wood or metal bandsaw blade is not one loop with a broader label. A fast vertical wood saw and a slow cordless metal saw take different lengths, pitches, and steels. The order of measurements is the [buying guide](/hub/saw-accessories/band-saw-blade/sub/band-saw-blade-buying-guide). The twelve listings are the [band saw blade comparison](/hub/saw-accessories/band-saw-blade). Prices are amazon.co.uk shelf prices on 19 October 2026. No lab cut was made, and a qualifying purchase can earn us a commission.

The listing title says the blade cuts wood and metal, and you are about to put it on the bench saw you use for oak. A wood or metal bandsaw blade is not one loop with a broader label.

Our top picks

AYAO AYAO 1400 mm 6 TPI two-pack

Best overall

AYAO AYAO 1400 mm 6 TPI two-pack
8.9/10about £17.99
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Xiansini Xiansini 1400 mm 10 TPI two-pack

Best value

Xiansini Xiansini 1400 mm 10 TPI two-pack
6.7/10about £8.99
View offer
Starrett Starrett Univerz 733 mm 18 TPI

Alternative

Starrett Starrett Univerz 733 mm 18 TPI
5.6/10about £29.99
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On this page
  1. 1.Two machines, two loops
  2. 2.Carbon is the normal wood blade
  3. 3.Bi-metal is the metal blade, with a life claim to attribute
  4. 4.What the dual-purpose titles in this set actually say

Two machines, two loops

A UK bench wood saw in this set mostly wants a loop around 1400 mm, sometimes 1425 mm or 1575 mm. A cordless metal saw wants a short loop. The Starrett Univerz pack, UNZ13A187333, is 733 mm by 13 mm at 18 TPI, for Starrett S1005, Bosch GCB, and Hilti SB4-A22. It will not go around a Scheppach or Einhell, and a 1400 mm carbon blade will not fit the cordless machine. Saw-Tech’s account is that carbon suits wood, bi-metal suits fabrication, and the speed has to drop for metal. A bench saw left at wood speed will overheat a fine metal tooth.

Carbon is the normal wood blade

Sawcraft’s split is carbon flex for wood, and M42 or M51 bi-metal when the work is steel. NLS Tools sells carbon for general work, including some metal, which does not make a £9 carbon loop a mild-steel blade. The AYAO pack admits what it is: a wood-cutting blade, 1400 mm by 6.5 mm, 6 TPI, £17.99, 4.5 from 500 reviews. Axminster allows 10 TPI and finer on non-ferrous metal only if the speed is kept slow. Pitch charts stay on the bandsaw blade TPI page.
AYAO AYAO 1400 mm 6 TPI two-pack

Testsieger

AYAO AYAO 1400 mm 6 TPI two-pack
8.9/10about £17.99
View offer

Bi-metal is the metal blade, with a life claim to attribute

Bi-metal is a hard edge on a tougher back. Addison Saws says that, with lubricant, it can last about five to ten times as long as carbon in metal cutting. That claim is theirs, not a measurement of any ASIN here, and not a result on M10 rod. The pack in that family is the Starrett three-pack at £29.99, 3.9 from 17 reviews. Amazon says an HSS edge. Screwfix lists the same part as bi-metal for solid metal up to about 5 mm, at £26.99. UK reviews report a weld snap and teeth gone on M10 rod after about ten pieces.

What the dual-purpose titles in this set actually say

Read the bullets, not only the title. AYAO describes a wood blade. Vidsmow names wood, plastic, and acrylic. Mechioo at £12.99 says metal and wood, then says avoid hard metals, and the only review is a setup cut. Xiansini at £8.99 names easy carbon steel, and a reviewer refused to cut carbon steel with those blades. Tweozek names aluminium beside plywood, while the UK reviews talk about wood. A bench-saw owner can ignore the Starrett pack. A cordless-saw owner can ignore every 1400 mm carbon loop.

Common questions

Can I cut mild steel with my wood blade?
Not as these listings are written. The AYAO bullets are wood. The Vidsmow bullets are wood, plastic, and acrylic. A carbon title that adds easy carbon steel still has reviews about plywood, and one reviewer refused carbon steel on the Xiansini blades. Mild-steel bar wants the slow cordless saw and a metal blade such as the 733 mm Starrett pack, and even that pack is only sold, on Screwfix’s page, for solids up to about 5 mm.
What is bi-metal?
It is a blade with a harder tooth edge on a tougher back, sold for metal cutting where plain carbon would soften. Sawcraft points M42 and M51 bi-metal at steels. Addison says that, with lubricant, bi-metal can last about five to ten times as long as carbon in that metal work. Quote that as Addison’s claim. It was not measured on the twelve listings here. The amazon Starrett line says HSS. Screwfix says bi-metal for the same part number.
Is the Starrett pack a wood blade?
No. It is 733 mm, 13 mm wide, 18 TPI, three blades, for Starrett S1005, Bosch GCB, and Hilti SB4-A22. The cut attribute is metal. It will not fit a 1400 mm bench saw. UK reviews report a short life on M10 rod and a weld snap, so it is a metal blade with a mixed record, not a timber blade that happens to be short.
Why are some carbon blades labelled metal and wood?
The title is broader than the bullets and the reviews. Mechioo says metal and wood, then tells you to avoid hard metals, and the only review is a setup cut. Xiansini and Tweozek mention easy steel or aluminium next to plywood, and the written wood comments do not back a steel workshop. Treat the length, 1400 mm, and the carbon body as the facts, and treat metal as a claim you have not seen proved on that ASIN.
What thickness of metal is the 18 TPI pack sold for?
Screwfix lists the Starrett UNZ13A187333 as bi-metal for solid metal up to about 5 mm, at £26.99 including VAT. Amazon lists the same part at £29.99 and does not put that 5 mm figure in the display facts used here. Reviews describe teeth gone after about ten pieces of M10 rod and a stripped blade on a second Unistrut cut. Five millimetres is a thin solid. It is not a structural section.

Related pages

How to change a bandsaw blade

Band saw blade

Best bandsaw blade: one listing for the job you have

How to choose a bandsaw blade: length, width, teeth

Bandsaw blade TPI for the thickness you actually cut

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices are amazon.co.uk listings from 19 October 2026.

  1. HSE WIS31: woodworking bandsaws (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. HSE: narrow band saws (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. Saws UK: blades buying guide (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. Axminster: bandsaw blade guide (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. NLS Tools: blade selection (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. Screwfix: Starrett UNZ13A187333 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 19.10.2026)