24 tooth vs 60 tooth circular saw blade
Updated: October 2026
You have one cut in front of you, either a length of CLS or a faced sheet, and someone has told you that more teeth are always cleaner. That proverb fails when a fine blade burns, and the opposite fails when a 24-tooth blade leaves a tidy softwood edge. This 24 tooth vs 60 tooth circular saw blade page says when to pick each count on a 165 x 20 mm blade, and where 40, 48, and 80 teeth sit beside that choice. The rows themselves are the [main comparison](/hub/saw-accessories/saw-blade-165x20). Shelf prices are amazon.co.uk figures around 15 October 2026. We did not run a lab comparison.
You have one cut in front of you, either a length of CLS or a faced sheet, and someone has told you that more teeth are always cleaner.
You have one cut in front of you, either a length of CLS or a faced sheet, and someone has told you that more teeth are always cleaner. That proverb fails when a fine blade burns, and the opposite fails when a 24-tooth blade leaves a tidy softwood edge. This 24 tooth vs 60 tooth circular saw blade page says when to pick each count on a 165 x 20 mm blade, and where 40, 48, and 80 teeth sit beside that choice. The rows themselves are the main comparison. Shelf prices are amazon.co.uk figures around 15 October 2026. We did not run a lab comparison.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Teeth | Job | Kerf | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  DeWalt DeWalt 24T framing blade | 24 | Solid timber, speed first | Thin, no millimetre | 6.7 | about £11.55 | View offer |
 Saxton Saxton 80T fine blade | 80 | Faced sheet, smaller chip than 60 | 2.0 mm, plate 1.4 mm | 9.2 | about £13.99 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Saxton Saxton 60T wood blade | 60 | Veneer, MDF, laminate | 2.0 mm, plate 1.4 mm | 9.0 | about £11.99 | View offer |
On this page
What the tooth is doing
Each tooth takes a chip. Fewer teeth mean a larger chip, which is why a 24-tooth blade feels eager in solid softwood and tears a brittle face. More teeth mean a smaller chip, and the tips rub if you feed too slowly. Compel’s size chart says too many teeth can burn.
xcatalogue’s UK table puts 24 to 30 teeth on fast, rough cuts, about 40 on general work, 48 to 60 on plywood, and 60 to 80 on laminate. Compel is close: softwood ripping around 18 to 24, and hardwood crosscut and plywood around 60 to 80. Wickes sells a 40-tooth 165 x 20 mm blade as a medium cut at £16, which shows 40 teeth as a real UK shelf option between the two poles.
When 24 teeth
Choose 24 teeth when you are breaking down solid timber and speed matters more than a cabinet edge. In this set the DeWalt DT10624-QZ is the 24-tooth single at £11.55, with 4.7 from 2,787 reviews. Buy it if you accept the UK shop text that it is not recommended for timber that may contain nails, and if your arbor is 20 mm or you already own a 16 mm ring. The listing does not include a ring, and it says thin without a kerf in millimetres.
HARDWIN is the budget 24-tooth, about £10.69, with a stated 1.8 mm kerf and a 1.3 mm body. A UK cutting note said it burned the timber that was tried. If the next board is a laminate worktop, use the laminate worktop page.
When 60 or 80 teeth
Choose 60 or 80 teeth when the face is veneer, MDF, or laminate and a large chip would show. The Saxton 60-tooth, TCT16560TSK, is £11.99 with a stated 2.0 mm kerf and a 1.4 mm plate. The Saxton 80-tooth, TCT16580TSK, is £13.99 with the same stated kerf and plate, and 4.6 from 833 reviews. Eighty teeth are more of the same job with a smaller chip. They are not automatically cleaner than 60 if the board moves or the tips rub.
One Saxton 60-tooth review on a DeWalt DCS520 said the blade burned laminate and the riving guard stuck, because that kerf was thinner than the plunge saw expected. That is one saw, not a law that every 60-tooth blade scorches. Do not use the BATIOPV 60-tooth three-pack as the good example. Its UK reviews describe early failure on doors and chipboard, at 4.0 from 142 reviews.
40 and 48, and the choice
Forty teeth is the one-blade compromise. The DeWalt DT10640 is 4.7 from 1,889 reviews, and the amazon.co.uk file does not state a kerf in millimetres. Toolstation’s separate page quotes 1.65 mm. We do not write that number into the amazon row.
Forty-eight teeth, on the Trend three-pack at £37, sits nearer the fine side: kerf stated at 2.2 mm, 4.7 from 751 reviews. The components line that says 160 mm against a 165 mm title is a conflict. If the next cut is solid timber and you want speed, take the 24-tooth DeWalt single. If the next cut is a faced board, take the Saxton 60-tooth at £11.99 or the 80-tooth at £13.99. If you refuse to own two blades, take the 40-tooth and live with the missing kerf figure.
Common questions
When is 24 teeth the right blade?
When you are cutting solid timber and the edge does not have to look like a finished cabinet. In this set that is the DeWalt DT10624-QZ at £11.55. It is the wrong default for a laminate face, and the UK listing says it is not recommended for nails. You still need a 20 mm arbor or your own 16 mm ring.
When is 60 teeth the right blade?
When the face is plywood, MDF, veneer, or laminate and you want a smaller chip than a framing blade takes. The Saxton 60-tooth at £11.99 states a 2.0 mm kerf, so you can check it against a riving knife. A fine blade can burn if you dwell or the knife is thicker than the plate.
Where does 40 teeth sit?
In the middle. xcatalogue calls about 40 a general-purpose count, and Wickes sells a 40-tooth 165 x 20 mm blade as a medium cut at £16. The DeWalt 40-tooth has no kerf in millimetres on the amazon listing. It will not match an 80-tooth blade on a gloss edge.
Is 80 teeth just a finer 60?
Yes, for this decision. Both are fine blades for a faced sheet. Eighty teeth take a smaller chip than 60, and they are not always cleaner if the offcut twists. The Saxton 80-tooth at £13.99 states the same 2.0 mm kerf and 1.4 mm plate as the 60-tooth.
Will 24 teeth destroy plywood?
Not always. A DeWalt reviewer reported little splintering on plywood with a 24-tooth blade. The risk of tear-out is higher than with 60 or 80 teeth, because each tooth takes a larger chip. If the face will be seen, step up.
Which listing in this set is which count?
DeWalt DT10624 and HARDWIN are 24 teeth. DeWalt DT10640 is 40. The Trend three-pack is 48. Saxton and Trend each have a 60-tooth single. Saxton’s two 80-tooth blades and the Tech Traders 80-tooth are the fine end. The Tech Traders four-pack does not agree with itself on tooth count.
Related pages
Sources
Sources from the research digest. amazon.co.uk prices, stars, and review counts are the listing lines captured on 15 October 2026.
- amazon.co.uk listings for these 165 x 20 mm blades, 15 October 2026 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE WIS16, circular saw benches (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE, circular rip saws (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- BS EN 847-1:2017, marking of circular saw blades (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Compel, circular saw blade size chart (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Saxton, TCT reduction rings (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Selco, DART reducing ring 20 mm to 16 mm (retrieved 15 October 2026)