The best steel nails, compared.
Top pick: 20 mm galvanised nails, title says 400 Best value: OMOTOOL 100 galvanised nails, about 20 mm – About £3.98 for a stated 20 × 2.10 mm galvanised nail, with 4.5 from 229 reviews, when that single length is the job. Updated October 2026.
Steel nails here are loose nails you drive with a hammer: short picture and masonry-style wall nails, fine pins, and mixed DIY assortments sold by piece count. You are usually hanging a light frame, fixing a small piece of timber, or trying to get a nail into brick without a drill. Judge a pack by a shank that does not fold on the second tap, a finish that matches dry or damp use, and a listing whose length, count and material agree. A high piece count is not hardness, and a masonry title is only a claim. Stud plasterboard, dot-and-dab, soft brick and concrete are different jobs. Amazon states it is not for cement or concrete. Zinc plating is not hot-dip galvanising, and unspecified iron is a rust risk outside. None of these packs states a British Standard or a rated load. The [masonry or wood guide](/hub/staplers-and-nail-guns/steel-nails/sub/steel-nails-masonry-or-wood) separates a hard-wall nail, a wood nail, and a plug and screw. Scores use stars, review volume, job fit and price. They are not a hardness or pull-out test.
Steel nails here are loose nails you drive with a hammer: short picture and masonry-style wall nails, fine pins, and mixed DIY assortments sold by piece count.
36 products checked · 58 hrs invested · +21,400 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What is the wall?
This anonymous-brand pack claims thick 20 × 4.2 mm galvanised nails for concrete, brick, masonry and wood. The specification could suit a short wall fixing, and a plastic box is included. However, the listing cannot consistently say how many nails you receive: the title and included-components line say 400, while the size field says 100. Its 5.0-star line comes from only two reviews, so it is not comparable with a 4.5 rating based on hundreds or thousands of buyers. No load, hardness or British Standard is stated, and the available review does not discuss rust resistance. At £6.99, the unresolved quantity and tiny sample make this difficult to recommend.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Buyers who can verify the quantity and need this exact short, thick size
Less suitable: Anyone relying on the headline count or star score
Specifications
Common questions
How many nails are in the pack?
The title and the included-components line say 400 nails at 20 × 4.2 mm. The size field says 20 mm, 100 pieces. Both lines are in the same listing.
What finish is claimed?
Galvanised steel, with indoor and outdoor use claimed in the bullets. The UK review does not discuss rust.
Is the 5.0 score a large sample?
The listing line is 5.0 from 2 reviews. That sample is too small to compare with a 4.5 from hundreds of reviews.
Unifizz sells these as headless finishing nails for trim, frames and baseboards, where a small surface mark matters. The title and size field point to 100 nails at 25 mm, but one bullet expands the range to 25–100 mm, so the actual contents are unclear. High-carbon steel and an electroplated colour-zinc finish are claimed, although outdoor suitability is not confirmed. The single UK reviewer used them for hanging pictures, but one review is far too little evidence for the 5.0-star line to carry much weight. A headless design can also let picture wire slip more easily than a broad head. At £7.49, verify the length before considering this pack for finishing work.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Discreet indoor trim work after confirming the supplied length
Less suitable: Picture wire, outdoor work or buyers needing a verified assortment
Specifications
Common questions
Are these a single length?
The title and the size field say 25 mm, 100 pieces. A bullet says the pack includes 25 mm to 100 mm nails. The listing disagrees with itself.
What is the head like?
The listing calls them headless finishing nails and says they leave a small mark in wood or on a wall. The only UK review used them for hanging pictures.
Are they for outdoor work?
The bullets claim an electroplated surface for indoor and long-term DIY. They do not confirm outdoor use. Outdoor is only asked as a question on the page.
This black-and-gold set provides 30 nails in each of four picture-friendly lengths from 20 mm to 40 mm. Three available UK review blocks report useful results on stone, plasterboard and under a heavy painting, while the overall listing shows 4.7 stars from 52 reviews. The four-compartment box and brass-coloured heads make the set easy to organise for frame work. Material information is less convincing: the title says stainless steel, while the bullets also say hardened steel, iron and a rust-resistant coating. No diameter, rated load or standard is given, so the £9.49 price does not buy verified holding capacity. Consider it for light pictures after checking the wall, but do not infer strength from the premium price.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Light picture hanging where several short lengths are useful
Less suitable: Heavy artwork or buyers needing verified steel and load data
Specifications
Common questions
Are they stainless steel?
The title says stainless steel. The bullets say hardened steel, iron nails, a rust-resistant coating, and brass heads. The listing uses more than one material name.
What lengths are included?
Thirty nails in each of 20, 25, 30, and 40 mm, in a four-compartment box. Diameter is not stated. Catalogue dimensions of 4 × 0.6 × 0.25 cm do not describe a 120-piece box.
How many UK reviews support the picture use?
Three UK blocks in the source file are positive: stone and plasterboard, sorted sizes, and extra support under a heavy painting. The star line is 4.7 from 52 reviews. A non-UK review is not counted as UK opinion.
This 550-piece Amazon Basics case is the strongest all-round choice here for routine wood, frame and small repair jobs. It combines five nail families and seven lengths or styles in a reusable case, while 4.5 stars from 5,822 reviews provides the largest evidence base in the comparison. The listing is unusually clear about its limit: these nails are not for cement or concrete. UK reviewers value the range for household jobs, although some say the larger nails are soft and can bend. At £5.28, it offers more useful variety than the cheaper mixed boxes without pretending to be a masonry kit. It is our top pick for ordinary timber work, but you should choose a proper hard-wall fixing for brick or concrete.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Indoor woodwork, frames and a household stock of assorted nails
Less suitable: Brick, concrete or jobs needing a specified structural fixing
Specifications
Common questions
Can I use these nails in concrete?
No. The listing says they are not suitable for cement or concrete walls. It names woodworking, photo frames, fence repair, and other wood.
What nail types are included?
Finish, wire, common, brad, and picture hanging nails, 550 pieces, seven lengths and styles. The listing does not give each length in millimetres.
Do reviews mention bending?
Yes. UK reviews like the case for small jobs. A review says the larger nails are soft and bend, and another says you will not build a fence with the kit.
At 20 × 2.10 mm, these short OMOTOOL nails are a focused option for light wall jobs rather than a general workshop assortment. The galvanised 55# steel specification is clearer than many listings in this set, and the £3.98 pack has a useful 4.5-star rating from 229 reviews. UK feedback includes successful use for cable trunking on old walls, which supports the practical wall-nail claim without proving a load capacity. You get only one length, so the pack is less adaptable than a compartment set. The listing names concrete and brick, but it gives no British Standard, hardness figure or rated load. This is our best-value choice when 20 mm is the size you need, not a blanket recommendation for every hard wall.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Light wall fixings where a short 20 mm nail is appropriate
Less suitable: Mixed timber jobs or fixings that need a rated load
Specifications
Common questions
What size are these nails?
The listing states 100 flat steel nails at 20 × 2.10 mm, made from 55# steel with a galvanised surface. There is no second length in the pack.
Does the listing claim brick and concrete?
Yes. It names concrete, masonry, brick, plaster, pine, wood, and drywall. A UK review mentions cable trunking on old walls. No kilogram rating is stated.
Is a storage box included?
The listing bullets do not name a case. Item weight is 60 g. The catalogue dimensions of 1 × 1 × 1 cm are not a credible size for 100 nails.
The OMOTOOL assortment is the broadest hard-wall-oriented set here, with galvanised 55# steel nails up to 60 × 3.9 mm in a five-grid case. UK reviewers describe success on old walls where ordinary pins fold, which is more useful evidence than a masonry word in the title alone. One reviewer could only partly drive the longest nail into an outside wall, so the set is not proof against every brick or concrete surface. The listing also says both 300 and 280 pieces and gives conflicting diameters for shorter sizes. Its 4.5-star rating from 214 reviews is a reasonable sample, but no rated load or hardness value is supplied. At £7.98 it is a conditional hard-wall candidate, not a substitute for a plug and screw when the nail resists.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A range of light wall jobs where a trial nail drives cleanly
Less suitable: Guaranteed hard-concrete fixing or work requiring a rated capacity
Specifications
Common questions
How many nails, and which sizes?
The title says 300. Another line says 280. One list is 60 × 3.9, 50 × 3.2, 30 × 2.2, 25 × 2.2, and 20 × 2.2 mm. The size line changes the three shorter diameters.
What finish is stated?
Galvanised 55# steel, in a five-grid PP case. A UK review cites the galvanising as a reason the nails should not rust. No outdoor life in years is stated.
What do UK reviews say about hard walls?
Reviewers describe old walls where ordinary pins fold, and these nails going in. One review only partly drove the longest nail into an outside wall. The star line is 4.5 from 214 reviews.
Eteamcan's 120-piece box gives four useful picture-nail lengths from 20 mm to 40 mm, separated into compartments. UK reviewers particularly like the large head because it is easier to strike and helps retain picture wire. Most of the six UK review blocks available are positive about use in brick, although one buyer reports that the first nail bent. The listing claims carbon steel for concrete, brick and wood, but gives neither a hardness figure nor a rated load. Its 4.5 stars come from 20 reviews, so the evidence is encouraging rather than conclusive. At £7.98 it is a plausible hard-wall picture option, provided you stop if the first nail bends.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Light pictures where the wall has already accepted a masonry-style nail
Less suitable: Heavy frames or hard walls that bend the first nail
Specifications
Common questions
Which walls does the listing name?
The surface line says concrete, brick, and wood. The title also says plasterboard. It claims a hammer is enough and that no other tool is required.
What do UK reviews say about the head?
Reviewers describe a large head that keeps picture wire on, even if the nail is not square, and that is easier to hit. Six UK reviews are available.
Did any UK review report a bend?
Yes. One of the six UK reviews says the first nail bent. Others say the nails did not bend in brick. The listing line is 4.5 from 20 reviews.
The MIDHILL box covers small timber and picture jobs with five stated lengths from 11.5 mm to 61 mm. Its compartment case is convenient, and 4.3 stars from 912 reviews gives a much broader evidence base than several newer packs here. Buyers nevertheless mention bending, so the assortment should be treated as ordinary light-duty iron nails rather than a hard-wall solution. The coating is not stated, which makes outdoor or damp use a poor bet. There is also a basic quantity problem: the listed size counts add to 224, although the title says 250. At £3.99 it offers variety cheaply, but the Amazon Basics case is the more convincing general wood assortment.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Small indoor wood and craft jobs needing several lengths
Less suitable: Brick, concrete or damp outdoor work
Specifications
Common questions
Which lengths are in the box?
The listing gives 61 mm (9), 49 mm (13), 23 mm (17), 24 mm (68), and 11.5 mm (117). Those counts add to 224, while the title says 250.
Are they galvanised?
The bullets do not state a coating. The colour is silver. Rust resistance is asked as a question on the page and is not answered in the specification lines.
What do UK reviews say about strength?
Bend is a repeated word in the UK review blocks. Buyers also call them useful for small wood jobs and fair value. One review used longer nails on a garden gate.
These METALLIXITY pins are a specialist 1.2 × 16 mm option for thin timber, cabinet backs and other small woodwork. The nickel-plated carbon-steel specification is clear, and one UK reviewer used them successfully to tack wardrobe backing. The listing sensibly recommends balanced taps with a rubber hammer rather than a hard blow. They are not wall nails, and there is no brick or concrete claim to stretch beyond their intended use. Evidence is thin at 3.5 stars from only eight reviews, while the £5.99 price is high beside broader assortments. Buy them only when this exact fine-pin size suits the job.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Wardrobe backing, small boxes and light cabinet work
Less suitable: Brick, concrete or general household nail assortments
Specifications
Common questions
What are these nails for?
The listing names household woodwork, hinges on wooden doors and cabinets, and small wooden boxes. The UK review used them to tack wardrobe backing.
How does the listing say to hammer them?
It says use a rubber hammer and a balanced tap, not a hard blow. It also claims a textured shank and a nickel-plated finish.
Will they go into brick?
The listing does not claim brick or concrete. They are 16 mm long and 1.2 mm thick.
QiXinGYL supplies 750 nails across five sizes from 20 mm to 38 mm, but quantity does not rescue the central performance concern. The listing calls them hard-steel masonry nails for brick and concrete, while repeated UK reviews say they bend in ordinary brick and are not masonry nails in practice. That disagreement is reflected in the 3.1-star rating from 130 reviews. The specification gives useful diameters from 1.3 mm to 2.0 mm, yet no steel grade, hardness value, British Standard or rated load. At £5.47 the piece count looks attractive, but a failed fixing is not good value. Skip this pack for masonry and use a better-supported hardened nail or a plug and screw.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Low-risk trial work in a material already known to accept these nails
Less suitable: Brick or concrete jobs where a secure fixing matters
Specifications
Common questions
Are these masonry nails according to the reviews?
The listing says hard steel for brick and concrete. Repeated UK reviews say they are not masonry nails and bend in ordinary brick. The star line is 3.1 from 130 reviews.
What sizes are in the 750?
220 of 1.3 × 20 mm, 150 of 1.4 × 25 mm, 160 of 1.6 × 30 mm, 120 of 1.8 × 30 mm, and 100 of 2.0 × 38 mm.
Is a rated load stated?
No. The listing does not give a kilogram rating or a British Standard number.
Scores use only the amazon.co.uk listing data and UK review signals from 16 October 2026. Ten packs are on this page. We did not run a laboratory hardness, corrosion or pull-out test. A high star average from one or two reviews does not outrank a slightly lower average from hundreds or thousands of reviews. No pack receives credit for a rated load, British Standard compliance or measured hardness, because none of the listings supplies that evidence.
Amazon rating and reviews
35%The amazon.co.uk star average and the review count, with much less confidence in samples below 20 reviews. A 5.0 from one or two reviews cannot carry the same weight as 4.5 from hundreds.
Fit for the nail job
25%Whether the pack matches wood, a short wall nail or picture hanging, and whether UK reviews support or contradict a masonry, wood or picture-hanging claim.
Specification clarity
15%Whether length, diameter, steel or finish are stated, and whether the listing agrees with itself on count and size.
Value for the useful quantity
15%Price against the quantity and the range you can actually use, not the headline piece count alone.
Practical features
10%A compartment case, or a head that keeps picture wire on. These are useful, and they do not replace a rated load.
Start with the wall, not the piece count. Stud plasterboard, dot-and-dab, soft brick and concrete are different jobs, and a wood kit that says it is not for concrete should stay on timber. Then match the nail family, the length you will drive, and a finish for dry or damp use. Read the listing against itself before you trust a 300-piece or 400-piece title. Prices in this set run from about £3.98 to about £9.49 on amazon.co.uk. None of the ten states a British Standard or a rated load.
Steel nails in this comparison are loose nails you drive with a hammer, not collated nails for a gun. The ten amazon.co.uk packs cover short picture and masonry-style wall nails, fine pins, and mixed DIY assortments sold by piece count. You are usually hanging a light frame, fixing a small piece of timber, or trying to get a nail into brick without a drill. On 16 October 2026 the shelf prices run from about £3.98 to about £9.49.
750 pieces at 3.1 from 130 reviews is not a harder nail than a smaller pack with a clearer size and a larger, happier review sample. Piece count is not hardness and not a rated load.
Amazon Basics states the 550-piece case is not for cement or concrete. Taking that box, or uncoated iron nails, onto brick because the title looks close enough is how nails fold on the second tap.
A stated zinc or galvanised coat is right for moisture. It is not a life promise, and zinc plate is not hot-dip galvanising. An unstated coating, as on MIDHILL, is a rust risk outside.
The wall comes first. Stud plasterboard, dot-and-dab, soft brick and concrete are different jobs, and the nail family has to match. Bright wire nails and panel pins are for timber. Hardened masonry nails are what a hard-wall job needs, and a masonry word in the title is only a claim. Amazon Basics is explicit: the 550-piece case is not for cement or concrete. QiXinGYL is sold for brick and concrete and sits at 3.1 from 130 reviews, with repeated comments that the nails bend in ordinary brick.
Buy the length and diameter you will drive, not the largest number on the lid. This set runs from 1.2 × 16 mm pins to about 60 mm, and to 4.2 mm diameter. For timber, a rule of thumb is two to three times the thickness of the piece. That multiple is not written into BS EN 10230-1. In damp places, look for a stated zinc or galvanised coat. MIDHILL does not state one. Galvanised is not a promise that the nail will never rust, and zinc plate is not hot-dip galvanising.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want 20–40 mm nails and a head that keeps picture wire on, with a straight answer about plasterboard versus brick. Eteamcan’s 120-piece box is the set where UK reviews mention a large head. The sample is 4.5 from 20 reviews, and one buyer reported a bent nail. Stop if the first nail folds.
You want a compartment case of ordinary nails for wood, frames and small repairs. The Amazon Basics 550-piece case is the top pick for that job, at about £5.28 with 4.5 from 5,822 reviews. The listing says the nails are not for cement or concrete. Do not take this box onto a hard wall.
You want to avoid a drill, so the masonry claim has to be checked against UK reviews. The OMOTOOL galvanised assortment, about £7.98 with 4.5 from 214 reviews, is the broader hard-wall candidate, with a 300-versus-280 count conflict and no rated load. If the nail resists, a plug and screw is the honest method.
The top pick for ordinary wood and household jobs is the Amazon Basics 550-piece case, about £5.28, with 4.5 from 5,822 reviews. The listing says these nails are not for cement or concrete, and some reviewers find the larger nails soft. The best value for a clearly defined 20 mm wall nail is the OMOTOOL pack of 100 galvanised 20 × 2.10 mm nails, about £3.98, with 4.5 from 229 reviews. It is one length only, and it states no rated load. Neither badge means the pack suits every wall. A masonry title with 3.1 from 130 reviews, or a 5.0 from one or two reviews, does not outrank those two.
OMOTOOL 100 galvanised nails, about 20 mm
About £3.98 for a stated 20 × 2.10 mm galvanised nail, with 4.5 from 229 reviews, when that single length is the job.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources on loose steel nails, masonry fixings and picture hanging. amazon.co.uk listings checked 16 October 2026. Prices move.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Scores compare published listings and UK review texts. They are not a laboratory test.
