Staples

This article/section is a stub — probably a pile of half-sorted notes, is not well-checked so may have incorrect bits. (Feel free to ignore, fix, or tell me)

In a size like 23/6,

23 is the thickness - in terms of (american?) wire gauge

6mm leg length

Side-to-side width is not directly specified, and is implied from the type.

Even so, it is moderately correlated with the gauge, e.g.

• 24/ and 26/ (the most common) are 12.8mm
• 23/ is 13 mm
• 53 series is 11.35 mm
• 13 series is 10.65 mm
• No. 8 a.k.a. 6/4 is 7.1mm
• No. 10 is 9.4mm

Classroom and office staples

Common staples:

• EU:

mostly 24/6 (No. 3) or the longer 24/8

the mini 10/5 (No. 10)

6/4 (No. 8)

• US, mini: No. 10 (a.k.a. 10/5)
• US, home use: 6/6, 24/6, 24/8, 13/6, 13/8, 26/6 (No.56),
• US, heavier duty: 23/8, 23/12, 23/15, 23/20, 23/24, 13/10, and 13/14

• and a whole bunch of imperial sizes because why not

Leg length

• 6mm tends to be good for 20 sheets
• 8mm for 50 or so sheets

Manual staple guns

a.k.a. hand tackers, often use

• 53 series (11.3mm wide), so e.g. 53/6, 53/8, 53/10, 53/14, etc.

• 13 series (10.6mm wide), 13/6, 13/8

• (sometimes type 140 (10.1mm wide)

(all 22 gauge (0.60mm) either)

See also

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staple_(fastener) http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heftklammer http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nietje http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staple_gun http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer_tacker