What Is A Penny Nail

Nails are a very mutual fastener in most any construction project. Over the years nails have get very specialized. Equally such, at that place are all kinds of words to describe nails such as: Box, Bright, Casing, Coated, Mutual, Duplex, Drywall, Finish, Galvanized, Caput, Helix, Fasten. The list of nail specific jargon goes on and on.

Perhaps the almost interesting thing nigh nails is that they are refereed to by 'penny' which describes information technology's size. For instance a two inch long boom will be refereed to every bit a 6d nail or a six-penny boom.

Here is a list of standard sizes:

2d =i″
3d = i.25″
4d = 1.5″
5d =i.75″
6d = ii″
7d = ii.25″
8d = 2.5″
9d = 2.75″
10d = three″
12d = 3.25″
16d = iii.five″
20d = four″
30d = 4.5″
40d = 5″
50d = 5.5″
60d = vi″

Nails under 1.25″ are typically refered to as 'brads'. These are generally sold with designations that refer to the length and wire gauge of the brad. And so you might by a box of 1″, 18 gauge brads.

That is all well and proficient but why is information technology called a half dozen-penny boom when information technology is written 6d? It turns out that 15th century England that is what information technology cost for a box of 100 two″ long nails – half-dozen pennies.

At present you are request why use a 'd' when that isn't in the give-and-take penny at all? It is a rotated 'p' just information technology actually goes farther back to Rome. The Romans had a money call the denarius which is similar to a penny so the British used that every bit the abbreviation.

The last bit of nail lore? The Usa is only about the only land that still refers to nails in this way.