Hammer vs. Maul — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 7, 2023
A hammer is a tool with a metal head and handle used for hitting, while a maul is a heavy, long-handled hammer for splitting wood.
Difference Between Hammer and Maul
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A hammer is a versatile tool commonly found in most toolboxes and is used for a variety of tasks, including driving nails, breaking objects, and forging metal. Hammers come in various sizes and styles, with different heads for specific jobs such as framing, roofing, or finishing. They are characterized by their relatively lightweight and balanced design, which allows for precision work.
On the other hand, a maul is a type of hammer that is designed specifically for splitting wood. It is much heavier than a regular hammer, with a large, heavy head that typically has a wedge-shaped end opposite a flat sledge surface. Mauls are designed to split along the grain of the wood with the help of their significant weight and the splitting force they generate.
While hammers are precision tools that can be used for delicate tasks, mauls are brute force tools. The hammer's claw, ball-peen, or smooth face offers a range of applications from carpentry to metalwork. Hammers are also used in a variety of professional contexts beyond construction, such as in automotive repair and machinery maintenance.
Mauls are more specialized than hammers and are typically found in settings where wood splitting is frequently necessary, such as in forestry, firewood preparation, and carpentry work that requires large wooden components. Unlike hammers, which are swung using the wrist and arm, mauls often require the use of one's whole body to swing effectively due to their weight.
Comparison Chart
Primary Use
Driving nails, forging, breaking objects.
Splitting wood.
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Head Design
Varies: claw, ball-peen, smooth.
Heavy with a wedge shape for splitting.
Weight
Lighter for precise work.
Heavier to generate splitting force.
Handle Length
Shorter for control and accuracy.
Longer to increase leverage and force.
Use of Force
Wrist and arm-driven swings.
Whole-body, high-impact swings.
Compare with Definitions
Hammer
Percussion Instrument
The piano's hammers struck the strings to create a melody.
Maul
Long-Handled Sledge
She raised the maul over her head to deliver a powerful blow.
Hammer
A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as with a forge), or to crush rock.
Maul
Heavy Hammer
The maul's weight made it perfect for driving stakes.
Hammer
A hand tool consisting of a handle with a head of metal or other heavy rigid material that is attached at a right angle, used for striking or pounding.
Maul
Forestry Equipment
The maul was an essential part of his forestry toolkit.
Hammer
The part of a gunlock that hits the primer or firing pin or explodes the percussion cap and causes the gun to fire.
Maul
A heavy, long-handled hammer used especially to drive stakes, piles, or wedges.
Hammer
(Music) One of the padded wooden pieces of a piano that strikes the strings.
Maul
A heavy hammer having a wedge-shaped head and used for splitting logs.
Hammer
A part of an apparatus that strikes a gong or bell, as in a clock.
Maul
A play in rugby in which a mass of players gathers around a ball carrier being tackled and attempts to gain possession of the ball when it is released.
Hammer
(Anatomy) See malleus.
Maul
The mass of players during such a play.
Hammer
(Sports) A metal ball weighing 16 pounds (7.2 kilograms) and having a long wire or wooden handle by which it is thrown for distance in track-and-field competition.
Maul
To injure or mutilate, as by scratching or beating
Stories of hikers mauled by wild animals.
A boxer who mauled his opponent.
Hammer
A small mallet used by auctioneers.
Maul
A heavy long-handled hammer, used for splitting logs by driving a wedge into them, or in combat.
Hammer
To hit, especially repeatedly, with a hammer; pound.
Maul
(rugby) A situation where the player carrying the ball, who must be on his feet, is held by one or more opponents, and one or more of the ball carrier's team mates bind onto the ball carrier.
Hammer
To strike forcefully and repeatedly
Hooves hammering the ground.
Maul
To handle someone or something in a rough way.
Hammer
To assault with military force
Hammered the position with artillery shells.
Maul
To savage; to cause serious physical wounds usually used of an animal.
The bear mauled him in a terrible way.
Hammer
To beat into a shape with a hammer or similar tool
Hammered the metal into a goblet.
Maul
(figuratively) To criticise harshly.
The latest film by the Cohen brothers was mauled by the press, and was a box-office flop to boot.
Hammer
To accomplish or produce with difficulty or effort. Often used with out
Hammer out an agreement.
Maul
(transitive) To beat with a maul.
Hammer
To put together, fasten, or seal, particularly with nails, by hammering.
Maul
A heavy wooden hammer or beetle.
Hammer
To force upon (someone) by constant repetition
Hammered the information into the students' heads.
Maul
To beat and bruise with a heavy stick or cudgel; to wound in a coarse manner.
Meek modern faith to murder, hack, and maul.
Hammer
To cause harm, loss, or difficulty to (someone), especially repeatedly
Investors hammered in the bear market.
Maul
To injure greatly; to do much harm to.
It mauls not only the person misrepreseted, but him also to whom he is misrepresented.
Hammer
To defeat soundly
Got hammered in the playoffs.
Maul
A heavy long-handled hammer used to drive stakes or wedges
Hammer
To attack verbally
A politician hammered in the press.
Maul
Split (wood) with a maul and wedges
Hammer
To deal repeated blows with or as if with a hammer; pummel
"Wind hammered at us violently in gusts" (Thor Heyerdahl).
Maul
Injure badly by beating
Hammer
To undergo beating in the manner of a hammer
My pulse hammered.
Maul
Wood-Splitting Tool
He used the maul to split the logs for firewood.
Hammer
(Informal) To keep at something continuously. Often used with away
Hammered away at the problem.
Maul
Dual-Purpose Head
The maul had a sledge end for driving and a sharp end for splitting.
Hammer
A tool with a heavy head and a handle used for pounding.
Bobby used a hammer and nails to fix the two planks together
Hammer
The act of using a hammer to hit something.
The nail is too loose—give it a hammer.
Hammer
(firearms) A moving part of a firearm that strikes the firing pin to discharge a gun.
Hammer
(anatomy) The malleus, a small bone of the middle ear.
Hammer
(music) In a piano or dulcimer, a piece of wood covered in felt that strikes the string.
The sound the piano makes comes from the hammers striking the strings
Hammer
(sports) A device made of a heavy steel ball attached to a length of wire, and used for throwing.
Hammer
(curling) The last stone in an end.
Hammer
(frisbee) A frisbee throwing style in which the disc is held upside-down with a forehand grip and thrown above the head.
Hammer
Part of a clock that strikes upon a bell to indicate the hour.
Hammer
One who, or that which, smites or shatters.
St. Augustine was the hammer of heresies.
Hammer
(journalism) hammer headline
Hammer
(motor racing) The accelerator pedal.
Hammer
To strike repeatedly with a hammer, some other implement, the fist, etc.
Hammer
To form or forge with a hammer; to shape by beating.
Hammer
(figuratively) To emphasize a point repeatedly.
Hammer
To hit particularly hard.
Hammer
To ride very fast.
Hammer
(intransitive) To strike internally, as if hit by a hammer.
I could hear the engine’s valves hammering once the timing rod was thrown.
Hammer
To defeat (a person, a team) resoundingly
We hammered them 5-0!
Hammer
To make high demands on (a system or service).
Hammer
To declare (a person) a defaulter on the stock exchange.
Hammer
To beat down the price of (a stock), or depress (a market).
Hammer
To have hard sex with.
Danielle hammered Mary til she came.
Hammer
An instrument for driving nails, beating metals, and the like, consisting of a head, usually of steel or iron, fixed crosswise to a handle.
With busy hammers closing rivets up.
Hammer
Something which in form or action resembles the common hammer
He met the stern legionaries [of Rome] who had been the "massive iron hammers" of the whole earth.
Hammer
A spherical weight attached to a flexible handle and hurled from a mark or ring. The weight of head and handle is usually not less than 16 pounds.
Hammer
To beat with a hammer; to beat with heavy blows; as, to hammer iron.
Hammer
To form or forge with a hammer; to shape by beating.
Hammer
To form in the mind; to shape by hard intellectual labor; - usually with out.
Who was hammering out a penny dialogue.
Hammer
To be busy forming anything; to labor hard as if shaping something with a hammer.
Whereon this month I have been hammering.
Hammer
To strike repeated blows, literally or figuratively.
Blood and revenge are hammering in my head.
Hammer
The part of a gunlock that strikes the percussion cap when the trigger is pulled
Hammer
A hand tool with a heavy rigid head and a handle; used to deliver an impulsive force by striking
Hammer
An athletic competition in which a heavy metal ball that is attached to a flexible wire is hurled as far as possible
Hammer
The ossicle attached to the eardrum
Hammer
A heavy metal sphere attached to a flexible wire; used in the hammer throw
Hammer
A striker that is covered in felt and that causes the piano strings to vibrate
Hammer
A power tool for drilling rocks
Hammer
The act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows);
The sudden hammer of fists caught him off guard
The pounding of feet on the hallway
Hammer
Beat with or as if with a hammer;
Hammer the metal flat
Hammer
Create by hammering;
Hammer the silver into a bowl
Forge a pair of tongues
Hammer
Tool for Hitting
She swung the hammer to drive the nail into the wall.
Hammer
Carpentry Essential
He selected a framing hammer for the construction project.
Hammer
Metal Head and Handle
The blacksmith's hammer was worn from years of use.
Hammer
Judge's Gavel
The judge's hammer fell, signaling the end of the session.
Common Curiosities
What tasks is a maul best suited for?
A maul is best suited for splitting wood along the grain.
Are all hammers the same?
No, hammers come in many types, each designed for specific tasks, like claw hammers for nails and ball-peen hammers for metalwork.
What is a hammer used for?
A hammer is used for driving nails, fitting parts, forging metal, and breaking up objects.
What materials are mauls made from?
Mauls usually have a metal head and a wooden or fiberglass handle.
How do you maintain a hammer?
Maintain a hammer by keeping it clean, dry, and occasionally oiling the handle to prevent splintering.
What safety considerations are there when using a maul?
When using a maul, wear safety glasses, use gloves, and ensure your swing path is clear to prevent injury.
What are the parts of a hammer?
A hammer typically consists of a handle and a head, which may have various features like a claw or a ball-peen.
Are there different sizes of hammers?
Yes, hammers range from small tack hammers to large sledgehammers.
Can a hammer be used as a maul?
A regular hammer is not typically used as a maul due to its lighter weight and different design.
Why do mauls have long handles?
Mauls have long handles to maximize the force of the swing for splitting logs.
Is a maul considered a type of hammer?
Yes, a maul is a type of hammer, often referred to as a splitting maul.
How does the length of the maul handle affect its use?
A longer maul handle increases leverage and force, making it more effective for splitting wood.
What are the safety practices for hammer storage?
Store hammers in a dry place and hang them or keep them in a toolbox to prevent accidents.
Can a hammer be used for demolition?
Yes, sledgehammers, a type of hammer, are specifically designed for demolition.
How do you choose the right maul for splitting logs?
Choose a maul based on the size of logs you need to split and the weight you can comfortably swing.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
