Choosing the correct staples for an air staple gun can be a challenging task for you. There are a variety of sizes, types, and materials available in the field of staples.
For a professional output in a staple gun related project, you need to determine the right staple for your air staple guns. Therefore, before loading your staple gun, you should learn enough about staple sizes and types.
If you have enough knowledge of every aspect of staples, then it will be very easy to determine the correct staples for your staple gun.
Understanding the Basics of Air Staple Guns
Air staple guns are also known as pneumatic staple guns. An air staple gun is a pneumatic tool operated by compressed air. It drives staples into different materials, to secure a reliable bond.
They are more powerful and consistent than manual or other electric staple guns. An air staple gun is a reliable tool for fastening tasks. Both DIYers and professionals are fond of this tool for fastening tasks.
There is a major difference between staple guns and nail guns. Nail guns drive nails and staple guns drive staples into the materials.
Understanding Staple Sizes
To determine the correct staples for your staple gun, at first, you have to understand the measurements or sizes of staples.
To understand staple sizes we have divided them into 4 sections. They are staple length, staple width, wire gauge, and staple point.
Let’s describe them here:
1. Staple Length
Staple length means the leg length of staples. It is a part of the staple that penetrates the materials.
Select a staple length at least three times the thickness of the material you are using. You need shorter staples for soft materials like fabric or foam and longer staples for hard materials like wood or plastic.
It means the thicker the material, the longer the staple. The length of the staple’s legs is shown as millimeters or inches.
2. Staple Width
Staple width is also called crown width. The flat top portion of the staple. Staple width spans across the material.
The crown width comes with 3 sizes such as narrow, medium, and wide crown. They provide different applications and holding power.
3. Wire Gauge
The wire gauge refers to the thickness of the staples. The thicker the gauge of wire is, the more durable and strong the staple.
Wire gauge comes with 3 types of wire categories. Fine wire, medium wire, and heavy wire. Fine wire is the thinnest staple and comes in 20 – 23 gauge.
Medium wire is stronger than fine wire gauge but not that strong to be used in heavy construction works. They usually range from 18 – 19 gauge.
Lastly, heavy wire is the thickest and most robust staple. They range between 15 – 16 gauge and are perfect for heavy-duty projects like construction, flooring, framing, or roofing.
4. Staple Point
Staple point means the sharp ends of the staple that penetrate the material. Staple point is often called staple teeth.
Most staples come with chisel points which are mostly sharp and angled for clean penetration. Some of the staple points come with blunt points and divergent points. Blunt points are less sharp.
In contrast, divergent points are used to splay outward as they enter the material surface. They offer a strong hold.
Types of Staples
Understanding the basics of staple types will help you determine the proper staples for your next project. If you are involved with an air staple gun then you should have enough knowledge of them.
Let’s learn the different types of staples here:
Full Strip Staples
A full strip of staples comes with 200 staples. Sometimes it may consist of more staples per strip. They are commonly used in offices for securing paper.
Half Strip Staples
Half strip staples come with half the size of a full strip. They consist of 100 or more staples. They are best for compact or smaller staplers. They are also used in offices or homes for light tasks.
Standard Staples
It is a universal type of staple that provides a medium wire gauge. They are versatile and widely available.
Fine Wire Staples
Fine wire is the thinnest staple and comes with 20 – 23 gauge. They are best for fastening thin materials like Upholstery, fabrics, light furniture, or canvas frames.
They do not leave large holes or cracks on the surface of the materials.
Narrow Crown Staples
Narrow crown staples come with a narrow crown width which is around 3/16″ to 1/4″. These staples’ leg length range between 15–50 mm or 0.591” to 0.787”.
They have narrow crowns with long legs. Therefore, they go deep into the materials’ layer. They are basically used for fastening floors, paneling, trims, and crafts.
Medium Crown Staples
Medium crown staples have a medium crown width of Approximately 3/8 inch or 10mm. These staples’ leg length ranges between 6-25 mm or ¼ inch to 1 inch.
They are used for medium construction tasks such as paneling, and fencing.
Wide Crown Staples
Wide crown staples come with a wide crown width of 25 mm or around 1”. The leg length of wide crown staples ranges from 12-38 mm or ½” – 1-½”.
They can be applied in heavy duty construction tasks like roofing. They deliver maximum holding power.
Cable Wire Staples
Cable wire staples or cable staples are available in various diameters of 4.5 mm and 6 mm. They are designed for fastening wires or cables.
These staples are capable of fastening low voltage cables like telephone, and computer sables. They come with a round back feature.
Flatwire Staples
These staples come with a wide, and flat crown to hold materials firmly in place.
They are suitable for fastening corrugated cardboard, carpets, insulating foil, plastic foil, carton sealing, and other light packaging.
T50 Staples
T50 staples are the strongest staples especially used in pneumatic or air staple guns. These staples are made from thick wire.
You can apply them in carpentry, roofing, upholstery, and construction. These staples are highly durable and deliver strong holding power for hard materials.
Staple Sizes Chart
Here is a table of charts to showcase the common staple dimensions with their capacity.
In this chart, I have tried to draw an outline of staple size, leg length, crown width, and sheet capacity.
Let’s have a look at this table:
| Staple Size | Staple Leg Length | Crown Width | Sheet Capacity (Often Depends on the Stapler) |
| 23/6 | 6 mm (1/4 inch) | 13 mm | up to 30 sheets |
| 23/8 | 8mm (5/16 inch) | 13 mm | up to 50 sheets |
| 23/10 | 10mm (3/8 inch) | 13 mm | up to 70 sheets |
| 23/13 | 13mm (1/2 inch) | 13 mm | up to 100 sheets |
| 23/15 | 16mm (9/16 inch) | 13 mm | up to 140 sheets |
| 23/17 | 17mm (5/8 inch) | 13 mm | up to 160 sheets |
| 23/20 | 20mm (3/4 inch) | 13 mm | up to 200 sheets |
| 23/24 | 24mm (15/16 inch) | 13 mm | up to 240 sheets |
| 24/6 | 6 mm (15/64 inch) | 12.9 mm | Up to 30 sheets |
| 24/8 | 8 mm (5/16 inch) | 12.9 mm | Up to 50 sheets |
| 26/6 | 6 mm (15/64 inch) | 12.8 mm | Up to 20 sheets |
| T50 Staples | 6-14mm (1/4 – 9/16) | 10.6 mm | Not used for binding sheets of paper |
The Types of Staples in Common Letter Markings
The alphabet or letters seen on the body of staples generally indicate the type, gauge, design, or materials of staples.
Here is an overview of letter markings:
| Letter | Meaning | Short Description |
| T | Refers to the Type T Staple | Commonly used in specific staplers. |
| U | Refers to the Type U Staple | Used for upholstery, widely available. |
| A | Refers to the Type A Staple | A standard staple type. |
| B | Refers to the staple gauge or size indicator | The thickness of the staple indicates between different staple sizes. |
| C | Refers to the staple gauge or size indicator | Likewise B, this may refer to the thickness or length. |
| Z | Refers to the galvanized material | Indicates that the staple is galvanized to prevent rust. |
| S | Refers to the stainless steel | Stainless steel staple that prevents rust used in high duty applications. |
| W | Refers to the wide crown staple | A staple with a wider crown for securing thicker materials. |
| H | Refers to the high carbon steel | Staples are made from high carbon steel. |
| P | Refers to the pneumatic staple | Indicates a staple that is designed for pneumatic staplers. |
How to Determine Staples for Air Staple Gun
In this phase, you have gathered some ideas on staples sizes and types. Now, I hope you can determine staples for your air staple guns easily.
Combining my experiences and experts’ suggestions, I got some key points that will be effective in determining the right staple for you. Let’s breakdown them:
- The leg length of the staples should be proportional to the material’s thickness.
- The staples should be three times longer than the thickness of the material you are fastening.
- In the case of thin materials, the staple should be four millimeters longer than the thickness of the material.
- When you are fastening hardwood materials, the staple should be twice as long as the thickness of the material.
- Match your staple Size to your air staple gun compatibility.
- Check the type and density of the materials before choosing the staples.
- Use branded or high quality staples.
Conclusion
Don’t forget to consider some key dimensions while justifying staples for your project. We can divide the justification into 3 dimensions. They could be staple length, staple width, and wire gauge.
Selecting the right staples for your air staple gun is very essential to achieve professional results. By understanding the basics of staple types, sizes, and materials, you can choose staples confidently for your next project.
FAQs
1. Do all staples fit in a staple gun?
Ans: No, not all staples fit in a staple gun. All staple guns are designed for specific sizes. You can’t use them as all in one tool.
2. What does 140 mean in staples?
Ans: The number 140 in staples means the type of staple while the number follows the ‘leg’ length in millimeters (mm).
3. What size are Type 55 staples?
Ans: Staple type 55 means width 6 mm and length 15 mm or 20 mm.
4. What is the most popular staple size?
Ans: The most popular staple size is the 26/6
5. What are standard size staples?
Ans: The standard sized staple is 1/4″ long in leg length. Other available standard lengths are 3/8”, 1/2″, 5/8”, and 3/4”. These versions are longer and thicker.
6. What are type 53 staples?
Ans: The 53 staple type indicates a leg length of 6mm to 16mm. Such as 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, and 16mm.
7. What is the L in staples?
Ans: The “L” in staples indicates the length of the staple leg.
8. What size are e1 staples?
Ans: E1 staples are a specific type of staple that is commonly used in upholstery and other light or medium applications.