Several screwdrivers. From top: two slotted screwdrivers, a square-drive screwdriver, a #1 phillips screwdriver, and a #2 phillips screwdriver. Josiah Carberry Collection..
A screwdriver is a hand tool designed for turning screws. The tip fits into a notch. The most common type of screwdrivers are slotted screwdrivers and phillips-head screwdrivers, but many types exist, including Torx (star), square, triangle, and many others.
Parts[]
A screwdriver consists of a handle, shank, and tip.
Handle[]
Traditionally, handles were wooden, and cylindrical. Modern screwdrivers have plastic handles, which may be fluted, cased in rubber, and/or shaped to provide better grip.
Shank[]
The shank connects the tip to the handle. Most commonly it is round in cross-section, but some screwdrivers feature square or hexagonal shanks, enabling the use of a wrench for additional leverage.
Tip[]
The tip drives the screw, fitting snugly into a notch or socket in the top of the screw, griping it to turn it. Tips may be magnetized to hold the screw before it is inserted into its hole.
While most screwdrivers have an integral tip, others accept screw bits, enabling a single screwdriver to potentially turn any type of screw. These multi-bit screwdrivers may include storage for extra bits in the handle.
Screwdriver types[]
- Slotted screwdriver
- Phillips screwdriver
- Torx screwdriver
- Hexagonal, similar to a hex key
- Square-recess (Robertson) screwdriver
- Triangle-drive screwdriver
- Screw-holding screwdriver
- Insulated screwdriver
- Jeweler's screwdriver
- Pozidrive screwdriver
See also[]
- List of screwdriver tip types
- Screw bit, used to enable a drill to turn screws
- Hex key, also known as an Allen Wrench, a tool for turning screws with a hexagonal socket
- Nut driver, a screwdriver-like tool for turning nuts
- Reciprocating screwdriver, also known as a Yankee screwdriver, operated by pushing the handle toward the tip rather than turning the tool
- Screw gun, a powered screwdriver, similar to a drill
- Drill or Cordless drill, often used as a screw gun