Can You Identify All of These Common Tools Used by Construction Workers?

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can You Identify All of These Common Tools Used by Construction Workers?
Image: slobo / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

They say you need the right tool for the right job, and that's probably true. The thing is, there are a whole lot of different jobs out there, and that means there are a whole lot of different tools - hundreds, in fact. There are tools you need for masonry and tools you need for carpentry. Plumbers have countless specialized tools, as do electricians. Glazers, welders, millwrights and dozens of others who work in different fields of construction are all going to need to make sure their toolboxes have a variety of items so that they can get any job done and get it done right. Makes sense, yeah? But you don't need to be a specialist to know what they all are or why you'd need them. There's a good chance you can recognize a whole lot of the most common tools used in construction, and you've probably used a good number of them yourself. Everyone needs to hammer a nail or cut a chunk of wood sometimes, right?

If you're confident in your construction tool identification skills, then now's your chance to show your stuff. You can probably identify the really easy ones, but can you get them all? Measure twice, cut once, and take the quiz!

Bolster
Adeiladu / Construction via YouTube
Want to cut some bricks? This is the tool to do it. Can you name it?
Rammer
Spade
Putty knife
Bolster
Bump Cutter
Jung Getty / Moment / Getty Images
Sometimes this tool is also called a screed. What is it?
Awl
Bump cutter
Set square
Plumb rule
Claw Hammer
aefoto / E+ / Getty Images
Few tools are as recognizable as this indispensable item. Tell us what it's called.
Chisel
Sledgehammer
Screwdriver
Claw hammer

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Power Drill
seksan Mongkhonkhamsao / Moment / Getty Images
Can you name this tool that will replace a screwdriver for you?
Jackhammer
Power drill
Leveler
Jack plane
Hacksaw
Thanit Weerawan / Moment / Getty Images
Which simple tool can cut through some iron, steel, PVC or tiles?
Wood saw
Hacksaw
Bow saw
Coping saw
Impact Driver
Wiki Commons by Mark Hunter
If you need more torque to get a screw into a wall, this tool could help. What is it?
Power wrench
Cordless drill
Impact driver
Adjustable spanner

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Skeleton Gun
Brad Wenner / Moment / Getty Images
Do you know what to use when you need to apply a bead of sealant?
Siphon filter
Planer
Adjustable spanner
Skeleton gun
Crowbar
RealPeopleGroup / E+ / Getty Images
Can you name this tool that they call a jimmy in Britain and Australia?
Crowbar
Hoe
Float
Pick ace
Ladder
sturti / E+ / Getty Images
Can't reach something? You'll need this to help you. What is it?
Combination square
Awl
Ladder
Trestle

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Safety Goggles
kali9 / E+ / Getty Images
Which piece of safety gear is as important as the tools you use?
Laser level
Set square
Visor
Safety goggles
Hand Saw
John Howard / Photodisc / Getty Images
If you have a length of wood that needs to be cut down, you'll want to use this. Can you identify it?
Coping saw
Hand saw
Circular saw
Hack saw
Tape Measure
alejandrophotography / E+ / Getty Images
Do you know which of these tools can tell you how long something is?
T-square
Float
Tape measure
Spirit level

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Mason's Square
Sikana English via YouTube
A perfect right angle can be made with this tool. What is it?
Bar clamp
Spirit level
Jack plane
Mason's square
Angle Grinder
Pramote Polyamate / Moment / Getty Images
Which tool can cut, grind and polish a variety of surfaces?
Angle grinder
Reciprocating saw
Orbital sander
Wall chaser
Jigsaw
fotostorm / E+ / Getty Images
Another name for this tool is "bayonet saw." What else is it called?
Reciprocating saw
Coping saw
Jigsaw
Sawzall

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Nail Gun
Obradovic / E+ / Getty Images
Can you identify this tool that can help you attach wood to wood in a hurry?
Planer
Impact wrench
Nail gun
Biscuit joiner
Chainsaw
Mike Tittel / Cultura / Getty Images
Which tool can cut through wood like butter?
Chainsaw
Miter
Radial arm saw
Scroll saw
Sledgehammer
Image Source / Photodisc / Getty Images
When you need to break through some rock, you could use this tool. Do you recognize it?
Sledgehammer
Spade
Earth rammer
Putty knife

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Adjustable Wrench
Peter Dazeley / The Image Bank / Getty Images
Can you name this tool that can tighten and loosen all different sizes of things?
Socket wrench
Wire strippers
Adjustable wrench
Needle nose piers
Allen Wrench
Richard Boll / Photographer's Choice RF / Getty Images
What's another name for a hex key?
Plumb bob
Spanner
Phillips head
Allen wrench
Phillips Screwdriver
-nelis- / E+ / Getty Images
You'll need one of these to loosen a screw with a cross-shaped slot in its head. Do you know what it's called?
Slot-head screwdriver
Flat-head screwdriver
Robertson screwdriver
Phillips screwdriver

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Tongue-and-Groove Pliers
Robert Lowdon / Moment / Getty Images
Which tool is sometimes called a Channellock?
Needlenose pliers
Tongue-and-groove pliers
Monkey wrench
Electrician pliers
Utility Knife
JoKMedia / E+ / Getty Images
Box cutter isn't necessarily the proper name for this tool but that's what a lot of people call them. What else is it called?
Putty knife
Utility knife
Mason's knife
Straight edge
Flashlight
Huntstock / Getty Images
It may not seem like this is a tool for construction, but if you're doing electrical work, you'll definitely need one. Can you identify it?
Skeleton gun
Spirit level
Laser level
Flashlight

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Duct Tape
duckycards / E+ / Getty Images
What does NASA make sure this is on every shuttle into space, just in case?
Gaffer tape
Duct tape
Plumber's tape
HVAC tape
Stud finder
Finish Carpentry TV via YouTube
Several different kinds of technology can make this tool work. Do you know it?
Stud finder
Laser level
Oscillating multi-tool
Pad sander
Wheelbarrow
Drazen_ / E+ / Getty Images
Do you know what can help you carry a heavy load?
Set square
Scale pan
Wall chaser
Wheelbarrow

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Wire Cutters
BanksPhotos / E+ / Getty Images
Another name for this tool is diagonal pliers. What else is it called?
Needlenose pliers
Wire cutters
Crescent wrench
Bolt cutter
Bradawl
Peter M. Fisher / The Image Bank / Getty Images
Before you insert a nail or a screw into a wall, you might want to use this tool. Do you recognize it?
Bradawl
Punch
Wood chisel
Set pin
Basin Wrench
Deco Bliss via YouTube
Which of these tools is generally used only in plumbing?
Crescent wrench
Basin wrench
Monkey wrench
Torque wrench

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Socket Set
Jupiterimages / Stockbyte / Getty Images
When you're not sure what size nuts or bolts you have to deal with, this can really help. What is it?
Nail punches
Wood chisels
Linesman set
Socket set
Spirit Level
Bill Oxford / E+ / Getty Images
Can you identify this tool that helps you figure out if something is level?
Plumb bob
Set square
Spirit level
Mason's square
Jackhammer
Owen Franken / Photodisc / Getty Images
What is this tool that is essentially a combination of a hammer and a chisel?
Nail gun
Oscillating tool
Jackhammer
Impact driver

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Rotary Tool
Wonderful Wandering Topics via YouTube
A lot of people simply refer to this by the popular brand name Dremel. Do you know it?
Rotary tool
Belt sander
Oscillating tool
Router
Welding Torch
RyersonClark / E+ / Getty Images
This tool both cuts and bonds metal. Can you tell us what it is?
Table saw
Pneumatic drill
Shop-vac
Welding torch
Concrete Mixer
Avalon_Studio / E+ / Getty Images
If you plan to pour a floor or foundation, you might need one of these. What do you call it?
Concrete mixer
Wheelbarrow
End frame
Head pan

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Pickaxe
Guido Mieth / DigitalVision / Getty Images
When soil is too hard to move by hand or shovel, this tool can help. Can you name it?
Pickaxe
Brick hammer
Chisel
Mallet
Plumb Bob
Sagel & Kranefeld / Corbis / Getty Images
Can you name this tool that will help you check to see if a structure is perfectly vertical?
Line and pin
Spirit level
Set square
Plumb bob
Putty Knife
Yaroslav Mikheev / Moment / Getty Images
Which tool do some people call a scraper or a spatula?
Putty knife
Utility knife
Allen key
Brick chisel

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Hard Hat
skynesher / E+ / Getty Images
Oddly enough, famed writer Franz Kafka is credited with inventing this. What is it?
Head pan
Ball-peen hammer
Hard hat
Bucket