Staple Length

The length of a staple refers to its legs, the parts of the staple that push through the layers of paper and fold underneath the pages. If you need to staple a thick pile of paper at once, you’ll need a staple with long legs. Ensure you purchase the correct leg length as standard staplers are only designed to hold 1/4 inch legs.

When you see the size of a staple in millimeters or inches, it’s referring to the length of the staple’s legs.

Staple Width

The width of a staple, sometimes called its crown, is the top or crossbar of a staple. It’s the part of the staple you will see flat across the top of whatever you bind.

Wire Gauge

The wire gauge of a staple refers to the thickness of the staple itself. The thicker the wire is, the more stable and durable the staple. If you’re stapling pieces of cardboard together to form a box, you’ll want a thicker wire gauge than if you’re stapling together a couple of pieces of paper. There are a few different kinds of wire gauges.

Fine Wire: The thinnest staple, ranging from 20 - 23 gauge thickness. This is the type of staple you’ll find around an office.

Medium Wire:  Usually between 18 - 19 gauge thickness. It’s stronger than a fine wire staple, but not quite strong enough to be used in construction.

Heavy Wire:  The thickest kind of staple, usually between 15 - 16 gauge thickness. This kind of staple is best utilized in heavy-duty projects like construction or roofing.