A clamp is the cheapest tool in the workshop and the one that decides whether a glue-up comes out square. Four types cover almost everything a cabinet shop, a furniture factory or a fit-out crew does.
This guide compares the four types we manufacture, with the sizes and weights we actually publish, so you can match the tool to the job before you buy.
F-clamps: the long bar clamp
An F-clamp has a fixed jaw at one end of a steel bar and a sliding jaw that you tighten with a screw handle. It is the general-purpose clamp of the trade, and the one most workshops buy in a set rather than one at a time.
Our F-clamps come in nine sizes from 4" to 36". The 4" model uses a 45# carbon steel rod; the larger sizes use an 18 mm A3 steel rod. The body is nylon with internal and external rib reinforcement, the jaws carry PE pads so they do not mark the workpiece, and a release trigger lets you slide the jaw along the bar with one hand. Every clamp reverses into a spreader.
- Sizes: 4", 6", 8", 10", 12", 18", 24", 30", 36"
- Weight: 70 g at 4" up to 1020 g at 36"
- Throat depth: 34 mm on the 4" model, 63 mm on the larger sizes
- Best for: panel glue-ups, carcass assembly, doors and frames from about 150 mm to 900 mm across
See the full F-clamp range, sizes and packing data.
Ratchet A-clamps: one hand, small parts
A ratchet A-clamp is a plastic body with a spring-loaded jaw and a trigger. You squeeze to open, it holds where you leave it, and you can set it with the same hand that is holding the workpiece.
Ours is 200 mm long and 90 mm high, with a 28 mm jaw opening and a clamping range of 0–50 mm. It weighs 180 g. The body is glass-fibre reinforced nylon, standard colours are blue and green, and other colours can be moulded to order. Like the F-clamp, it reverses into a spreader.
- Clamping range: 0–50 mm
- Weight: 180 g
- Best for: edge banding, drawers, small boxes, holding a part while you drill or drive a screw
See the ratchet A-clamp specification.
Pipe clamps: long reach on a cheap pipe
A pipe clamp is a pair of cast heads that slide onto a length of black pipe. You buy the heads, cut the pipe to the length you need, and you have a clamp as long as your longest glue-up. That is why pipe clamps stay in shops that already own a rack of F-clamps: they solve the one job the bar clamps cannot reach.
Our heads are cast in malleable iron, with a hand-crank screw and a high-tension spring, in 1/2" and 3/4" pipe sizes. Overall length is 100 mm on the 1/2" head and 180 mm on the 3/4", at 701.5 g and 1.1 kg. The pipe itself is not included — freight on a 3 m pipe would cost more than the pipe.
- Pipe sizes: 1/2" (ID 15 mm / OD 21 mm) and 3/4" (ID 20 mm / OD 26 mm)
- Weight: 701.5 g for the 1/2" head, 1.1 kg for the 3/4"
- Best for: table tops and panels wider than 900 mm, and stone splicing where a bar clamp would flex
See the pipe clamp specification.
Trigger bar clamps: the middle of the range
A trigger bar clamp takes the sliding bar of an F-clamp and replaces the screw handle with a trigger. You advance the jaw in small steps by squeezing, and it locks where you stop. On repetitive work it is faster than winding a screw, and it leaves one hand free to hold the frame or the panel.
Ours comes in seven sizes from 6" to 36", with a 70 mm throat depth on every size so the bar clears the workpiece. Spreader range runs from 157 mm to 1110 mm depending on length, and weights run from 500 g to 1025 g. The rear jaw turns around on the bar to turn the clamp into a spreader.
- Sizes: 6", 8", 10", 12", 18", 24", 36"
- Throat depth: 70 mm on all sizes
- Best for: door frames, window openings, cabinet carcasses that have gone out of square, and any job where the clamp has to be set one-handed
See the trigger bar clamp specification.
The four types side by side
| Type | Sizes | How it tightens | Weight | Typical job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-clamp | 4" to 36" (nine) | Screw handle, trigger release | 70 g – 1020 g | Panel glue-ups, carcass assembly |
| Ratchet A-clamp | 28 mm jaw, 0–50 mm range | Ratchet trigger | 180 g | Small parts, one-handed work |
| Pipe clamp | 1/2" and 3/4" heads | Hand crank with spring | 701.5 g / 1.1 kg | Long panels, stone splicing |
| Trigger bar clamp | 6" to 36" (seven) | Trigger advance | 500 g – 1025 g | Repetitive work, frames |
Three questions that decide it
- How wide is the joint? Under 150 mm, a ratchet A-clamp is enough. From 150 mm to 900 mm, an F-clamp or a trigger bar clamp is the right tool. Over 900 mm, go to a pipe clamp — a bar clamp that long flexes and the joint opens.
- Do you need a hand free? If the clamp has to hold itself while you position the workpiece, a trigger clamp or an A-clamp saves a second person.
- One-off or production? For a one-off, a screw handle gives finer control. For a production run, the trigger advances faster and applies the same force every time.
Buying clamps from a factory
All four ranges are made in our own workshop in Hedong District, Linyi, and every clamp reverses into a spreader, so one SKU covers two jobs on the shelf.
- MOQ: 20 cartons total, and sizes can be mixed in one order
- Packing: export cartons, with per-carton quantities that differ by size
- Branding: body colour, grip colour, laser marking and screen printing
- Inspection: SGS, BV or your own QC team before shipment
Tell us the size split and the destination port and we will confirm the carton plan with the quotation. Send an inquiry, or see the full product range with sizes and packing data.