The 8 Types of Shovels Everyone Should Know

Humans have been digging in the Earth since the dawn of the Neolithic Revolution, some 12,000 years ago. While the earliest agriculturalists had to make do with shovels crudely fashioned from animal bones—shoulder blades were a popular choice—later material advances (namely stone, wood, and metal) led to the development of modern shovel designs and their specialized heads are purpose-built, like spades for digging in solid soil and shovels for moving loose material like coal or grain.

This specialization was, in part, a consequence of the tool's widespread use in industry—steel mills, graineries, construction, and mines—as well as its universal use in agriculture where manual labor was required to move large amounts of loose material. In fact, shoveling stuff was big business through the late 19th century when steam-powered industrial excavators became economically feasible. So much so that Frederick Winslow Taylor developed and championed the "science of shoveling" during the two decades between the 1890 and 1910. After the detailed analysis of the labor's required movements, he advocated the industry invest in shovels with scoops specialized for each material—an investment, he argued, that would be repaid through increased worker productivity. While his ideas were not immediately recognized by the industrial upper crust, his crusade for better shoveling helped spurn new shovel designs as well as develop the work for which he is most famous, The Principles of Scientific Management.

Today, shovels and spades come in a myriad of shapes, sizes, and functions. Here are a few of the most common types you'll find in your local home improvement store and what they're used for:

Digging Shovels

Digging shovels are designed for doing just that. They feature a slightly curved scoop with upturned edges and either a pointed (center) or flat (left) tip. Pointed tips are generally used for digging and planting in soft, tilled soil while the sharp flat tips of square points are utilized more for heavy-duty hard-packed soils that demand more force to penetrate. Square point shovels can also perform many of the same functions as garden spades (right)—lawn edging, transplanting small bushes and trees, cutting sod and small roots, dividing perennials, and trenching. Look for shovels with steel scoops as they're more durable than aluminum alternatives. Their handles are available in wood, composite, or metal.

Trenching Shovels

Trenching shovels are designed for, you guessed it, digging and clearing trenches. They feature a sharp, pointed tip and squared sides to produce clean trench walls and minimize disruption of the surrounding soil. They're indespensable for laying irrigation pipes, digging a compost trench, and removing deeply-rooted plants.

Drain Spades

Drain spades are very narrow with slightly curved sides and a rounded tip, which makes them ideal for precise spot work like adding flowers to established beds, clearing existing trenches, and transplanting small shrubs.

Scoop Shovels

Broad and wide-flared with a flat tip, scoop shovels are terrible at digging but fantastic at moving loose materials like coal or stone (left), snow (center), and grain (right). Those with steel scoops tend to be a bit heavier than aluminum versions but are less likely to twist or warp over time.