Tools in Spanish: Essential vocab from hand tools to power tools to garden tools

When it comes to working with tools, it’s definitely handy to know what they’re called. Whether involved in do-it-yourself projects, gardening, carpentry, or construction, being familiar with the names of tools in Spanish can be helpful in communicating more effectively and avoiding misunderstandings.

In this guide, we’ll explore different categories of tools and provide common tool names in Spanish. We’ll break down various types of Spanish tools, from construction to gardening, providing a full vocab list for each section.

By the end of this post, you’ll be equipped with a wide variety of tools in Spanish, making your language skills more prepared for any project. Now let’s open our toolbox and start learning tool names in Spanish!

How to say Tool in Spanish

Herramienta, meaning tool in Spanish, is the basic word used to describe any device used for fixing things or modifying the environment. Las herramientas can act as an extension of our body, to allow or facilitate a mechanical task that, without it, could not be performed.

Las herramientas can be grouped, depending on their functions and uses. Today, we’ll divide our vocab lists on tool names in Spanish into five main groups: hand tools, power tools, carpentry tools, gardening tools, and construction tools. We’ll finish up with a useful list of verbs we’re likely to use when working with tools in Spanish.

Before we get into these specializations though, let’s explore some general vocabulary related to Spanish DIY. If you’re dealing with a lot of different people, you may also be interested in vocab for professions in Spanish, as well as slang terms for money in Spanish.

English hardware terms	Spanish hardware terms
Hardware store	La ferretería
Hardware store salesperson	El ferretero
Toolbox	La caja de herramientas
Nail	El clavo
Screw	El tornillo
Nut	La tuerca
Locknut	La contratuerca
Bolt	El perno
Washer	La arandela
Cable tie	La brida
Flashlight	La linterna

• There were no nuts, bolts, or nails at the hardware store yesterday. – No había tuercas, pernos, ni clavos en la ferretería ayer.

• The hardware store salesman gave me very good advice when he sold me the tool box and flashlight last week. – El ferretero me asesoró muy bien cuando me vendió la caja de herramientas y la linterna la semana pasada.

Now that we have learned common Spanish tool words, let’s get into more specific tool names in Spanish.

Hand tools: Herramientas mecánicas

Las herramientas mecánicas, or hand tools in Spanish, are essential for working on vehicles or machinery. These tools are designed to help in tasks like cutting metal, tightening bolts, or measuring parts. They require force and precision to be used effectively. If you’re working on a vehicle, you’ll also want car part vocab in Spanish.

Here is a chart of some hand tool names in Spanish.

Hand tools	Herramientas mecánicas
Measuring tape	La cinta métrica
Ruler	La regla
Hammer	El martillo
Rubber mallet	El mazo de goma
Screwdriver	El destornillador
Socket set	El juego de dados
Pliers	Las tenazas
Wire strippers / cutters	Los alicates pelacables
Wire cutters, Snips	La corta alambres
Vise grip	El alicate de presión
Wrench	La llave
Adjustable wrench	La llave inglesa
Allen keys / Hex wrenches	Las llaves Allen / hexagonales
Scissors	Las tijeras
Tin snips	Tijeras de hojalatero
Chisel	El cincel
Hacksaw	La sierra de arco
Scraper	El raspador
Reamer	El escariador
Pry bar	La palanca de barra
Mechanical extractor	El extractor mecánico
Hydraulic jack	El gato hidráulico

• I need the hex keys, hydraulic jack, mechanical extractor, and screwdrivers to fix my car engine. – Necesito las llaves hexagonales, el gato hidráulico, el extractor mecánico y los destornilladores para arreglar el motor de mi carro.

• My brother gave me a socket set, a hammer, scissors, and a vise grip for my birthday. – Mi hermano me regaló un juego de dados, un martillo, unas tijeras y un alicate de presión por mi cumpleaños.

Power tools – Herramientas eléctricas

Power tools, or herramientas eléctricas in Spanish, make heavy-duty tasks easier and faster, from drilling to cutting. Knowing the tool names in Spanish for power tools can be particularly useful when working on construction or do-it-yourself projects.

We’ll cover tools here that are powered by electricity or batteries, since hydraulic tools are better suited for our list of construction tools in Spanish. Here we have our vocabulary covering the most common power tools in Spanish.

Power tools	Herramientas eléctricas
Drill	El taladro
Drill bits	Las brocas para taladro
Impact driver	La llave de impacto
Electric screwdriver	El destornillador eléctrico
Router	La fresadora
Jigsaw	La sierra de calar
Jigsaw blade	Hoja de sierra de calar
Circular saw	La sierra circular
Miter saw	La sierra ingletadora
Reciprocating saw	La sierra de vaivén, La sierra de sable
Table saw	La sierra de mesa
Circular saw blade	El disco de corto
Band saw	La sierra de banda
Bench grinder	La amoladora de banco, El esmeril
Angle grinder	La amoladora angular, La sierra radial
Diamond blade	El disco de diamante
Oscillating multi-tool	La herramienta oscilante multiuso
Sander	La lijadora
Orbital sander	La lijadora orbital
Belt sander	La lijadora de banda
Sandpaper	El papel de lija

• I have an angle grinder and a diamond blade in my garage. – Tengo una amoladora angular y un disco de diamante en mi garaje.

• The electrician didn’t have a drill or a jigsaw when he came to work on my house. – El electricista no tenía un taladro o una sierra de calar cuando vino a trabajar en mi casa.

Carpentry tools – Herramientas de carpintería

Las herramientas de carpintería, or carpentry tools, are specific tools for cutting, shaping, and joining wood. They can be hand tools or power tools. And since carpentry often involves a lot of careful calculations, check out our related posts on numbers and doing math in Spanish. If you’re getting into finer woodworking, you may even want to know the names for furniture in Spanish.

Carpentry tools	Herramientas de carpintería
Cutting table	La mesa de corte
Saw	La sierra
Handsaw	La sierra de mano
File	La lima
Rasp	La escofina
Woodworking chisel	El cincel para madera
Hand planer	El cepillo para madera manual
Graduated ruler	La regla graduada
Layout square	La escuadra de trazado
Sliding bevel	La escuadra corrediza
Clamp	La abrazadera

• I always use the graduated ruler, the layout square, and the sliding square when I am taking measures on the wood. – Siempre uso la regla graduada, la escuadra de trazado, y la escuadra corrediza cuando estoy tomando las medidas en la madera.

Gardening tools – Herramientas de jardinería

Las herramientas de jardinería, or gardening tools in Spanish, are used to make our work in the garden easier. Knowing these tools’ names in Spanish can help when talking with any Spanish speakers about maintaining our gardens. From digging to trimming, each tool has a specific purpose.

Gardening tools	Herramientas de jardinería
Shovel	La pala
Trowel	La espátula
Rake	El rastrillo
Pruners	La podadora
Pruning shears	Tijeras de podar
Gardening scissors	Las tijeras de jardín
Scythe	La guadaña
Machete	El machete
Axe	El hacha
Hoe	La azada, El azadón
Pitchfork	La horca
Hose	La manguera
Sprinkler	El aspersor
Watering can	La regadera
Wheelbarrow	La carretilla
Lawnmower	El cortacésped
Edger	La bordeadora
Whipper snipper	La desmalezadora
Leaf blower	El soplador de hojas
Gas can	La lata de gasolina

• The gardener used the shovel, scythe, and the trowel to plant the plants. – El jardinero usó la pala, la guadaña y la espátula para sembrar las plantas.

• My wife watered the garden with the hose and sprinkler. – Mi esposa regó el jardín con la manguera y el aspersor.

Construction tools – Herramientas de construcción

Construction tools, or las herramientas de construcción, are essential for building and renovating structures. These are the heavier-duty tools we use for preparing and working on construction sites. While you’re on the worksite, you’ll probably also need to know the right terms for measurements in Spanish and how to talk about quantities, as well as how to refer to the boss.

Construction tools	Herramientas de construcción
Jackhammer	El martillo neumático
Digging bar	La barra excavadora
Pickaxe	El pico
Nail puller, Pry bar	El sacaclavos
Crowbar	La barra, La pata de cabra
Air compressor	El compresor de aire
Nail gun	La pistola de clavos
Measuring wheel	La rueda de medición
Scaffolding	El andamio
Ladder, Stepladder	La escalera
Concrete mixer	La mezcladora de concreto
Concrete sander	La lijadora de concreto
Shop vac / Wet-dry vacuum	La aspiradora en seco y húmedo
Plumb line	La plomada
Chalk line	La tiza de línea
Level	El nivel
Masonry trowel	La llana
Plastering trowel	La paleta de yeso
Paint roller	El rodillo
Paintbrush	La brocha
Caulk gun	La pistola para juntas

• We need to rent a concrete mixer and concrete sander for the foundation work. – Necesitamos alquilar una mezcladora de concreto y la lijadora para el trabajo de cimentación.

• The mason climbed the scaffolding with a masonry trowel and plastering trowel to repair the wall. – El albañil subió al andamio con la llana y la paleta de yeso para reparar la pared.

Spanish tool verbs: Verbos

Here’s a list of the common verbs used in the context of tools in Spanish.

English verbs	Spanish verbs
To measure	Medir
To hammer	Martillar
To cut	Cortar
To saw	Serruchar
To sand	Lijar
To tighten	Apretar
To loosen	Aflojar
To screw	Atornillar
To unscrew	Desatornillar
To drill	Taladrar
To nail	Clavar
To weld	Soldar
To glue	Pegar
To level	Nivelar
To clamp	Sujetar
To grip	Agarrar
To staple	Grapar
To paint	Pintar
To water	Regar
To mix	Mezclar

Conclusion: Tools in Spanish

It’s time to close the toolbox! Before we finish our labor for the day, let’s do a quick recap of the wide variety of tools in Spanish that we covered today. We started with a bit of common vocabulary, we ended with a list of pertinent verbs, and in between we dove into our essential categories of hand tools, power tools, carpentry tools, gardening tools, and construction tools.

The main point of the post was to provide a straightforward list of tool names in Spanish for each category.

With these handy vocab lists of tools in Spanish, you’re ready to work with native Spanish speakers as you take on all sorts of tasks together. So whether you’re tackling a simple do-it-yourself project or a bigger endeavor, we wish you the best as you break out your toolkit and get to work!