Best jigsaw blades for metal: picks by tooth pitch, blade steel and shank

01What should a jigsaw blade for metal have?

A metal-cutting jigsaw blade should have a tooth pitch matched to the sheet thickness, a blade steel hard enough for the metal, a tooth set that keeps the cut straight, and the right shank for the saw. Wood blades fail on every one of those points, which is why metal blades are sold as a separate family. Each requirement below is stated first, followed by the published figure behind it.

Tooth pitch: the thinner the metal, the finer the teeth

Published metal blades run from about 14–36 TPI. The coarse end suits thicker stock, while the fine end is for thin sheet, where a coarse pitch would leave too few teeth engaged. Lenox ties tooth pitch to thickness and advises keeping 2–3 teeth in the material at all times. That rule is the quickest check at the bench: measure the sheet, then pick a pitch that keeps several teeth engaged. A progressive-tooth blade, where the pitch changes along the blade, covers a band of thicknesses with one blade, which is how the Bosch T118A is built.

Blade steel: HSS or bi-metal, not carbon steel

High-carbon steel (HCS) blades are soft and flexible and belong to wood, fibreboard and soft plastics. Bosch's catalogue lists high-speed steel (HSS) for metal, aluminium and non-ferrous metal, and bi-metal (BIM) for ferrous and non-ferrous metal as well as hardwood. Bosch's own figure puts bi-metal blade life at about 2x HSS, about 10x HCS; that comparison comes from Bosch alone. Carbide-tipped blades sit above both and are what Bosch lists for stainless steel and glass-fibre reinforced plastic.

Tooth set: wavy set for straight cuts in thin stock

Bosch describes milled, wavy-set teeth as giving fine, straight cuts in soft steel, aluminium and non-ferrous metal, and milled side-set teeth as faster but rougher. The material and tooth tables below come straight from Bosch and Lenox catalogue data.

Shank: T-shank for nearly every current saw

A blade only fits a saw whose clamp is made for its shank. All four picks on this page are T-shank, the shank Bosch says fits over 90% of current jigsaw makes and models (Bosch claim). Some saws take U-shank blades instead, which are labelled to fit U-shank jigsaws only. Our guide to jigsaw blade shank types shows how to tell the two apart.

02What rules a metal-cutting blade out before you compare teeth?

A blade is ruled out if its shank does not match the saw clamp, if it is shorter than the cut needs, or if its tooth pitch is far off the sheet thickness. These checks come before brand or steel type, and they hold for US and European saws alike.

• Shank. A T-shank saw takes T-shank blades only. The DeWalt DCS334 manual says so directly; the mount column in the table below shows what other common saws take. In Europe, Bosch calls the T-shank the single lug shank and the U-shank the universal shank, a naming quirk from its European catalogue that trips up buyers who read "universal" as "fits everything".
• Length. Most Bosch and Lenox blades are 2-3/4 to 5-1/4 in (70 to 133 mm) long. Lenox sizes the minimum length as material thickness + 2 to 2-3/4 in. Sheet metal rarely tests that limit, but box section and thicker angle can.
• Pitch. A blade that leaves fewer teeth in the cut than Lenox advises is too coarse for the sheet. One with far more teeth than the thickness needs cuts smoothly but slowly, so it wastes time on thick stock.

European blades describe pitch differently. Bosch's European pages give tooth spacing in millimetres rather than teeth per inch, so a metric listing for the same T118A shows a spacing figure where a US pack shows TPI. Both describe the same blade.

04How do the metal jigsaw blade picks differ?

The picks differ mainly by tooth pitch, which decides the metal thickness each one handles, and then by blade steel. Their shanks are the same, so fit is not what separates them.

Bosch T118A vs Diablo DJT121AF5: HSS or bi-metal?

The Bosch T118A is HSS with a progressive 17–24 TPI pitch, and the Diablo DJT121AF5 is bi-metal with a fixed 21 TPI pitch. Both are 3-5/8 in long. The Bosch blade covers thinner sheet thanks to its finer end, and Bosch sells it as the economical option. The Diablo blade trades that range for a tougher bi-metal body, which Bosch's own catalogue credits with a longer life than HSS, and a coating that Diablo says reduces heat. If the work is mostly light sheet and aluminum, the T118A fits the job; if it is mostly medium steel bracketry, the DJT121AF5 does.

Diablo DJT121AF5 vs DeWalt DW3778-5: how much finer is fine?

DeWalt's DW3778-5 carries 32 TPI, well above Diablo's 21 TPI, and it is shorter at 3 in. That pitch puts it in the extra-thin band of the table above, where Lenox and Bosch list their finest blades. It is the blade for flashing, light duct and thin panels, and the wrong one for anything that would fill its small gullets with chips.

Is the Bosch TPM005 set worth it over single packs?

The TPM005 is the only pick that includes a blade Bosch names for stainless steel, the T118EHM. Bosch's set page lists the five blade codes but not each blade's pitch or length, so it cannot be compared figure for figure with the single packs. Buy it when stainless or mixed metals are part of the job; buy a single pack when you know the gauge.

05Which jigsaw blade cuts aluminum, and which handles stainless steel?

Aluminum takes a coarser metal blade than steel of the same thickness, and stainless steel needs a blade its maker names for stainless. The safety guidance in the Bosch and Lenox material tables says to use a finer blade for ferrous metals and a coarser one for non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, copper and brass. In practice that means stepping one band coarser than you would for steel of the same thickness.

Bosch lists HSS for aluminium and non-ferrous metal, and its tooth table names milled, wavy-set teeth for fine, straight cuts in aluminium. The T118A matches both descriptions, which makes it the closest pick for aluminum sheet. For extruded aluminum section or thicker plate, follow the thickness bands in the TPI table and move toward the coarse end of the metal range.

Stainless steel is the hardest of the common sheet metals a jigsaw meets. Bosch's catalogue lists carbide-tipped blades for stainless steel, and the T118EHM in the TPM005 set carries Bosch's Special for Stainless Steel label. Run the saw at a lower speed on stainless, as the general jigsaw safety guidance advises for hard metals, and use cutting fluid where the maker recommends it.

06When does a jigsaw blade for metal fail?

A metal jigsaw blade fails when the saw runs with orbital action, when the pitch is wrong for the thickness, or when the blade is asked to cut stock a jigsaw is not suited to. These are the cases where a better blade does not fix the result.

• Orbital action switched on. DeWalt's manual says metal should be cut with orbital action off, at straight (setting 0), and that orbital settings are meant for soft materials such as wood and plastic. This corrects a common belief that pendulum action speeds up every cut; DeWalt also notes it gives a less smooth cut even where it is allowed.
• Too few teeth in the cut. A coarse blade on thin sheet leaves too few teeth engaged, against Lenox's rule of several teeth in the cut. The fix is a finer pitch, not more pressure.
• Forcing the saw. Manufacturer guidance is to let the blade cut at its own speed rather than push the saw. Our explainer on why jigsaw blades bend covers deflection in more depth.
• Thick plate and long straight cuts. A jigsaw blade is short and narrow. For heavy section, a reciprocating saw, band saw or cut-off wheel is the better tool.
• A U-shank saw. All four picks are T-shank. Diablo says its T-shank blades fit all combination saws and most U-shank saws, but Bosch, DeWalt and Lenox label each shank for its own saw type and sell separate U-shank versions. Check the saw manual before relying on a T-shank blade in a U-shank clamp.

Higher pitch is not automatically better either. More teeth cut more smoothly but more slowly, and Lenox matches pitch to thickness rather than recommending the finest blade for every job.

07How do you get a clean cut in sheet metal with a jigsaw?

A clean metal cut comes from a fine blade, a supported sheet, a slow straight stroke and lubrication. The steps follow from manufacturer guidance rather than from shop habit.

• Back up the sheet. Clamp scrap wood or plywood under thin sheet so the blade cannot lift and tear it. The sandwich also gives the shoe a flat surface to ride.
• Turn orbital action off and set a moderate speed. Hard metals and stainless take lower speeds than soft metals.
• Lubricate. Bosch recommends a proper lubricant for its metal blades; a few drops along the cut line reduce heat at the teeth.
• Let the blade work. Keep the shoe pressed flat and feed only as fast as the blade cuts.
• Deburr afterwards. Every metal cut leaves a burr. A file or a flap disc on a grinder removes it.

If you need round holes in sheet rather than profiles, a drill and the right bit are faster than a jigsaw; the metal-drilling bit picks compare cobalt and HSS sets for that job. For other buyer comparisons, see the full list of accessory buying guides. If you are unsure which shank or stroke your own saw has, you can look up what fits your tool by brand and model.

08Questions readers ask