Clipper blades & guide combs, decoded
Blade numbers, comb letters, and three brands' worth of marketing make a simple system look complicated. It isn't: most professional clippers share one blade standard, and every number maps to a cut length. Here's the whole system on one page — checked against the manufacturers' own charts, not forum hearsay.
The blade chart
Higher number, shorter cut. Every size links to its own page.
| Blade | Leaves | Type | Typical job |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/4HT | 3/4" · 19 mm | Finish | The longest detachable blade made — a plush 3/4-inch finish without a comb |
| 5/8HT | 5/8" · 16 mm | Finish | A long, plush body length — fuller than any numbered blade |
| #3F / #3¾ | 1/2" · 13 mm | Finish | The longest common full blade — plush pet trims that still show real coat |
| #4F | 3/8" · 9.5 mm | Finish | Short-but-not-shaved: the classic 'short teddy' body length |
| #5F | 1/4" · 6.3 mm | Finish | The all-round body blade — short, even, forgiving |
| #6FC | 3/16" · 4.8 mm | Finish | The in-between: shorter than a #5F, fuller than a #7F |
| #7F | 1/8" · 3.2 mm | Finish | The summer/kennel-clip standard — 1/8" of easy-care coat |
| #7 skip-tooth | 1/8" · 3.2 mm | Skip tooth | Rough-in work: Andis's legend says skip before the bath, finish (F) after |
| #8½ | 7/64" · 2.8 mm | Finish | A groomer's tweener — slightly fuller than a #9, used where a #7F is too plush |
| #9 | 5/64" · 2 mm | Finish | A short working clip that isn't yet 'skin-short' |
| #10 | 1/16" · 1.5 mm | Finish | THE default close blade: sanitary prep on every breed, per both maker charts |
| #15 | 3/64" · 1.2 mm | Finish | Pads of the feet — the official all-breeds rule on both charts |
| #30 | 1/50" · 0.5 mm | Close-cut | The comb base: every brand's snap-on comb instructions start with 'put a #30 underneath' |
| #50 | — · 0.4 mm | Close-cut | Wahl's closest detachable — 'a close, surgical cut' in Wahl's own words |
| #40 | 1/100" · 0.25 mm | Close-cut | Surgical/vet prep — this is the blade clinics use before procedures |
= close-cutting length; heats up fast, burn risk on bare skin.
One standard fits (almost) all: A5
Detachable blades built to the A5 standard snap onto any A5-style clipper — brand doesn't matter. An Oster blade runs fine on an Andis clipper and vice versa. What trips people up is the second group below: adjustable 5-in-1 clippers and screw-on home clippers look similar but take entirely different blades.
Takes A5 detachable blades
- Andis AG / AG2 / AGC / AGC2 / AGP / AGR family — Andis's own chart lists these for UltraEdge/CeramicEdge blades
- Andis Excel 5-Speed+ — ships with a CeramicEdge detachable blade
- Oster Golden A5 (single/two-speed)
- Oster Turbo A5 / PowerPro Ultra / PowerMax / Outlaw / Volt
- Oster A6 Cool Comfort / A6 Slim — three-speed, ships with a detachable #10
- Wahl KM2 / KM5 / KM10 / KM Cordless — Wahl: 'compatible with all detachable A5-style blades on the market'
- Wahl Thick Coat Clipper / Power Grip / SS-Pro / MaxCoat
- Heiniger Saphir (cordless) — Heiniger only says 'compatible with common clipper systems'; retailers report A5 fit (some exclude Wahl Competition blades) — unconfirmed by Heiniger
- Heiniger Opal (cordless) — same caveat as the Saphir — maker doesn't name A5 explicitly
Different system — A5 blades don't fit
- Wahl Bravura — Wahl: 'you will need a Wahl 5-in-1 blade' — and the 5-in-1 '#30' cuts ~0.8–1.3 mm, nearly double an A5 #30
- Wahl Arco
- Wahl Chromado / Creativa / Figura / 5 Style Groom
- Andis Pulse Li 5 — adjustable 40–9 blade with its own replacement set — not A5
- Wahl U-Clip / Deluxe U-Clip (home) — fixed #30-15-10 adjustable blade + plastic guide combs — neither A5 blades nor metal snap-on combs attach
- Oster Classic 76 — a barber clipper: takes Series 76 blades, a different mount from A5 — grooming blades don't attach (inference from Oster's product lines; Oster doesn't state it outright)
Snap-on guide combs
Metal snap-on combs ride over a short base blade — most makers specify a #30 underneath — and the comb then sets the cut length. That's how groomers get the longer, fluffier pet trims without owning a blade in every length. Plastic guards from home clipper kits are not interchangeable with these.
| Comb | Leaves | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1/8″ comb | 1/8" · 3 mm | Shortest comb in both stainless sets — barely fuller than a #7F blade |
| 1/4″ comb | 1/4" · 6 mm | Comb equivalent of a #5F length |
| 3/8″ comb | 3/8" · 10 mm | Comb equivalent of a #4F length |
| 1/2″ comb | 1/2" · 13 mm | Where Oster's puppy-trim recipes start ('30 & 1/2–1″ UC') |
| 5/8″ comb | 5/8" · 16 mm | |
| 3/4″ comb | 3/4" · 19 mm | Oster charts it for Bichon heads and Schnauzer legs over a #30 |
| 7/8″ comb | 7/8" · 22 mm | |
| 1″ comb | 1" · 25 mm | The teddy-trim length — Oster's puppy trims are '30 & 1″ UC' |
Skip the chart
Answer three questions, get the blade
Tell the finder your clipper, your dog's coat, and the look you're after — it returns the exact blade and comb, plus the safety notes that matter for that length.
Blade & comb guides
FAQ
- Do clipper blades interchange between Andis, Oster, and Wahl?
- Detachable blades built to the A5 standard interchange freely: an Andis UltraEdge, an Oster A5, and a Wahl Competition blade all fit any A5-style clipper. The exceptions are 5-in-1 adjustable clippers (Wahl Bravura, Arco) and screw-on home clippers — those use their own proprietary systems.
- What do the blade numbers mean?
- Higher number = shorter cut. A #3 leaves around half an inch of coat; a #10 leaves about a sixteenth; a #30 or #40 is a surgical length used under snap-on combs or by vets. The letter F (or FC) means finish cut — even and smooth — while the same number without F is skip-tooth, which feeds heavy coat better but leaves a ridged finish.
- What blade do snap-on metal combs go over?
- Metal snap-on combs are designed to ride over a short base blade — most manufacturers specify a #30, and some combs also work over a #10 or #15. The comb, not the base blade, then sets the cut length.