What's the Difference Between a Shovel and a Spade?
Choosing the right tool is crucial for efficient and accurate gardening or landscaping. In general, choose a shovel for digging large holes or moving dirt. Choose a spade if you need to cut through turf or compacted soil to create precise holes.
Shovel: The Multi-Purpose Tool
Shovels are typically more versatile than spades. A shovel might have a wide, flat blade or a curved blade. Depending on the blade shape, a shovel is suited to dig or to scoop and move materials. Round-point, square-point and scoop shovels are the most popular types.
Round-Point Shovel
A round-point shovel is the most common digging shovel and is great for all-around use. The pointed tip on the blade lets you dig holes in different types of ground and the curved blade lets the shovel hold plenty of dirt. These shovels are ideal for planting trees or shrubs and digging trenches for irrigation or drainage.
Square-Point Shovel
A square-point shovel is also a popular type of shovel. Also known as a transfer shovel, it has a flat blade and, as the name suggests, a flat edge. It’s best for scooping and moving loose material and debris, but it’s not ideal for digging into the ground.
Scoop Shovel
A scoop shovel has a deep, rounded blade designed for moving loose materials like mulch and feed. A short handle is common, giving you better leverage when scooping. A scoop-style snow shovel is a lightweight variation with a deep blade that allows you to push snow off a driveway, sidewalk, etc. Read our snow shovel guide to see your options.
Spade: The Precise Digging Tool
Spades are more specialized than shovels. A spade has a narrow, rectangular blade that’s flat or slightly curved, as well as a long handle. The blade shape makes spades ideal for digging precisely shaped holes for bulbs, seedlings and small plants. Many spades are also great for edging garden beds with clean, crisp lines and removing small areas of turf. Garden spades and trenching spades are the most common types.
Garden Spade
A garden spade is the most popular type of spade. Its relatively flat, straight blade cuts through turf without damaging the surrounding grass. In addition to planting, a garden spade is useful when digging holes for sprinkler heads, transferring sod or creating borders between planting beds.
Trenching Spade
A trenching spade has a narrow, slightly curved blade, often with a pointed edge. This type of spade is popular with landscapers and is useful for digging narrow trenches to install irrigation pipes and drain lines without disturbing the surrounding ground.
Spade and Shovel Handle Materials
- Fiberglass handles are lightweight and strong and won’t rust or rot. They’re usually the most expensive option, but their long lifespans can make them good investments.
- Wood is economical, strong and has flexibility that reduces impact and vibration. However, a wood handle is vulnerable to sun and water damage without proper care.
- Steel is a less common handle material but it’s the strongest option. Its extra weight can be helpful when digging but increases effort. Steel is vulnerable to rust, so it takes extra care to keep a steel-handle tool in good shape.
A D-handle shovel or spade — named for its D-shaped grip — is more comfortable on your hands and provides leverage that makes it easier to dig or move heavy material.
Take Care of Your Lawn and Garden With the Right Tools
Whether you need a shovel or spade, you’ll find one on Lowes.com that makes work easier. If lawn care, gardening and landscaping are parts of your home improvement plans, it makes sense to get a couple of each. Visit your local Lowe’s and see how different types of shovels, spades and handles feel so you can find the most comfortable options. Talk to a Lowe’s Red Vest associate about your projects. They can help you find the shovel or spade you need for just about any task, as well as all the other tools you need to do the work right.