Types of Plumbing Wrenches: What Each One Is For and When to Use It

A plumbing wrench is any wrench built to grip and turn pipe, fittings, or fixture nuts, and the trade uses about eight distinct types. The one you reach for depends on what you are gripping: round pipe, a hidden faucet nut, or chrome trim you cannot scratch. This guide maps each wrench to its job, with sizes.

What are the main types of plumbing wrenches?

Plumbers carry roughly eight wrench types, and each grips a different shape or fits a space the others cannot. The pipe wrench turns round threaded pipe, the basin wrench reaches hidden faucet nuts, and the adjustable and strap wrenches handle finished surfaces. The table below maps every type to what it grips, its best job, and its usual size range.

Which plumbing wrench for which task?

Match the wrench to the job, not the other way around. Reach for a pipe wrench on threaded steel, a basin wrench on faucet nuts, a strap wrench on anything chromed, and a chain or plumber wrench on a joint that will not break loose. This quick reference pairs the common tasks with the right tool.

Pipe wrench: the workhorse for threaded pipe

A pipe wrench turns threaded steel, iron, and brass pipe. Its hardened serrated jaws bite the round surface, and the floating jaw tightens its grip as you pull, so the harder the pipe resists, the harder the wrench holds. A 14-inch straight pattern handles most residential pipe, and plumbers usually work with two at once.

Use two wrenches in tandem: one holds the pipe steady while the other turns the fitting, so you are not twisting the whole run and stressing joints downstream. This is the standard move when you are tightening or repacking a leaking threaded joint. Our guide to fixing a leaking pipe walks through the joint types.

Sizes run from 6 inches up to 48 inches, named by the handle length. The 14-inch is the everyday size; an 18 or 24 inch handles larger drain, waste, and water-service pipe. Aluminum patterns from RIDGID and others weigh far less than cast iron and cut fatigue on a long day. An end pipe wrench, with its head set at about 90 degrees, gets into pipe that runs tight against a wall.

One caution: a pipe wrench is for round pipe and fittings, not for hex nuts or chrome. Its teeth chew soft brass and plated trim. Note too that copper and PEX are not joined with a wrench at all; those use solder, crimp rings, or a press tool. See our ranked plumbing press tools for that side of the work.

Basin wrench: reaching the faucet nuts nothing else can

A basin wrench reaches the mounting and supply nuts hidden behind a sink faucet, where no straight wrench fits. A long shaft carries a spring-loaded jaw that pivots to grab and turn those nuts in the dark cabinet space. Its jaw opens about 3/8 to 1-1/4 inch, which covers nearly every kitchen and bath faucet.

The mounting nuts that hold a faucet to the deck sit six to ten inches up behind the basin, boxed in by the sink and the countertop. The basin wrench pivots its jaw to bite from below and lets you spin the shaft to turn the nut by feel. This is the tool that makes installing a kitchen sink and its faucet a job you can finish in under an hour.

A telescoping model reaches deeper basins, and a compact one fits shallow lavatory cabinets. Faucet mounting and supply nuts commonly measure 7/16, 1/2, or 9/16 inch, all inside a standard basin wrench’s range.

Adjustable and strap wrenches: turning without marring finishes

Two wrenches turn fittings without chewing the finish: the adjustable (crescent) wrench and the strap wrench. Smooth parallel jaws on an adjustable turn hex nuts and chrome supply nuts. A strap wrench wraps a fabric or rubber band around polished pipe, so it grips hard while leaving zero tooth marks on the plating.

An adjustable wrench, often called a Crescent after the original brand, is your tool for hex-headed nuts and visible chrome trim. Set the jaw to the flats and turn. A 6 to 8 inch size covers supply and compression nuts; a 10 to 12 inch handles larger hex fittings.

A strap wrench earns its place on anything you refuse to scratch: a polished P-trap, a chrome tailpiece, a plated escutcheon, or a plastic housing that a toothed jaw would crack. The strap tightens around the part and grips by friction across a wide contact patch, so the finish comes through clean.

Chain wrench and internal pipe wrench: the specialty grips

When a pipe is too big, too corroded, or too broken for jaws, two specialty wrenches take over. A chain wrench wraps a link chain fully around the pipe for grip on large or out-of-round work. An internal pipe wrench grabs a pipe from the inside, which is how you back out a nipple that snapped off flush.

A chain wrench (chain tong) circles the pipe with a link chain, giving many contact points and even pressure. That matters on large-diameter, corroded, or slightly out-of-round pipe where a hook jaw would slip. Sizes reach 36 inches and beyond, gripping pipe up to about 8 inches. Reed and RIDGID both make heavy patterns.

An internal pipe wrench, also called a nipple wrench, expands inside a pipe rather than clamping the outside. When a close nipple corrodes and snaps off inside a fitting, this is the only tool that grabs the remaining stub so you can turn it out. They are sized to the pipe bore, commonly 1/2 to 1-1/4 inch.

Faucet key and plumber wrench: the last two in the set

Two more wrenches round out the set. A four-way faucet key opens outdoor sillcocks and loose-key stops with a square socket at each corner. A plumber wrench, also called a Swedish or Swedish-pattern wrench, uses a two-pivot grip that multiplies your force, which is what frees a joint frozen solid by corrosion.

The four-way faucet key is a small cross with a different square socket on each arm, sized to the common stem heads. It opens loose-key angle stops and outdoor sillcocks that have no handle, and it lives cheaply in a service bag.

The plumber wrench looks like a heavy plier. You set the jaw width with a threaded ring, then squeeze, and the two-pivot action grips round pipe with force without a locking step. Its bite makes it the tool for a rusted union or a joint frozen by years of corrosion, where a standard pipe wrench would just skate.

How many wrenches do you actually need?

Most residential work needs four wrenches, not eight. A 14-inch pipe wrench, an adjustable wrench, a basin wrench, and a strap wrench cover the common jobs. Add a chain, internal, or plumber wrench only when a specific task demands it. Buy the specialty tools as the work in front of you calls for them.

1. Start with a 14-inch pipe wrench. It handles threaded pipe and fittings; buy a second one later for holding while you turn.
2. Add an adjustable wrench. For hex nuts, chrome supply nuts, and compression fittings you cannot mar.
3. Add a basin wrench. The moment you touch a faucet, this is the tool that reaches the mounting nuts.
4. Add a strap wrench. For polished traps and plated parts a toothed jaw would scratch.
5. Add specialty wrenches by need. A chain wrench for large or seized pipe, an internal wrench for broken nipples, a plumber wrench for frozen joints.

These wrenches sit inside a wider kit of cutters, pliers, and sealants. If you are building from scratch, our full plumbing tool kit guide lists what to buy in order, with rough prices, so the wrenches you pick here slot into a working bag rather than a wall of tools that sit unused.

Frequently asked questions

What size pipe wrench do I need?

A 14-inch straight pipe wrench handles most residential work and is the right first buy. Step up to an 18 or 24 inch for larger drain and water main pipe, and drop to a 6 or 10 inch for tight spots. Pros often carry two 14-inch wrenches so one holds the pipe while the other turns.

What is a basin wrench used for?

A basin wrench turns the mounting and supply nuts that hold a faucet to a sink, tucked in the tight space behind the basin. Its long shaft and pivoting, spring-loaded jaw reach up where no other wrench fits. It is the tool that turns a knuckle-scraping faucet swap into a 20-minute job.

What is the difference between a pipe wrench and a basin wrench?

A pipe wrench grips round threaded pipe with serrated jaws and needs room to swing. A basin wrench is built for the opposite: reaching up into the cramped cabinet behind a faucet to turn mounting nuts by hand feel. Use the pipe wrench on exposed pipe runs and the basin wrench on faucet and supply nuts.

What wrench do plumbers use most?

The pipe wrench and the adjustable tongue-and-groove tools see the most use, but the single most-reached-for wrench on service calls is a 14-inch pipe wrench. It handles threaded pipe, fittings, and stubborn couplings across most residential jobs. Many plumbers pair it with a basin wrench and tongue-and-groove pliers to cover almost every nut they meet.

What is a plumber wrench?

A plumber wrench, also called a Swedish or Swedish-pattern wrench, is a pipe-gripping tool that uses a two-pivot design to multiply the force on round pipe. You set the jaw width with a threaded ring, then squeeze. Its strong bite makes it the tool for freeing joints frozen by rust or corrosion.

What wrench do I use for a kitchen faucet?

Use a basin wrench for a kitchen faucet. The mounting nuts sit behind the sink where only its long shaft and pivoting jaw can reach. A standard basin wrench with a 10 to 12 inch handle and a 3/8 to 1-1/4 inch jaw fits nearly all kitchen faucets. Keep an adjustable wrench nearby for the supply-line nuts below.

Last reviewed: September 2026.