Double-Edge (DE) Razor Blade Dimensions Table

The B&B ShaveWiki DE Razor Blade Dimensions Table contains comprehensive dimensional data, exclusive to B&B, for each DE razor blade included. Following a meticulous DE razor blade measurement process with blade fixtures and calibrated measuring instruments, dimensions of multiple blade samples were accurately and precisely measured for each blade. Subsequently, average dimensions were calculated, rounded to precision of the measuring instruments, and presented here. All distances are in millimeters (mm). The following dimensions are tabulated:

• Wax removal time (WRT), measured with a timer having a resolution of 1 s. Wax removal time varies considerably among blades due to wax amount, hardness, stickiness, and placement.
• Mass (M), measured with a scale having a resolution of 0.001 g. Mass is generally dependent on blade geometry, since steel density varies little among blades.
• Thickness (T), measured with a digital micrometer having a resolution of 0.001 mm. Thickness strongly relates to blade deflections and vibrations, or chatter/flutter, during shaves.
• Width (W) and other periphery dimensions, measured with a digital caliper having a resolution of 0.01 mm. Width correlates with exposure of the cutting edges in a razor, affecting performance.
• Thickness range (TR) and width range (WR), calculated as the differences between the minimum and maximum values measured among blade samples. Since thickness and width are related to performance, thickness and width ranges relate to performance consistency, with smaller ranges correlating to more performance consistency.
• Cutout dimensions, measured with a digital caliper having a resolution of 0.01 mm. The cutout is most likely to affect "blade play" in razors.

Most dimensions, including all measured distances, are illustrated by the following figure:



This table is designed to be the most comprehensive and useful database on DE razor blade dimensions available to the shaving community. The following helpful features enable users to easily compare blades to one another and find blades that meet desired characteristics:

• The table is sortable such that clicking on a column heading sorts the rows according to that column's data, and clicking on the column heading again reverses the sorting order
• Blade names are links in the table. Each blade name in the first column is a link to the blade's corresponding B&B ShaveWiki page, where tabulated blade sample measurements and statistical analyses can be found.

Click here to go to the Comprehensive DE Razor Blade Data Table

• All dimensions that can be measured reliably with a timer, a scale, a micrometer, and a caliper are included. The measurement process involved measuring wax removal time with a digital timer, cleaning the blade and measuring surfaces with 91 % isopropyl alcohol, measuring blade mass with a digital milligram scale, measuring blade thickness with a digital micrometer, measuring blade periphery dimensions with a digital caliper and a homemade acrylic periphery fixture, and measuring blade cutout dimensions with the digital caliper and a homemade acrylic cutout fixture. Cutout length is the only lengthwise cutout dimension with hard stops that make measuring distance with a caliper reliable, and hence, cutout length is the only lengthwise cutout dimension measured.
• Selection bias was reduced by measuring blade samples from different boxes/packs/tucks and other groupings, which were often purchased separately. Purchase dates and grouping data were recorded.
• For each blade, the sample number is suitable for confidence that the sample mean (average) values for each dimension fairly match the population, or "true", mean values. Measurements generally vary from sample to sample for any given blade and dimension, resulting in approximately normal distributions that correlate with means, standard deviations, ranges, and other statistical values. Given the relationship of blade width to blade exposure and razor performance, it is particularly important that a good number of samples are measured for suitable confidence in blade width. Thus, enough samples were measured for each blade to yield appropriate confidence that the population mean blade width is within 0.01 mm, the digital caliper resolution, of the sample mean blade width. (Confidence intervals were properly approximated using t-distributions.)
• Standard deviation may be a fairer metric of consistency, especially with smaller sample sizes, but range is easier to conceptualize and use, which explains the inclusion of thickness and width ranges
• Tab length and cutting edge width are calculated dimensions, and given their having been rounded to precision, CEL+2TL and TW+2CEW may be off by the caliper resolution of 0.01 mm compared to the measured dimensions of L and W, respectively

This project was started by B&B member ShavingByTheNumbers when he purchased a digital caliper and a digital micrometer on August 17, 2016, for making accurate and precise measurements of DE razor blades. A blade dimensions table was conceived in writing by ShavingByTheNumbers on August 25, 2016. On November 4–5, 2016, periphery and cutout fixtures were made, and shortly afterwards, measurements began to be made and recorded for blade dimensions. The measurement process was later refined to include wax removal time and blade mass, such that a digital milligram scale was purchased on February 20, 2017, for mass measurements.