How Do I Know Which Cricut Blade to Use?

Blade Compatibility Chart

Cricut Maker Blades and Tools

The Cricut Maker utilizes an adaptive tool system with five different blades and housings, plus one additional tool:

• Rotary blade + drive housing
• Knife blade + drive housing
• Scoring Wheel & Double Scoring Wheel + drive housing
• Premium Fine-Point blade + housing
• Deep point blade + housing
• Bonded-Fabric blade + housing

Rotary Blade

The Rotary Blade offers customizable, precision fabric cutting for sewing crafts. Its gliding, rolling action cuts through virtually any fabric quickly and accurately without a backer material.

Tips for Rotary Blade Use:

• Recommended for fabrics and other soft, delicate, or less-dense materials like tissue paper and cork.
• For best results, use with images sized 3/4" or larger. Smaller images may cause the blade to scrape, potentially gouging the mat and reducing blade life.
• Must be used with the Rotary Blade Drive Housing.
• Use with the FabricGrip mat, which is designed to withstand the pressures of rotary cutting.
• The drive housing includes a plastic cover over the gear; keep it in place during cutting to prevent debris from entering the gears.
• Compatible with the Cricut Maker only.

Knife Blade

The extra-deep Knife Blade slices through dense materials up to 3/32" thick with ease and safety, ideal for cuts of moderate detail in thicker materials.

Tips for Knife Blade Use:

• Recommended for thicker materials such as balsa wood, matboard, and chipboard.
• Must be used with the Knife Blade Drive Housing.
• Move the star wheels on the roller bar aside to avoid leaving track marks on thicker materials.
• The drive housing includes a plastic cover over the gear; keep it in place during cutting to prevent debris from entering the gears.
• Compatible with the Cricut Maker only.

Scoring Wheel and Double Scoring Wheel

Designed for the Cricut Maker, these tools offer up to 10X more pressure than the Scoring Stylus, creating crisp creases for perfect folds in thick and thin materials.

Tips for Scoring Wheels:

• Scoring Wheel: Creates a deep, single score line, perfect for uncoated, light materials like crepe paper, light cardstock, and acetate.
• Double Scoring Wheel: Creates two deep, parallel score lines for coated or heavier materials like poster board and cardboard.
• The QuickSwap™ Housing allows for easy tip changes.
• The drive housing includes a plastic cover over the gear; keep it in place during cutting to prevent debris from entering the gears.
• Compatible with the Cricut Maker only.

Fine Point Blades

Cricut fine-point blades are made from premium German carbide steel for durability and precision. They are color-coded for easy identification:

• Premium Fine-Point: Gold or Silver
• Deep Point: Black
• Bonded Fabric: Pink

Premium Fine-Point Blade

Designed for intricate cuts in thin to medium-weight materials. Formerly known as the Premium German Carbide Blade, it is also used with the Explore family of machines.

Tips for Premium Fine-Point Blade Use:

• Recommended for paper, cardstock, poster-board, vinyl, iron-on, and other thin to medium weight materials.
• Premium Fine-Point blades are gold or silver.
• Use with the Premium Fine-Point blade housing; can also be used with the Bonded Fabric blade housing.
• Compatible with the Explore family of machines.

Deep Point Blade

This fine point blade features a steeper blade angle (60 degrees vs. 45 degrees) and harder steel for intricate cuts on a wider variety of materials.

Tips for Deep Point Blade Use:

• Recommended for intricate cuts on thicker materials like magnet, chipboard, stamp material, thick cardstock, stiffened felt, foam sheets, and cardboard.
• Must be used with the Deep-Point Blade Housing.
• Compatible with the Explore family of machines.

Bonded-Fabric Blade

This blade offers the functionality of the Premium Fine-Point blade but is distinguished by a pink color to match the FabricGrip mat, making it easy to identify for bonded fabrics. It preserves the life of fabric scissors.

Tips for Bonded-Fabric Blade Use:

• Recommended for intricate cuts on bonded fabrics or fabrics with an iron-on backer.
• Bonded-Fabric blades are pink.
• Use with the Bonded-Fabric Blade Housing; can also be used in Premium Fine-Point housing if needed.
• Compatible with the Explore family of machines.

Cricut Explore Family Compatibility

Explore Blade Housing

The standard housing shipped with Explore machines is designed for Premium Fine-Point blades.

Deep Point Blade with Housing

The Cricut Explore Deep Point blade and housing are designed for thicker materials (up to 2.0mm), featuring a steeper angle and shorter housing for clearance.

Bonded-Fabric Blade and Housing

This blade and housing are optimized for bonded fabrics and iron-on backers. It can be used with the Bonded-Fabric Blade Housing or the Premium Fine-Point housing.

Cricut Personal, Create, Expression, Expression 2, and Imagine

These machines primarily use the Fine Point Blade (also known as Standard Replacement Blades, sold with green or grey caps) and the Standard Blade Housing (green).

Cricut Deep Cut Blade and Housing

The blue Deep Cut blade housing accepts deep cut replacement blades (identified by blue caps). The blade has a steeper angle (60 degrees) and the housing is shorter for thicker materials up to 1.5mm.

Cricut Scoring Tip with Housing

This tool is used to create score lines rather than cuts.

Note: Deep Cut blades require Deep Cut blade housings, and Premium German carbide and Standard blades require Explore or Standard blade housings.

Cricut Cake, Cake Mini

Blade and blade housings for the Cricut Cake and Cricut Cake Mini machines are food-safe.

Cricut Cake Blades

These blades came with silicone protectors to shield the housing from food particles.

Cricut Cake Blade Housing

This food-safe housing is designed for use with Cake and Cake Mini machines.

Note: Blades and housings for the original Cricut Cake machine have been discontinued.

Additional Resources

• Learn.cricut.com
• Help.cricut.com
• Inspiration.cricut.com