ClapperHangs inside and strikes the sound bow as the bell swings.
MouthThe open end; a bell's size is given as its width here.
CrownThe top of the bell, under the canons.
ShoulderWhere the crown curves down into the side.
WaistThe thinnest part of the wall, between shoulder and sound bow.
Sound bowThe thickest part of the wall, where the clapper strikes.
LipThe bottom edge of the bell's wall, round the mouth.
CanonsLoops cast on the crown that fasten the bell to the headstock.
HeadstockThe block the bell is fixed to; it turns on the axle.
Hung for ringing 4
WheelTurned by the rope; the bell swings through almost a full circle.
RopeRuns in a groove round the wheel and down to the ringer.
StayA wooden bar that stops the bell once it swings mouth up.
FrameHolds the bearings the bell turns in.
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-23. (1) Wikipedia, Bell, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell: parts of a typical tower bell hung for swinging: headstock or yoke, canons, crown, shoulder, waist, sound bow, lip, mouth and clapper; a stay that sticks up when the bells are down; a bell swung with a rope and wheel; frames. (2) H. B. Walters, Church Bells (1908), Project Gutenberg #46273, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46273: the cannons or metal loops that attach the bell to the stock; the shoulder and the waist; the lip; the crown and the sound-bow, where the clapper strikes; the headstock turning on gudgeons in the frame; the wheel with the rope; the stay and the slider (p. 68 and plate 27); the diameter of a bell reckoned at the mouth. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-23. Licence: own work
How it works
A bell is a hollow cast cup struck from inside by its clapper. From top to bottom its wall is the crown, shoulder, waist, sound bow and lip, round an open mouth.
Read the full guide
The profile, top to bottom
The canons are loops cast on the crown that fix the bell to its headstock. Below the shoulder the wall thins at the waist, then thickens to the sound bow, where the clapper strikes, and ends at the lip.
Parts of a church bell hung for ringing
The headstock turns on an axle in a timber frame. A wheel on the axle carries the rope down to the ringer, so the bell can swing round to mouth up; the stay, standing up while the bell hangs down, lets it rest there.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a bell called?
From the top: canons, crown, shoulder, waist, sound bow and lip, with the mouth as the open end and the clapper hanging inside. A tower bell also has a headstock, wheel, rope and stay.
What is the sound bow of a bell?
The thick lower part of the wall, just above the lip. The clapper strikes it there. A crack at the sound bow ruins a bell's tone, while one at the crown may not.
Where is the clapper attached?
Inside the crown, from a loop cast into the bell. It hangs down so that its ball meets the sound bow as the bell swings.