Crook handleThe top of the cane curves over in a half circle. It is the oldest handle shape. It is also called a tourist handle or a round handle.
Cane tipThe tip is the part that meets the floor. It is made of rubber and pulls off, so a worn one can be replaced. It is also called a ferrule.
Offset handleThe tube's top bends back and then forward on an offset cane. The grip then sits over the shaft.
Hand gripThe hand grip covers the handle. It is usually foam, rubber or vinyl.
Wrist strapA loop that goes round the wrist. The cane then stays with the hand when the hand lets go.
Locking ringScrews down over the joint between the two tubes. It holds the joint tight, so the cane does not rattle.
Push buttonThe push button is on a spring. Pressed in, it lets one tube slide in the other; it clicks out through one of a row of holes to set the height.
Quad cane 3
ShaftThe shaft is the long upright part of any cane. On an adjustable cane it is two tubes, one sliding inside the other.
BaseA quad cane ends in a base in place of one tip. The shaft is fixed to the base and the legs grow from it.
LegsA quad cane has four legs, each with its own rubber tip. All four stand on the floor at once.
How this list was compiled: Part names checked on 2026-09-30; a name is kept only when two independent sources use it. (1) A maker's instructions for an offset and quad cane, Medline, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5788539 (handle, hand grips, spring button and pushbuttons, adjustment hole, locking ring, collar, tips, base, four legs, offset handle cane). (2) A second maker's guide to a folding cane, Evenably, https://archive.org/details/evenably-foldable-walking-cane-user-guide (wrist strap, handle, shaft, locking nut, cane tip and rubber tip, multi-foot base). (3) Three medical suppliers' catalogs that list other makers' canes: https://archive.org/details/manualzz-id-898620 (locking rings, rubber tips, offset handle, wrist strap, foam grip, push-button height adjustment, cane shaft), https://archive.org/details/manualzz-id-1229823 (wrist strap, grips, round handle, one-button height adjustment with locking ring) and https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7241732 (crook canes, offset handle, push-button height adjustment, a quad cane with 4 legs and a base, hand grip, shaft). (4) American Family Physician, Geriatric Assistive Devices, 2011, https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2011/0815/p405.html (the shaft, the offset cane and its handle, the quadripod cane with four legs, hand grips). (5) Indian Standard IS 5145:1969, Walking Sticks, https://archive.org/details/gov.in.is.5145.1969 (handle, hand grip, rubber tip). (6) Wikipedia, Assistive cane, text only, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistive_cane (handle, the crook handle, shaft, ferrule, the quad cane's base with four ferrules, two shaft segments telescoping) and Walking stick, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_stick (hand strap). US Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 890.3075, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-890.3075, was read for the kinds of cane (standard, tripod, quad), and MedlinePlus, Using a cane, https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000343.htm, for handle and tip. Makers are named here only; the page names none. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; own work, no maker's model copied. Licence: own work
How it works
These are the parts of a cane on three common kinds. The first view shows a wooden cane and an adjustable metal one; the second shows a quad cane. Names only: choosing and sizing a cane come from a clinician.
Read the full guide
Top to bottom
A cane has a handle at the top, a shaft and a tip. The wooden cane has a crook handle. The metal cane has an offset handle with a hand grip and a wrist strap. Its shaft is two tubes, and the enlarged joint shows the locking ring and the push button that set its height. A quad cane swaps the single tip for a base with four legs.
Ferrule is another name for the rubber tip.
Collar, lock nut and locking ring are three names for the same ring.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a cane called?
From the top: the handle, often covered by a hand grip, the shaft and the tip. An adjustable cane adds a push button and a locking ring. A quad cane has a base with four legs in place of the single tip.
What is the bottom of a cane called?
The tip, or cane tip. It is a rubber cap that meets the floor and can be pulled off and replaced. Another name for it is the ferrule.
What is a quad cane?
A cane that ends in a small base with four legs, each with its own rubber tip, in place of a single tip. It is also called a quadripod cane.
What is an offset cane?
A cane whose top bends back and then forward, so that the hand grip sits over the shaft. The bent top is called an offset handle.