Nozzle (spray nozzle)Shapes the water into a mist, a spray or a stream.
Spigot (outdoor faucet)The water source; the hose screws onto its threaded outlet.
Female coupling (female end)Screws onto the spigot; its threads are on the inside.
Male coupling (male end)Screws into a nozzle, a sprinkler or another hose.
Hose washer (gasket)Makes the seal; garden hose threads do not seal.
Threads (garden hose thread)One standard size in the United States and Canada.
Outer cover (jacket)Protects the layers beneath from abrasion and sunlight.
Inner tube (core)Carries the water from the spigot to the hose end.
Whole hose, spigot to nozzle 4
Trigger (nozzle trigger)Squeezed to let water through the nozzle.
Shut-off valve (ball valve)Stops or regulates the flow at the end of the hose.
Hose clamp (band clamp)A screw tightens the band to seal the hose onto a fitting.
Hose mender (repair coupling)Joins two cut ends after a damaged section is cut out.
Hose ends up close 5
Quick-connect fitting (quick coupler)Snaps on and off, so no threads are turned each time.
Swivel (swivel nut)Turns freely, so the hose does not twist as it is attached.
Ferrule (crimp collar)Crimped to pinch the hose onto the fitting inside it.
Hose barb (barbed tail)The tail of a fitting, pushed inside the end of the hose.
O-ring (seal ring)Seals the quick-connect fitting when its two halves lock together.
Hose wall cut open 1
Reinforcement layer (mesh)Fibers that keep the hose from bursting under pressure.
How this list was compiled: Part names and every detail line were checked, for facts only and with nothing copied, against pages read on 2026-09-20. A hose maker's guides, under https://swanhose.com/blogs/: general-hoses/garden-hose-couplings-the-complete-guide (a typical garden hose has two ferrules, one male coupling and one female coupling; the tail or stem of a fitting goes inside the hose end, barbed or expanded; the ferrule is crimped to pinch the hose between it and the fitting; the female coupling has a rotating component with the threading inside and needs an O-ring or a garden hose washer; the washer makes the seal and the threads do not; one standard thread size in the United States and Canada, also written GHT, GHM and GHF), general-hoses/understanding-the-layers-of-a-garden-hose-a-comprehensive-guide (core layer or inner tube, reinforcement layer of webbed or braided fibers that sets the burst pressure, jacket that guards against abrasion and ultraviolet light), hose-repair-storage/how-to-maintain-your-hose-and-extend-its-life (the washer seated in the coupling) and accessories/how-to-choose-the-best-water-hose-nozzle. A second maker's guides, under https://flexzilla.com/blogs/our-blog/: what-causes-a-leaky-garden-hose (the seal happens at a small rubber washer inside the female end, not at the threads; 3/4 inch garden hose thread), kink-resistant-garden-hoses-what-actually-works (swivel: the connector rotates independently of the hose body; bend restrictors), how-long-does-a-garden-hose-last (the braided yarn or mesh layer keeps a hose from ballooning or splitting under pressure; inner core; weeping water at the collar; stamped brass crimps), considerations-when-buying-a-garden-hose (swivel fittings; nozzle triggers), flexzilla-swivelgrip-garden-hose (inner tube; outer jacket) and the-ultimate-garden-hose-buying-guide-for-fall-projects (abrasion-resistant outer cover). A third maker's pages, under https://www.eleyhosereels.com/: blogs/outdoor-watering-resources/kink-resistant-garden-hoses (every hose has layers: inner tube, reinforcement layer, outer cover), pages/trouble-shooting-garden-hose (the garden hose gasket or O-ring in the female fitting; crimped repair fittings), blogs/outdoor-watering-resources/the-eley-quick-connect-system-designed-with-you-in-mind (a plug and a socket, O-rings) and blogs/outdoor-watering-resources/using-the-eley-ball-valves-makes-a-difference (a ball valve at the hose end gives positive water shut off and regulates the flow). A fourth maker: https://www.orbitonline.com/blogs/learn-and-grow/how-to-repair-a-hose-with-a-hose-mender (hose menders replace the attachment end of a hose or repair a leak). A fifth maker: https://waterrightinc.com/pages/how-to-replace-hose-fittings (one hose clamp for each fitting). Iowa State University Extension, Hose Care: https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/article/1996/6-28-1996/hosecare.html (good hoses have heavy brass couplings; hexagonal or octagonal ones resist crushing; faucet). South Dakota State University Extension's page https://extension.sdstate.edu/options-watering-home-gardens-and-landscape-plantings was read too and names no hose parts. A home repair magazine: https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/how-to-repair-a-garden-hose/ (rubber hose washers in the female end; male or female connectors; clench hose menders, clamp couplers and a compression mender; push the repair fitting's barbed end into the hose; hose clamps). Two home improvement sites: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/gardening/best-garden-hose (couplings are the fittings on a garden hose's ends; a brass fitting that is also a shut-off valve; swivel grips; a spray nozzle adjusts the spray pattern, from a gentle mist to a stronger stream) and https://www.bobvila.com/reviews/best-lightweight-garden-hoses/ (inner core and outer cover; a trigger-style sprayer; a swivel connector). Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_hose (male and female ends; the hose washer seals because the threads are not tapered; the mating end has a captive nut; garden hose thread, GHT, in the United States, its territories and Canada; an internal web of fibers; hose barb and quick-connect fittings), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hose_coupling (quick-connect garden hose couplings; the rubber O-ring on the plastic kind), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hose_clamp (a device that attaches and seals a hose on a fitting such as a barb; worm drive clamp, band clamp, hose clip and Jubilee Clip as other names; swage fittings, where a stiff collar is squeezed on the hose) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrule (a ring crimped or swaged to fasten). Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-28; nothing traced or copied. Read for accuracy: Wikipedia’s Garden hose, Hose coupling and Hose clamp. Licence: own work
How it works
The parts of a water hose are few: a coupling crimped onto each end, a rubber washer that makes the seal, and a wall of three layers. This drawing follows one garden hose from the spigot to the nozzle and draws both ends large.
Read the full guide
Parts of a hose, from the spigot to the nozzle
The female coupling screws onto the spigot. Its swivel turns while the hose stays still, and the hose washer inside it makes the seal, because garden hose threads do not. At the far end the male coupling carries its threads on the outside and screws into a nozzle, a shut-off valve or a quick-connect fitting.
Inside a coupling and inside the wall
Each coupling has a barbed tail pushed inside the hose, and a ferrule crimped round the outside pinches the hose onto it. The wall has three layers: an inner tube that carries the water, a reinforcement layer of fibers and an outer cover. A hose mender joins two cut ends.
Pick the group Hose wall cut open for 3 parts alone: inner tube, reinforcement layer and outer cover. The drawing zooms in.
Start here: 8 main parts runs from the spigot and the two couplings to the hose washer, the threads and the nozzle.
Questions and answers
What are the ends of a garden hose called?
Couplings. The female coupling, with threads inside a ring that turns, screws onto the spigot. The male coupling, with threads on the outside, screws into a nozzle or a sprinkler. They are also called the female end and the male end.
What is the rubber ring inside a garden hose for?
It is the hose washer, and it makes the seal. Garden hose threads are not tapered, so they hold the coupling on and do not seal it. The washer sits inside the female coupling and is pinched against the spigot.
Are all garden hose threads the same size?
In the United States and Canada, home hoses share one standard, called garden hose thread or GHT. The inside diameter of the hose varies and the threads on its couplings do not. Other countries use a British Standard Pipe thread, which does not fit.
What are the layers of a garden hose?
Most have three. The inner tube carries the water. The reinforcement layer, a mesh of fibers, keeps the hose from bursting under pressure. The outer cover, also called the jacket, protects both from abrasion and sunlight.