• 19 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Socket Wrench

A ratchet handle and socket, the ratchet opened up, then the rest of a socket set.

Parts of a Socket Wrench

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Socket
  2. Handle
  3. Ratchet head
  4. Square drive
  5. Reversing lever
  6. Drive end
  7. Spring-loaded ball
  8. 6-point socket
  9. 12-point socket
  10. Ratchet gear
  11. Pawl
  12. Extension
  13. Universal joint
  14. Adapter
  15. Deep socket
  16. Hinged handle (breaker bar)
  17. Spark plug socket
  18. Sliding T-bar
  19. Speed handle

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the parts of a bolt

All 19 parts on the diagram

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Ratchet and socket 11

  1. Socket A round steel sleeve. It has a square opening at one end for the handle and an opening shaped for the nut at the other.
  2. Handle Each swing back and forth turns the socket a little further.
  3. Ratchet head The round end that holds the ratchet. That is a toothed gear and a pawl.
  4. Square drive The socket's square opening pushes onto it. Its size gives the set its name.
  5. Reversing lever In one position the handle tightens; in the other it loosens.
  6. Drive end The end with the square opening, which fits onto the square drive.
  7. Spring-loaded ball It clicks into a recess inside the socket and keeps it on. A pull takes the socket off.
  8. 6-point socket Its opening has six corners, the shape of a hex nut.
  9. 12-point socket Its opening has twelve corners. So it fits the same hex nut in twice as many positions.
  10. Ratchet gear A ring of teeth inside the head. The pawl catches in them to turn the socket.
  11. Pawl Pulled one way it locks into the teeth and turns the socket. Swung back, it slides over them.

The rest of the set 8

  1. Extension A ratchet fits one end and a socket the other. It reaches a nut that is hard to get at.
  2. Universal joint It lets a nut be turned with the handle at an angle.
  3. Adapter Lets a handle turn a socket with a different square drive size.
  4. Deep socket A longer socket for a nut on a bolt. The bolt sticks up into the socket.
  5. Hinged handle (breaker bar) Gives the most leverage when swung at right angles to the socket. Used for a tight nut.
  6. Spark plug socket A deep socket with a rubber insert. The insert protects the spark plug's ceramic insulator.
  7. Sliding T-bar The head can be set anywhere along the bar.
  8. Speed handle Worked like a brace, it spins a loosened nut off quickly.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where at least two of these use it. (1) US Navy, Tools and Their Uses, rate training manual (1971), full text at https://archive.org/details/ERIC_ED132362 : sockets with a square opening for a square drive lug and a 6-point or 12-point opening, deep lengths, the spring-loaded ball that fits a recess in the socket, the ratchet handle's reversing lever and the pawl (or dog) inside the head engaging the ratchet teeth, hinged handle, sliding T-bar handle, speed handle, bar extensions, universal joint, adapter. (2) US Army, Use and Care of Hand Tools and Measuring Tools (TM 9-243), full text at https://archive.org/details/use-and-care-of-hand-tools-and-measuring-tools-1983 : the socket's square or drive end and 6-point or 12-point opening, deep sockets, the spark plug socket's rubber insert, ratchet handles with a lever on top of the head, sliding T-bar with spring-loaded balls, speed handle, hinged handle, extensions, adapters. (3) Wikipedia, Socket wrench and Ratchet (device), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_wrench and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratchet_(device) : ratchet head and its lever, square drive, 6-point and 12-point sockets, gear and pawl, breaker bar, speed handle, extensions, size adapters, universal joints, deep and spark plug sockets. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's tool, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A ratchet handle from above and from the side, a socket ready to push on, and the head opened to show what clicks. The second drawing lays out the other pieces of a socket set.

Read the full guide

How the ratchet works

The socket pushes onto the square drive under the head, and a spring-loaded ball holds it there. Inside the head a pawl catches in the teeth of the ratchet gear. Pull the handle one way and the pawl turns the socket; swing it back and the pawl slides over the teeth. The reversing lever switches between tightening and loosening.

Sockets and the set

A socket has a square opening at its drive end and a 6-point or 12-point opening for the nut. An extension reaches a nut that is hard to get at, a universal joint lets the handle work at an angle, and an adapter joins a handle and a socket of different drive sizes.

  • A 12-point socket fits onto the same hex nut in twice as many positions as a 6-point socket.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a socket wrench?

A handle, a ratchet head with a reversing lever on top, and a square drive underneath with a spring-loaded ball. Inside the head are a toothed gear and a pawl. A separate socket pushes onto the square drive.

What are the parts of a socket set?

A run of sockets, one or more handles, and bar extensions and adapters. The handles can be a ratchet handle, a hinged handle, a sliding T-bar or a speed handle. Many sets add a universal joint, deep sockets and a spark plug socket.

What is the square part of a ratchet called?

The square drive, or drive lug. The socket's square opening pushes onto it. Its size names the set, so a handle and a socket need the same drive size, or an adapter between them.

What is the lever on a ratchet for?

It is the reversing lever. In one position the handle tightens and swings back freely; in the other position it loosens.

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