10 parts
Checked September 2026

Parts of a Stethoscope

Tap a stethoscope part to read its name, or press Quiz me to find each one.

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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

Ear tips (earpieces)
Ear tubes (binaurals)
Tension spring
Tubing (tube)
Stem
Chestpiece (head)
Diaphragm
Rim (non-chill rim)
Bell
Bell sleeve (non-chill ring)

Drawn for this site, 2026-09-19. Licence: own work.

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All 10 parts on the diagram

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Core names: 7 parts 7

Ear tips (earpieces) Soft tips, often silicone, on the ends of the ear tubes. They snap or screw on and make a seal with the ear. The instrument needs that seal to carry sound well.
Ear tubes (binaurals) Two metal tubes that carry sound up to the ear tips. They are of steel or aluminum, angled forward to line up with the ear canals. The pair is also called the binaurals, after the two-eared design of 1851.
Tubing (tube) Carries sound from the chestpiece up to the headset. It is a flexible air-filled tube. Two makers say theirs is PVC made without natural rubber latex. Some cardiology models run two sound channels inside one tube.
Stem The metal post that joins the tubing to the chestpiece. A two-sided chestpiece turns on it, which opens the sound path to one side and closes the other. References also call it the valve stem or the tubing stem.
Chestpiece (head) The part that picks up sound. A two-sided chestpiece has a flat diaphragm side and a smaller cupped bell side, and some models have one side only. It is made of stainless steel, zinc alloy or aluminum.
Diaphragm The flat plastic disc on the larger side. Body sounds make it vibrate, and it passes on higher-pitched sounds best. A tunable one, a design of the late 1970s, also passes low sounds when it is held with light pressure.
Bell The small hollow cup on the second side. With no disc over it, the skin itself sets the air inside moving, and it passes on low-pitched sounds best. Turning the chestpiece on its stem opens the sound path to this side.

Headset: 3 parts 1

Tension spring Joins the two ear tubes and sets how firmly the headset holds. The two-tube design of the 1940s had an exposed leaf spring. One maker's glossary calls it a tensioning spring.

Chestpiece: 6 parts 2

Rim (non-chill rim) The ring that holds the diaphragm in place on the chestpiece. One maker's glossary calls it a non-chill rim and says it is there for the patient's comfort. Makers list it as a separate spare part.
Bell sleeve (non-chill ring) A ring around the edge of the bell. One maker's glossary calls it a non-chill bell ring and says it is there for the patient's comfort. Another maker lists the non-chill bell sleeve among the parts that come off.

How this list was compiled: Every part name is used by at least two of three independent references, all read on 2026-09-19 for facts only, with nothing copied. (1) Wikipedia, Stethoscope, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stethoscope: chestpiece, diaphragm (plastic disc), bell (hollow cup), tubing, earpieces and the seal they make, binaural ear tubes joined by an exposed leaf spring on the two-tube design of the 1940s, which side passes which pitch, the tube that is open on one side and rotates 180 degrees in the head, the years 1816 and 1851, the lighter design of the early 1960s and the tunable diaphragm of the late 1970s. (2) American Diagnostic Corporation learning center, three pages: https://www.adctoday.com/learning-center/about-stethoscopes/anatomy-clinician-stethscope-0, https://www.adctoday.com/learning-center/about-stethoscopes/anatomy-cardiology-stethoscope and https://www.adctoday.com/learning-center/about-stethoscopes/anatomy-sprauge-stethoscope: headset, aural tubes, eartips, tensioning springs, tubing, chestpiece, valve stem, diaphragm, non-chill rim, bell, non-chill bell ring, the metals used, the 15 degree angle of the tubes, PVC tubing made without natural rubber latex, two sound channels in one tube, one-sided and two-sided chestpieces, snap-on and threaded eartips. (3) Littmann stethoscope pages: https://www.littmann.com/en-us/home/classic-iii-stethoscope/ and https://www.littmann.com/en-us/home/cardiology-iv-stethoscope/ (eartips, eartubes, headset, tubing, tubing stems, chestpiece, diaphragm, bell, non-chill bell sleeve, the chestpiece that is rotated to open one side and close the other, light and firm pressure on a tunable diaphragm, PVC tubing, dual-lumen tubing), https://www.littmann.com/en-us/home/education/ (ear tips point forward, the headset is angled to suit the ear canal), https://www.littmann.com/en-us/home/products/accessories/ and https://www.littmann.com/en-us/home/warranty-and-repairs/ (rims, diaphragms, non-chill sleeves, eartubes and eartips as separate spare parts). The two makers are named here as references only. Labels, hints, detail lines, groups and position notes were written for this site. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site, 2026-09-19. Own original line drawing of a generic two-sided acoustic stethoscope: the whole instrument from above and the listening end enlarged twice. Nothing traced or copied; no maker's model or mark shown. Read for accuracy: Wikipedia, Stethoscope (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stethoscope). Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a stethoscope fall into three sets: the headset that is worn, the tubing, and the chestpiece that rests on the skin. This drawing shows the whole instrument and two close views of the chestpiece, with 10 numbered parts to find or name. The page teaches names only, not how to examine anyone.

Read the full guide

Parts of a stethoscope labeled from ear tips to bell

Study lists the 10 names in order, each with a line on what the part does. Find it names a part for you to tap. Name it lights a ring, and you pick from 4 choices or press Type it. The group Core names: 7 parts holds the names that all three of our references use.

Diaphragm side and bell side of the chestpiece

A two-sided chestpiece has a wide flat face and a small cupped one, so the drawing shows it twice. The diaphragm is the flat disc, held on by the rim, and it passes on higher-pitched sounds best. The bell is the hollow cup with a sleeve around its lip, and it passes on low-pitched sounds best. The group Chestpiece: 6 parts zooms in on both views.

Say the names in the order sound travels, from the skin to the ear: diaphragm or bell, chestpiece, stem, tubing, ear tubes, ear tips.
Ear tubes and binaurals name one part, and so do chestpiece and head. Typed answers accept either.
After a round, the main button reviews the parts you missed. Print blank leaves 10 numbered lines to fill in, and Print labelled is the key.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between the bell and the diaphragm?

They are the two faces of a two-sided chestpiece. Body sounds make the plastic diaphragm vibrate. Under the bell, the skin itself sets the air moving. Turning the chestpiece on its stem opens the sound path to one face and closes the other.

What are the binaurals on a stethoscope?

Binaurals is an older name for the two metal ear tubes, and some references use it for the whole headset. It comes from the binaural, or two-eared, design of 1851. The first stethoscope, made in 1816, was a single wooden tube held to one ear.

Why is there no headset, yoke or battery on the drawing?

Headset names the ear tips, ear tubes and tension spring together, so it is a group here and not a single ring. The fork where the ear tubes meet the tubing is drawn. Only one of our three references names it, and a name needs two. An electronic stethoscope, with its microphone and amplifier, is a different instrument.