Parts of an Electric Fan – Grille, Blade, Motor and Stand

All 15 parts on the diagram

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The whole fan 8

Front grille The front half of the cage round the blade.
Fan blade The part that spins and moves the air.
Grille clips Small catches that hold the two grilles together.
Control panel It carries the buttons that set the speed.
Pole Two tubes, one sliding in the other, under the head.
Height adjustment knob It locks the pole at the height you choose.
Base The wide foot that keeps the fan upright.
Power cord It carries power from the wall outlet to the motor.

The head, taken apart 7

Blade cap A cap that screws on in front of the blade.
Rear grille mounting nut A ring that holds the rear grille on the motor housing.
Rear grille The back half of the cage, fixed to the motor housing.
Motor shaft The rod that the motor turns; the blade fits on it.
Motor housing The case round the motor.
Oscillation knob It turns the side-to-side swing on and off.
Neck The joint between the head and the pole. The head tilts here.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-10-01, a name kept only where two independent sources use it. Four makers' owner's manuals for stand fans, read in the Internet Archive's copies, each maker counted as one source (https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7020983, https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-590220, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6759774, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6293859); Wikipedia, Fan (machine) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_(machine)), one source. This page is not connected with or endorsed by any maker. Hints and detail lines are in our own words. Names only: the page gives no assembly or repair instructions. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry; a schematic of no maker's product, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of an electric fan are a blade on a motor shaft, two grilles round it and a stand under it. The first drawing shows a stand fan whole; the second takes its head apart.

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The whole fan

The front grille covers the fan blade, and grille clips round its rim hold it to the rear grille. Under the head is the control panel with the speed buttons. The pole is two tubes, one sliding in the other; the height adjustment knob locks them. The base keeps the fan upright.

The head, taken apart

The motor housing holds the motor. The rear grille slips over the motor shaft and a mounting nut holds it on. The blade pushes onto the shaft and the blade cap screws on in front. The oscillation knob sits on top, and the neck joins the head to the pole.

Questions and answers

What is the cage on a fan called?

A grille or guard. It comes in two halves: the rear grille is fixed to the motor housing, and the front grille clips onto it round the rim.

What is the knob on top of a fan for?

It is the oscillation knob. It switches the side-to-side swing of the head on and off.

What holds the blade on an electric fan?

The blade pushes onto the motor shaft, and a blade cap screws on in front of it.

What are the parts of a stand fan pole?

An outer tube fixed to the base and an inner tube that slides inside it. A height adjustment knob or collar at the joint locks the inner tube at the height you want.