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Guide · Hand tools · Margin, pointing, round-nose, notched and roofing trowels

What is a margin trowel, a pointing trowel and a notched trowel, and which size do you use? Trowel shapes and what each is for, roofing trowels for cement and mastic, notch sizes for tile, plastering, finishing and brick trowels

A margin trowel is a small, square-ended rectangular blade (2 by 5 inches is the common size) for scooping cement out of a can, mixing small batches and working into corners; a pointing trowel is a small triangular blade (4 to 7 inches) for filling mortar joints and spreading roof cement around a pipe or a flashing; a notched trowel has square or U-shaped teeth along its edges that meter adhesive to a set thickness for tile and flooring. Roofers use a round-nose or pointed-nose trowel (5 and 7 inch) to spread plastic roof cement, flashing cement and mastic, and a wide round-nose torch trowel to work hot modified bitumen at laps and details. The trowel for a roof patch is a round-nose or margin trowel; the size of a notched trowel is set by the tile and the adhesive manufacturer’s table.

Bayshore Safety. Industrial safety, roofing tools and jobsite supplies since 2017. · Current as of November 2026 · the C&R trowel product data on this site (2 in margin trowel; 5 and 7 in pointed-nose trowels; 5 and 7 in round-nose trowels; 6-1/4 in wide round-nose heavy-duty torch trowel); the trowel shapes and notch sizes as the masonry and tile trades label them (margin, pointing, brick, finishing, plastering, notched in 1/4 x 1/4, 1/4 x 3/8, 1/2 x 1/2 square and U notches); the tile-adhesive manufacturers’ published trowel-size tables
Trowels we stockAll roofing tools
C&R 2M Trowel, 2 in, MarginC&R 2M Trowel, 2 in, MarginThe product data lists the TR-7 as a 7 in round-nose trowel
$45.60See the product

Shape tells the job. Rectangular blades (margin, finishing, plastering, notched) spread and smooth over an area; triangular blades (pointing, brick, gauging) fill joints and work into corners; round-nose and pointed-nose blades (the roofer’s trowels) push stiff roof cement into a flashing without a sharp corner cutting the membrane. The questions people ask — what a margin trowel, pointing trowel, magic trowel or B3 notched trowel is, what size notch for which tile, what a bricklaying, masonry, concrete or finishing trowel does, the difference between a spade and a trowel — are answered by that shape rule below, with the roofing uses first because that is what our trowels are for.

Trowels, question by question

Sizes are from the product data on this site; the notch tables are the tile-adhesive manufacturers’ and the tile trade’s.

What is a margin trowel for, and what is the difference between a margin trowel and a pointing trowel?The margin trowel is the small square blade (ours is 2 inches wide) every roofer, tile setter and mason carries: it scoops roof cement from a can, mixes a quart of thinset or patch, cleans the big trowel, scrapes a flashing clean, and works cement into a corner a round trowel cannot reach. A pointing trowel is triangular with a point, 4 to 7 inches, made for pushing mortar into a brick joint (pointing or tuckpointing) and, in roofing, for spreading cement around a pipe boot or under a shingle. Square end spreads and scrapes; pointed end fills and reaches.
What is a roofing trowel, and what trowel for a roof patch or plastic roof cement?A roofing trowel is a round-nose or pointed-nose trowel with a stiff blade and a raised handle: 5 inch for flashing details and patches, 7 inch for spreading cement over a larger repair or bedding roofing fabric (the membrane in the roof cement guide linked below). The rounded nose does not nick membrane or shingles. For a patch: scrape the area, trowel plastic roof cement (ASTM D4586) about 1/8 inch thick, lay the fabric, trowel a second coat over it, feather the edges. Our TR-5, TR-7, PTR-5 and PTR-7 are those trowels; the 2 inch margin trowel gets the cement out of the can.
What is a torch trowel, and what do you use a finishing trowel for?A torch trowel is a wide round-nose heavy-duty trowel (our 6-1/4 inch) with a long handle used on modified-bitumen torch-down roofs to press and smooth the hot bitumen at the laps and around details right behind the torch, and to check the bleed-out. It is heavier than a roof cement trowel so the heat does not warp it. A finishing trowel is the long rectangular steel blade (12 to 20 inches by 3 to 5) for smoothing fresh concrete after the float; a plastering trowel is a similar rectangle (11 to 14 by 4-3/4 is the standard plastering size) for skimming plaster and stucco; a magic trowel is a trade name for a flexible plastic-bladed squeegee trowel used to skim-coat drywall and plaster smooth.
What is a bricklaying trowel, a masonry trowel and a concrete trowel used for?The brick trowel is the big triangular trowel (10 to 12 inches, Philadelphia or London pattern) for picking up a load of mortar, spreading a bed joint and buttering a brick; a masonry trowel is the same tool or the family of them (brick, pointing, margin, gauging, tuck). Concrete trowels are the rectangles: the float and finishing trowel for slabs, the edger and groover for edges and control joints, and the power trowel (the machine with rotating blades) for large slabs. What a trowel finish looks like: smooth, dense and slightly glossy on concrete; on stucco, the pattern the trowel leaves (skip, sand, smooth).
What is a notched trowel, what is a B3 notched trowel, and how do I select the size?A notched trowel has teeth cut into its edges so that when it is held at 45 degrees it leaves ridges of adhesive of a set height; when the tile is pressed in, the ridges collapse into a bed of known thickness. Notch sizes are written as width by depth: 3/16 x 5/32 V-notch, 1/4 x 1/4 square, 1/4 x 3/8 square, 1/2 x 1/2 square, and U-notches for large tile. B3 is the European designation for a 3 mm notch (about 1/8 inch), used for mosaics and thin wall tile. Select by tile size and the adhesive manufacturer’s table: the larger the tile, the deeper the notch, so that 95 percent coverage (exterior and wet areas) or 80 percent (interior dry) is reached.
What size trowel for 4x4 ceramic tile, 4x12 wall tile, a backsplash, 600x600 floor tile and general wall tile?The common tables: mosaics and tile under 2 inches, 3/16 x 5/32 V-notch; 4x4 and 4x12 wall tile and most backsplash tile, 1/4 x 1/4 square notch; 6x6 to 12x12 floor tile, 1/4 x 3/8 square; 12x12 to 16x16, 1/2 x 1/2 square or a 3/8 inch U-notch; large format (600 x 600 mm, which is about 24 x 24 inches, and 12x24 planks), 1/2 x 1/2 square or a 3/4 inch U-notch with the back of the tile buttered as well. Back buttering is spreading a thin coat on the back of the tile with the flat side of the trowel before setting it, to fill the tile’s texture and raise coverage. The adhesive bag has the table; follow it over any general one.
What size trowel machine, and what is a pointer trowel?A trowel machine (power trowel) is sized by blade diameter: 24 to 36 inch walk-behind for small slabs, 36 to 48 inch for commercial floors, ride-on with twin 36 to 60 inch rotors for warehouse slabs. Pointer trowel is another name for the pointing trowel; gauging trowel is a rounded-tip version for mixing small batches of plaster.
What is the difference between a garden spade and a trowel, and between a shovel and a trowel?In the garden a trowel is the hand-sized scoop for planting and a spade is the full-size digging blade; neither is the mason’s or roofer’s trowel, which is a flat steel blade for spreading. The word covers both, which is why the question comes up; the shovel guide linked below covers digging tools.
What is a magic trowel, and what are the different types of trowels?The magic trowel is a brand of flexible plastic blade on a handle for skim coating; it is a squeegee for drywall mud. Types, by shape and trade: margin, pointing (pointer), brick (Philadelphia, London, narrow London), gauging, tuck pointer, finishing, plastering, pool trowel (rounded corners for curved surfaces), notched (square, V and U), bucket trowel, edger and groover, roofing (round nose, pointed nose, torch), and the wood or magnesium float, which is a trowel’s rough-surfaced cousin.

Trowels in plain words

  • Margin trowel: small square blade; scoops, mixes, scrapes, corners. Everyone carries one.
  • Pointing trowel: small triangle; fills joints and reaches around pipes and flashings.
  • Round-nose and pointed-nose trowels (5 and 7 in) spread roof cement and mastic without nicking the roof.
  • Torch trowel: wide, heavy round nose for pressing hot modified bitumen at laps.
  • Notched trowel meters adhesive: 1/4 x 1/4 for 4x4 wall tile and backsplash, 1/4 x 3/8 for 12x12, 1/2 x 1/2 or a U-notch for large format; B3 is a 3 mm notch.
  • Finishing and plastering trowels are long rectangles for concrete and plaster; brick trowels are big triangles for mortar.
  • Back butter large tile; aim for 95 percent coverage outside and in wet areas.
  • Garden trowel and spade are digging tools, not spreading tools.

Questions people ask

What is a magic trowel?

A brand of flexible plastic-bladed skimming trowel used like a squeegee on drywall mud and plaster.

What is a bricklaying trowel used for?

Picking up, spreading and buttering mortar for brick and block; the big triangular trowel.

How to select trowel size?

By tile size and the adhesive manufacturer’s table: bigger tile, deeper notch, to reach 80 to 95 percent coverage.

What is a masonry trowel used for?

Spreading mortar, filling joints and finishing; the family includes brick, pointing, margin and gauging trowels.

What size trowel for 600x600 floor tiles?

A 1/2 x 1/2 inch square notch or 3/4 inch U-notch, with the tile back buttered.

What is the difference between a margin trowel and a pointing trowel?

Square end for scooping, mixing and corners vs triangular point for filling joints and reaching around details.

What is the difference between a garden spade and a trowel?

A spade digs with a full-size blade; a garden trowel is a hand scoop; the mason’s trowel spreads and is a different tool.

What do you use a finishing trowel for?

Smoothing fresh concrete after floating; a long steel rectangle.

What is the standard size plastering trowel?

About 11 to 14 inches by 4-3/4 inches.

What is a B3 notched trowel?

A European 3 mm (about 1/8 inch) notch for mosaics and thin wall tile.

What is the difference between a brick trowel and a pointing trowel?

Size: a brick trowel is 10 to 12 inches for spreading beds; a pointing trowel is 4 to 7 inches for joints.

What size trowel should I use for 4x4 ceramic tile?

1/4 x 1/4 inch square notch.

What is a pointer trowel?

Another name for the pointing trowel.

What size trowel for 4x12 wall tile?

1/4 x 1/4 inch square notch; 1/4 x 3/8 if the tile back is deeply textured.

What are the different types of trowels?

Margin, pointing, brick, gauging, finishing, plastering, pool, notched, bucket, edger, and the roofing round-nose, pointed-nose and torch trowels.

What is the difference between a finishing trowel and a margin trowel?

A finishing trowel is a long rectangle for smoothing concrete; a margin trowel is a small square blade for scooping and corners.

What size trowel machine?

24 to 36 inch walk-behind for small slabs, 36 to 48 inch for commercial floors, ride-on twin rotors for warehouses.

What is a margin trowel used for?

Scooping cement from a can, mixing small batches, cleaning tools and working material into corners.

What is back buttering tile?

Spreading a thin coat of adhesive on the back of the tile with the flat of the trowel before setting it, to raise coverage.

What does a trowel finish look like?

On concrete, smooth and dense with a slight sheen; on stucco, the pattern the trowel leaves.

Related guides

Roof cement, sealant and primerASTM D4586 and D41, and removing tarRoofing torches and torch-downPropane torches and modified bitumenPutty knives, scrapers and razor bladesWhich is which and how to keep them sharpShovels, spades and scoopsThe three types and what each is forWhich gloves protect against chemicals?How to read a chemical resistance chart

The ratings, test results and standards shown here are the manufacturers' published values, reproduced as published. Nothing on this page is a recommendation by Bayshore Safety that any product is suitable for a particular task, hazard or workplace. Selecting safety products and protective equipment is the responsibility of the end user and the employer, based on their own hazard assessment and the regulations that apply to their work. Confirm every value on the manufacturer's own documentation before use.

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