Wondering what are the different Cricut blades and what they do?
There are a number of different blades that you can use on your Cricut machine. It can almost feel confusing to know which you need for which material and project.
I have used the same blade to do paper cutting and vinyl cutting and have had no problems though there are blades that are specific for things such as wood and fabric along with different blades for scoring.
What Is A Cricut Blade?
A Cricut blade is a small blade that sits in a clasp in your Cricut Machine. It cuts the design on your screen.
The blades can cut a number of different materials, some are universal and some are more specialised. There are also different blades for effects such as scoring.
What Is A Blade Housing?
A blade housing is a thicker plastic or metal cylindrical in which the blade sits. As the blades are very small and thin they are placed in a larger casing and then into the Cricut machine.
The housing is the part which you would remove first from the machine to remove or change the blade.
Each housing is different and is only compatible with certain Cricut blades. Below each blade will be listed and will specify if it requires a specific housing or not.
What Are The Different Cricut Blades
Cricut has an expansive range of blades which you can use on your machines. Though it can be hard to know what blade you need for what material and to achieve certain results.
I wanted to list the blades below and give a little background into each one to explain more about the blade, what it is used for and the materials it is compatible with.
The blades are colour coded to match your machine so when you go to buy you need to look for the blade that matches the colour of your machine. There is a handy table further down to show which blades are available for which machines.
Fine Point Blade
The fine point blade is made to create intricate and delicate cuts on your Cricut machine. The best styles of materials to use with this blade are lightweight to medium-weight materials.
Materials such as paper, cardstock, poster board, vinyl and iron on.
This blade and housing are compatible with the Circut Maker and Cricut Explore families.
The colour compatibility for this blade is: Gold or Silver
Deep Point Blade
This is another blade that comes under the fine point blade family. The deep point blade is made to make intricate and delicate designs easy but cuts on a wider range of materials.
Materials that are compatible are thicker materials such as magnet, chipboard, thick cardstock, stiffened felt, foam sheets and some fabrics.
The blade is at a steeper angle at 60 degrees whereas the other fine point blades are 45 degrees. This makes the blader harder and more durable during cutting.
The blade must be used in the deep point blade housing. It is also compatible with Cricut Maker and Cricut Explore family.
The colour compatibility for this blade is: Black
Rotary Blade
The rotary blade enables the fabric to be cut with customizable precision. It is a blade that glides and rolls through the material to create neat and tidy cuts.
The blade enables cuts through any fabric without any need for a backing. This blade is compatible with fabrics and other soft, delicate or thin materials like tissue paper and cork.
This blade is not suitable for cuts that are smaller than 3/4 inch thick or too intricate as it may cause the blade to scrape and tear as it tried to create the tight cut.
It can only be used with the rotary blade housing and is only compatible with the Cricut Maker. It is also recommended that you use the FabricGrip (pink) mat to keep your fabric sturdy and flat.
Bonded Fabric Blade
I have spoken about the benefits of changing a Cricut blade for different materials and this is a blade that supports that.
This blade is made to give you the functions of the fine point blade but in the colour pink to match the FabricGrip (pink) mat.
The materials that are most suitable for this blade are bonded fabrics and fabrics with an iron-on backing. Other materials should be used with the original fine point blade.
This blade should be used with the bonded – fabric blade housing and should be used with the FabricGrip mat. The blade is only compatible with the Cricut Maker and Cricut Explore Family.
The colour compatibility for this blade is: Pink
Knife Blade
The knife blade is made to slice through more dense materials at a depth of 3/32″ thickness. It is great for using thicker materials to cut more intricate or detailed cuts.
Materials that are compatible are things such as balsa wood and chipboard.
This blade must be used with the knife blade housing. It is only compatible with the Cricut Maker machine.
Quick Swap Wavy Blade
This wavy blade offers a different technique to your cuts and designs The wavy blade creates a wavy cut and a decorative edge to your cuts.
This is a great blade to use on cards, gift tags, scrapbook projects and envelopes to give it a more decorative edging.
This blade requires the Quick Swap housing that is eligible for use with other of Quick Swap blades. This blade is only compatible for use with the Cricut Maker.
All Purpose Cricut Joy Blade
This is an all-purpose blade only available to use with the Cricut Joy.
This blade is compatible with infusible ink transfer sheets, insert cards, vinyl, iron-on, cardstock and more.
The Cricut Joy housing is silver or white.
Quick Swap Perforation Blade
The perforation blade is made to create perforation lines allowing for clean tearing without needing to fold, great for using with curves.
This is perfect for using for tear-away pages, raffle tickets, journals etc.
The perforation blade is only compatible with Cricut Maker and requires the Quick Swap housing.
Quick Swap Debossing Tip
Another tip that can help create intricate design features and elegance with paper crafts. The debossing tip creates dimension and flair to paper crafts.
This tip requires the Quick Swap housing and is only compatible with the Cricut Maker.
Quick Swap Scoring Wheel Tips
The scoring wheel tips are made to score crisp creases in both thick and thin materials to create easy folds in card and paper.
Materials that are compatible with this tip are light materials, crepe paper, light cardstock and acetate.
There is also a double scoring wheel that creates two parallel score lines.
The Cricut tip requires the Quick Swap housing and is only compatible with the Cricut Maker machine.
Quick Swap Engraving Tip
This particular tip is used to engrave designs or words into materials to create beautiful work.
Create designs such as flourishes, embellishments, monograms and individual text.
This is only to be used with the Quick Swap housing and is only compatible with the Cricut Maker machine.
What Cricut Blade Fits My Cricut Machine?
Similar to my other post about Cricut mats, not all blades are compatible with every machine. There are some Cricut machines which are designed for specific tasks and require specific blades.
Blades are also different due to what they do, some score on wood and some are rotary to create a number of cuts.
Here is a table to below to show the different types of blade and whether they are compatible with the different styles of Cricut machines.
| Blade Type | Cricut Joy | Circut Explore | Cricut Maker |
| Fine Point Blade | No | Yes | Yes |
| Rotary Blade | No | No | Yes |
| Deep Point Blade | No | Yes | Yes |
| Bonded Fabric Blade | No | Yes | Yes |
| Knife Blade | No | No | Yes |
| Quick Swap Perforation blade | No | No | Yes |
| Cricut Joy Fine Point Blade | Yes | No | No |
| Quick Swap Scoring Wheel tips | No | No | Yes |
| Quick Swap Debossing tip | No | No | Yes |
| Quick Swap Wavy Blade | No | No | Yes |
There are other blades that are available for older Cricut models such as the Cricut Cake, Create and Expression.
Where Can I Buy Cricut Blades
There are a number of places you can buy Cricut blades.
The best places to shop in-store are places such as Hobby Lobby or Joann’s for those in the USA and Hobbycraft for those in the UK.
Alternatively, you can find a number of different Cricut blades online on platforms such as Amazon, eBay and Etsy.
Tip: Make sure you are buying genuine Cricut products before making a purchase as there are many off brands that are selling “Cricut like” blades and accessories.