Whitworth/B.S.F and B.A spanners,sockets,box spanners,taps,dies .
A conversion chart for Whitworth to BSF to imperial and metric wrench sizes is at the foot of this page..
A guy went into Halfords and asked "Do you sell whitworth spanners?" "No,only Halfords" was the reply.
 
To work on machinery made before makers adopted the metric standard you need imperial,whitworth or BSF tools.Metric spanners aren't made to fit the UNF,UNC,whitworth/BSF or BA nuts and bolts found on many early classic vehicles or motorcycles.Whitworth and BSF fixings are not  interchangeable with SAE or metric fastenings.I can supply good quality Whitworth/BSF ring,open end and box spanners,sockets and other tools for your older motorbike,car or aeroplane.Some of these are from long established English makers,who might have supplied the original tool kit your vehicle started life with.Theres no need to damage imperial fastenings on your restored British classic when I still have the correct spanners on sale .Whitworth taps and dies are available as well as BSF and BA.
All prices on this site are inclusive.Post shown for UK but we mail order worldwide.Ordering and contact details click here.Below is a small selection of the whitworth,BSF and BA tools I have on sale at any one time.I've also sold a big range of imperial and metric tools at E-Bay auctions for some years (often attracting higher prices than here) I've been involved in repairing and restoring cars,bikes and boats for over fourty years and I don't sell tools I wouldn't use myself.
Whitworth/BSF sockets,impact sockets,box wrenches,spanners etc.
 

Set of seven 3/8 inch square drive whitworth sockets by Laser Tools ,sizes 1/8 to 1/2 inch whit (W) on socket rail,bi-hex chrome vanadium steel. Suitable for quite serious DIY use and good value for money at  £9..00p Post U.K £3..00p post to rest of world £6..00p. 
Whitworth socket set
Set of nine half inch drive by Laser. Sizes are 1/8 to 5/8 inch whit.On a socket rail,bi-hex chrome vanadium.Suitable for the home workshop stronger but obviously larger than the 3/8 drive versions  Priced £12..00p Post U.K. £4..00p USA etc £10..00p. whitworth bi hex sockets
Set of eight six sided (flank drive) Koken deep whitworth sockets 3/8 drive.Sizes 1/8,3/16,1/4,5/16,3/8,7/16,1/2 and 9/16 inch whitworth.Supplied with rail,very good quality at home in a commercial enviroment.Sold as a set on socket rail. £50..50p post £4..00p
Deep six sided whitworth sockets
Set of seven,six sided standard depth whitworth/BSF.Sizes 1/8,3/16,1/4,5/16,3/8,7/16 and 1/2 inch,all are 3/8 inch drive and flank drive configuration to grip worn or rusty nuts and bolts less damage to brass or alloy fixings.Excellent quality by Koken on a socket rail.£25.50p the set post £4..00p to UK.
Whitworth BSF sockets
Set of eight,six sided,3/8 drive standard length whitworth sockets,as above set but 9/16 added.Six sided or mono hex sockets are less likely to damage tight brass or alloy fixings.Cost £29..50p post £4..00p to UK.
Six sided BSF whitworth sockets.
Same set of eight,3/8 drive sockets and still flank drive but in double hex configuration.Normal high Koken quality Handy for classic car and motorbike enthusiasts.Sizes 1/8,3/16,1/4,5/16,3/8,7/16,1/2 and 9/16 inch. £32..50p post £4..00p. (without 9/16 £28..50p)
Set of eight Koken 1/2 drive standard depth whitworth sockets.Bi-hex twelve sided sizes 3/16,1/4,5/16,3/8,7/16,1/2,9/16 and 5/8 inch whitworth.  Excellent quality and Ideal for a professional mechanic.£44..50p post £4..50p.
Professional quality individual Whitworth/BSF sockets 1/2 drive chrome vanadium steel by Elora. Size 1/8 ,3/16 ,1/4 ,5/16, 3/8, 7/16 inch whitworth all £3..50p each. 1/2 and 9/16 are £4..00p.5/8 ,11/16 and 3/4 inch whitworth are £5..00p each Post £1..00p each UK Elora whotworth sockets for classic bikes
Set of eleven whitworth/BSF bi-hex chrome vanadium steel sockets.Made in Germany by Elora to DIN standard 3124/ISO 2725 and DIN 3120/ISO 1174 and of much superior quality to the cheap imported sets normally offered in whitworth and BSF sizes..The sizes are 1/8,3/16,1/4,5/16,3/8,7/16,1/2,9/16,5/18,11/16 and 3/4 inch Price £39..00p post UK £5..00p
3/4 inch drive 12 point Whitworth/BSF sockets.(Elora) 13/16 or 7/8 inch £21..00p,15/16 inch £25..00p,1 inch £30..00,One and eigth inch or one and a quarter are £37 or £43 each.Post to UK would be £3..20p per socket..   
I also stock 3/8 drive whitworth sockets by the German maker Elora .From 3/16 to 1/2 inch All same price £7..00p each.There is no minimum order.Post £1..00p each to UK.
Whitworth sockets for old british cars and bikes
Set of eight whitworth combination spanners.Made by Silverline Sizes are 1/8,3/16,1/4,5/16,3/8,7/16,1/2 and 9/16 inch whitworth.Chrome vanadium steel,chromed and polished A cheaper alternative but still suitable for serious DIY use.Cost £16..00p per set.Post to UK will be £4..00p.
Six piece set of proper professional quality whitworth/BSF combination spanners made by ELORA in Germany sizes 3/16 to 1/2 inch whit.Chrome vanadium steel accurately made, to DIN3113/ISO 3318 specification,suitable for use heavy use in a professional workshop.Price £36..00p Post U.K £4..00 Beware of imitation.
Whitworth combination spanners
Larger eleven piece set of ELORA 205 German made,top quality chrome vanadium steel whitworth spanners, combination pattern.Perfectly suitable for serious professional use Sizes 1/8 to 3/4 whit.Price £80.Post U.K £10..00p other countries please ask (stock limited).
Elora whitworth combination wrenches
Set of eight whitworth combination spanners by Williams superslim. Made in England proper chrome plated chrome vanadium steel with polished heads and jaws.Sizes 1/8,3/16,1/4,5/16,3/8,7/16,1/2 and 9/16 whitworth.Price £66 carriage to UK £4..00p.See note below.
English made whitworth tools
Set of eleven whitworth spanners by Williams superslim.Genuinely made in England by the maker of Snail Brand spanners..Sizes are 1/8 through to 3/4 inch whitworth.Cost £110.00p..Delivery will be by courier due to high value..Limited stock available.
Individual whitworth combination and open ended spanners by Elora and other makers.All sizes in combination pattern from 1/8 or 1/4 inc at £5 each to 1 inch whit (£34..00p) available.Some OE sizes now no longer made by Elora (Please ask for price/availability)
Imperial spanners.Various sizes
Open ended whitworth spanner set by Laser.Nine spanners in canvas tool roll.Rather rough finish but pretty strong short length.Sizes 1/8 x 3/16,3/16 x 1/4,1/4 x 5/16 etc up to 5/8 x 3/4 inch whitworth (There is no 11/16 included).£15..00p.Post UK £4..00p.
Open end whitworth spanners.
Set of seven open end wrenches by Williams.(not six as shown in picture) Made in England good quality,sizes are 1/8 x 3/16,3/16 x 1/4,1/4 x 5/16,5/16 x 3/8,3/8 x 7/16,7/16 x 1/2 and 1/2 x 9/16 inch whitworth.Price £32..00p post £4..00p.
BA socket sets Laser 0 to 8BA.1/4 inch drive on rail.Hex,chrome vanadium steel.These are now obsolete and no longer made,some old stock occasionally available Please ask. BA sockets
1/4 drive BA socket set by Koken (Japan) Very good quality Sizes 0 to 8BA.Six sided 1/4 drive complete with socket rail £17..00p post to UK £3..00p.
A BA socket set
Set of BA box spanners complete with two tommy bars and covers the sizes 0 to 10BA.Handy for classic cars etc where BA sizes are still often found.Made in Sheffield England by Melco chromed steel.Price £10..00 post £2..00p.
BA box spanners.
Six piece (sizes 0 to 11BA) open end BA wrench set in plastic wallet by Laser.Priced £10..00p Post to U.K £2..00p.Decent value for money open end BA spanners are normally very difficult to source. BA open end spanner set.
 
Large (and heavy!) sets of Melco whitworth/BSF box spanners.Made in Sheffield England,polished steel.Covers the sizes 1 inch to 1/8 inch whitworth.Handy for older vehicles where acess is restricted around nuts and bolts (ie) head bolts on motorcycles or as an alternative to deep whitworth sockets.£25..00 plus £4..50p post (UK) Supply now limited.
whitworth box spanners
Double ended whitworth/BSF box spanners available singly while stocks last (Old stock,limited supply) English Made .All approx 7 inches long all made in England.Sizes 1/8,3/16,1/4,5/16,1/2,9/16,5/8,3/4,7/8 and 1 inch whit plus some larger ones. whitworth tubular spanners
7/8 x 1 inch whit box spanner,other sizes available please ask.
Whitworth and af hub nut sockets available in various sizes .1 and 1/4 inch af (52mm) illustrated Please contact us for prices and availability,stocks are limited as most of these are now long discontinued by their makers.
For a.f and metric sockets click here

I stock some impact whitworth/BSF sockets,six sided,deep or standard length.1/2 inch drive made in England,please ask for prices and availability.I have hundreds of secondhand or surplus whitworth/BSF combination,ring and box spanners,all are for sale.A small selection of new surplus tools is shown below.

Bedford.Highly polished whitworth combination spanners Sizes 3/8 and 1/2 inch whitworth Old stock (probably ex WD) but never used £4..00p each post £1..50p

1/8 x 3/16 whitworth open enders by Elora (no markings on spanner) £2 each post £1..00p

5/8 x 11/16 whitworth deep cranked ring spanners Elora, a big spanner for £4..00 post £3..00p.

Elora open ended spanner 9/16 x 7/16 whitworth £4 plus £1..50p

Heavily chromed (but chrome not very smooth) old stock but never used.King Dick whitworth spanners.7/16 x 3/8 whit or 9/16 x 7/16 whit.£ 3..00p each post £1..50p each.

Very old stock, KD 5/16 x 3/8 whitworth ring spanners £2..00 post UK £2..00p

Please note....some of the British made Imperial spanner sets may have VERY slight variations in the appearance of the odd socket or spanner,this is normally due to different years of manufacture.All will be of identical good quality,unused and from the same maker.I do NOT substitute cheap Indian or Chinese spanners to make up sets in imperial sizes as most of these are poorly made from inferior materials,if cost is your only consideration you can buy cheap imported sets from lots of places..
It would be virtually impossible to list all the imperial tools in stock,only a selection is listed on this site.In addition to secondhand spanners of all types and sizes,I have large stocks of old,but never used,sets and single whitworth/BSF open ended and ring or combination spanners of German and English manufacture King Dick,Britool,Bedford,Gedore,Snail Brand,Williams and ELORA etc some dating back to the 1940's.I stock six sided impact sockets,even deep ones in whitworth and af sizes.I can often replace missing sockets or spanners to complete a set.Older motorbikes and cars often had tool kits supplied by makers that are no longer trading,Vincent for example used a lot of 'Jenbro' spanners made by Jennings brothers who ceased trading some years ago.Whilst I cannot always supply identical spanners I can almost certainly match the sizes of missing tools.I guarantee everything that I sell fit for purpose.Some whitworth impact sockets are difficult to source at an economic price but using very cheap tools is a false economy.In cases of non availability of the correct whitworth/BSF sockets most engineers accept that 18mm is comparable to 3/8 whit (actually 18.03mm) and 33 mm is an acceptable replacement for 3/4 whit (33.02mm).
I can also supply model specific wheel braces in imperial sizes.Forget worrying about breaking your 1/2 drive bar undoing tight wheel studs,some of these braces are made in England from two inch diameter solid steel bar!.
I sell whitworth and BSF tools suitable for all older machinery,from Armstrong Siddeley to Gipsy Moth,from a AJS to a Velocette I can supply spanners to suit.


Taps and Dies.

Those working on older machinery are likely to come across various thread forms.The modern metric plus unf,unc,ba,whitworth,BSF,cycle thread,gas and others.I can supply most of these,please ask.


Whitworth/BSF/Imperial/Metric conversion tables.
The markings on a spanner or wrench for whitworth or bsf indicate the thread size,for af they indicate the width of the nut/bolt head.A.F stands for "across flats" not American fine.
 



Whit/BSF and the metric or imperial (inch) Equivalent.
 
Imperial to Metric
 


Whitworth
BSF.
Metric.
Imperial (af).
 
A.F
MM.
1/8
3/16
8.64
.340
 
1/4
6.35
3/16
1/4
11.3
.445
 
5/16
7.94
1/4
5/16
13.34
.525
 
3/8
9.52
5/16
3/8
15.24
.6
 
7/16
11.11
3/8
7/16
18.03
.710
 
1/2
12.7
7/16
1/2
20.83
.82
 
9/16
14.29
1/2
9/16
23.37
.92
 
5/8
15.88
9/16
5/8
25.65
1.010
 
11/16
17.46
5/8
11/16
27.94
1.100
 
3/4
19.05
11/16
3/4
30.48
1.200
 
7/8
22.22
3/4
7/8
33.02
1.300
 
15/16
23.81
7/8
1
37.59
1.480
 
1.00
25.40
1
1.1/8
42.42
1.670
 
1.1/16
26.93
A box spanner or six sided (six point) socket the closest size upwards might be a solution in an emergency (ie) a 19mm spanner will possibly undo a 3/4 af nut.These have greater tolerance than 12 sided sockets but there is always a risk of damage to socket and or the fastening.Impact sockets are almost always six sided (mono-hex).Six sided sockets are less liable to mark or damage brass,alloy or chromed fixings such as wheel or hub nuts.

E-Mail me here.
Or phone (U.K.) 01502 564120
Click here for loads more tools on my ebay Auctions.
 



 
 
 
 
Repair,Servicing Tools
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Home Page and ordering 
 
Footnotes...It's recorded at least one English motor manufacturer in the 30's-40's using imported engines,ground the heads of nuts and bolts down so that whitworth spanners would fit.Some smaller or more specialised makers used whitworth fastenings for some years after everybody else had decided they were obsolete and went over to UNF/UNC or metric,so even without any previous owners swapping and repairing bits it's not unusual to find an assortment of fastenings on old (and not so old) cars. Land Rovers for example have a transmission design with parts of it dating to the 1930's so it should be no suprise to find sundry whitworth fastenings scattered round the gearboxes on early models and I'm told BA fittings are still found on modern JCBs.
This is why joining an owners club and talking to other classic car and motorbike enthusiasts makes sense.
I've seen on at least two web sites that some whitworth and SAE (UNF/UNC) or metric nuts and bolts are interchangeable.This is absolutely wrong and could be very dangerous if applied to critical components (suspension/brakes etc) The thread rate (threads per inch) might be the same in some cases but the thread angles are different (55 degrees for whitworth and 60 for metric,UNF and UNC) and will result in a loss of strength and make fixings liable to stripping or coming undone in service.