Cricut Beginners Guide to BLADES

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Are you just confused or overwhelmed by all the different Cricut blades out there? OH, I hear you & I completely understand because I felt that way too.

In this guide we are going to diving into the anatomy of blades, the different types of blades, what they can cut, which blades go to which machine, and how to replace, calibrate, and care for your blades.

Brand new to Cricut? No worries you can visit my Ultimate Beginners Guide to Cricut Design Space

Curious about free fonts? I have written an article all about free fonts and where to grab them.

Anatomy of the Cricut Blade

What are the different Cricut Blades and what all do they cut?

Below in the image are the different blades and some of the materials that they cut. I couldn’t fit all the different materials in there so I gave you some materials but not all. I will list out some more as I go deeper into this.

Note: the * in the image below means that it is only Cricut Maker compatible.

Cricut has done a wonderful job of making it easy to identify each blade by color. I just wanted to give that a mention because it can and will save you some time when you are looking for a certain blade.

This article may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase through my link I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you! You can read my disclosure here.

ALRIGHT so let’s jump in shall we?

FINE POINT BLADE

The Fine Point Blade is the most common blade and comes with all Cricut Machines. It was formerly known as the Premium German Carbide blade because it is made with premium German carbide steel.

This Blade is great for intricate cuts and is used for light to mid-weight materials. The newer blades have a gold color to them, but the earlier ones were silver so this blade will be either gold or silver.

The Fine Point Blade works with the Cricut Maker or the Cricut Explore family machines.

What are some of the materials the Fine Point Blade can cut?

• Canvas
• Cardstock
• Faux Leather (thin)
• Iron-on or also HTV (Heat transfer vinyl)
• Light Chipboard
• Poster board
• Parchment Paper
• Printer Paper
• Vellum
• Vinyl: Glitter vinyl, printable, outdoor, holographic
• Washi Tape
• Thin to medium weight materials

If you are interested in all the materials your Maker can cut please check out my article What Materials does the Cricut Maker Cut

Deep Point Blade

The Deep Point Blade is a life changer if you are going to be cutting thicker material! It is a part of the fine point blade series, just so you are aware.

The deep-point blade makes it easy to cut intricate cuts on thicker materials because of the steepness of the blade. The blade has a 60-degree angle vs the fine point blade at 45 degrees. This allows the blade to cut those intricate cuts on thicker materials.

This blade must be used with the Deep-Point Blade Housing, which means that you can’t interchange it with the fine point blade, etc.

This blade is black in color and can be used with the Cricut Maker and the Cricut Explore Family Machines.

What are some of the materials the deep point blade can cut?

• Aluminum Foil
• Cardboard
• Chipboard
• Corrugated Paper
• Cricut Genuine Leather
• Foam Sheets
• Leather
• Magnetic Sheets
• Stamp Material
• Stiffened Felt
• Thick Cardstock
• Thicker Materials

AGAIN, if you want the whole list of materials, Please check my article out on What Materials does the Cricut Maker Cut?

Bonded Fabric Blade

The Bonded Fabric Blade is extremely similar to the fine point blade and is also a part of that series. The only difference between this blade and the fine point blade is that this blade is PINK to match the pink fabric cutting mat. THANK YOU CRICUT!!

This blade should only be used on fabric to prolong the life of the blade.

The BONDED Fabric Blade can only be used with bonded fabric which is a fabric that has a double-sided adhesive attached to it.  One side is attached to the fabric and the other side also has adhesive and will attach to something else. The bonded fabric lets you attach fabric to other fabric without gluing it or sewing it.

An example of this is the Heat and Bond, which comes in a package with a rubbery adhesive on one side and the other is a paper backing.

Again this blade is pink and can be used with the Cricut Maker and Cricut Explore Family. This blade is interchangeable with the fine point blade housing. Also, remember the mats match so you will be using your pink mat with your pink blade for fabric. Pretty awesome huh?

What Materials can I cut with the Bonded Fabric Blade?

THESE ALL HAVE TO BE BONDED OR BACKED, but almost any fabric can be turned into bonded Fabric.

• Burlap
• Cotton
• Denim
• Felt
• Silk

Rotary Blade (Cricut Maker ONLY)

The Cricut Rotary Blade comes with the Cricut Maker and is Cricut Maker-specific therefore, it can not be used in the Cricut Explore Family.

The Rotary Fabric Blade does not have a number on it like some of the other blades and tips.

The rotary blade brings immense customization and precise fabric cutting to the world with its smooth gliding action. This blade can practically cut any fabric quickly and accurately with no backing needed. So the material does NOT need to be bonded.

This blade can NOT be switched out with any other blades!

What Materials can I cut with the Rotary Fabric Blade?

The list of fabrics that this blade can cut is almost endless! Cricut just keeps adding materials to the list which is incredible and is over 100+ materials now.

Some materials are, but are not limited to

• Bonded Fabric
• Burlap
• Canvas
• Cashmere
• Chiffon
• Cotton Fabric
• Denim
• Flannel
• Fleece
• Jersey
• Linen
• Metallic Leather
• Moleskin
• Muslin
• Nylon
• Oil Cloth
• Silk
• Suede
• Tweed

Knife Blade (Cricut Maker ONLY)

The Knife Blade is specifically made for the Cricut Maker and makes the Cricut Maker a game changer! What you can cut with this blade blew me away because this machine is so cute and small but fierce and can slice through materials up to 3/32” thick!😮

The StrongGrip mat or purple mat is the mat you should be used for thicker materials with this blade. And honestly, that is not even enough to hold it down sometimes. If that happens to you get some painter’s tape and tape the materials edges down to the mat.

This blade can NOT be switched out with any other blades!

TIP: When using thicker materials move those black star wheels on the silver roller bar all the way to the side so it doesn’t leave marks on your materials!

What Materials can the Knife Blade cut?

• 1/32″ Balsa Wood
• 1/16″ Balsa Wood
• 3/32″ Balsa Wood
• 1/16″ Basswood
• 1/32″ Basswood
• Craft Foam
• Soft Garment Leather
• Heavy Chipboard
• Leather
• Matboard 2ply and 4 ply
• Tooling Leather

Scoring Wheel

The scoring wheel has 10X the pressure of the Scoring Stylus and creates crisp precise creases on thin and thick materials to make a clean effortless fold.

The scoring wheel is not a blade because it doesn’t cut but rather lays the indent of a line on your materials. This is only compatible with the Cricut Maker.

The Scoring Wheel is a part of the Quick Swap Housing which means that it can be swapped out super easily!

There are 2 different wheels that Cricut has made. The 01 is a single scoring wheel and 02 is a double scoring wheel.

01 Tip– This is used for uncoated, light materials, including crepe paper and light cardstock.

02 Tip– This is used for coated or heavier materials like poster board and cardboard. 

The single Scoring Wheel makes one deep scoreline while the Double Scoring Wheel creates two parallel score lines.

Depending on the material you are working with and select in Design Space, determines the wheel that they will recommend using. Cricut Design Space will prompt you on which one you should use.

What Materials can the Single Scoring wheel score?

• Acetate
• Cardstock
• Construction Paper
• Copy Paper
• Corrugated Paper
• Crepe Paper
• Foil Paper
• Foil Acetate
• Foil Poster Board
• Glitter Cardstock
• Grocery Bag
• Holographic Cardstock
• Parchment Paper
• Photo Paper
• Plastic Canvas
• And much more

What Materials can the Double Scoring Wheel score?

• Cardboard
• Cereal Box
• Cork
• Corrugated Cardstock
• Craft Foam
• Foil Paper
• Glitter cardstock
• Heavy Cardstock
• Light Chipboard
• Poster Board
• Shimmer Paper
• and much more

QuickSwap Tips and Blades (Only Cricut Maker)

The QuickSwap tool is designed specifically for the Cricut Maker’s adaptive tool system and allows you to quickly change between the Scoring Wheel, Double Scoring Wheel, Debossing Tip, Engraving Tip, Perforation Blade, and the Wavy Blade.

• 01 & 02- Single Scoring wheel and Double Scoring Wheel
• 11 is the Perforation Blade
• 21 is the Debossing Tip
• 31 is the Wavy Blade
• 41 is the Engraving Blade

Now let’s take a look at each of those blades and tips to get a better understanding of their functions and what they do.

Perforation Blade (11)

The Perforation Blade brings us endless possibilities with its ability to create clean evenly spaced lines that allow for a perfect clean tear. This blade’s job is to make it easier to tear the finished projects.

Examples of these projects would be raffle tickets, coupon books, tearable journal pages, and so much more.

What are some of the materials I can use with the Perforation Blade?

• Acetate
• Cardstock
• Craft Foam
• Faux Leather (thinner side)
• Felt
• Foam
• Foil
• Glitter Cardstock
• Iron-on
• Paper
• Plastic
• Some Fabrics
• Vellum

Debossing Tip (21)

The Debossing Tip is wonderful because it indents patterns and intricate designs into the materials leaving it beautifully flourished with elegant designs. This debossing tip brings endless possibilities to any and all projects!

What are some materials I can use with the Debossing Tip?

• Adhesive Sheets
• Balsa Wood
• Cardstock
• Chipboard
• Construction Paper
• Craft Foam
• Duct Tape
• Faux Leather
• Foil Acetate
• Freezer Paper
• Genuine Leather
• Glitter Paper
• MatBoard
• Poster Board
• Sticker Paper
• Stick Notes
• Transparency
• Tooling Leather
• Vellum

Wavy Blade (31)

The Wavy Blade adds beautiful clean wavy lines to any project! This is best used to make wavy edges with projects such as cards, envelopes, and gift tags. It will also come in handy when you need to create finished edges and fashionable accents.

What are some materials I can use with the Wavy Blade?

• Cardstock
• Flannel
• Glitter Cardstock
• Heavy Cardstock
• Iron-on
• Paper
• Poster Board
• Some Fabrics
• Vinyl

Engraving Tip (41)

The Engraving Tip allows you to design monograms, create personalized texts or phrases, and draw some pretty impressive things onto a wide variety of materials!

What are some materials I can use with the Engraving Tip?

• Acetate
• Acrylic
• Anodized aluminum
• Faux Leather
• Genuine Leather
• Metals
• Leather
• Plastic
• Stainless Steal

Cricut Joy Blade

The Cricut Joy has its own line of items that are made specifically for the joy. It has one blade which is the fine point blade and it’s a bit different from the other fine point blade because it’s made for the Cricut Joy. Therefore, these are not interchangeable.

What materials can the Cricut Joy Blade cut?

• Cardstock
• Copy Paper
• Corrugated Cardboard
• Faux Leather
• Cardboard
• Foil Acetate
• Glitter Cardstock
• Insert Cards with mat
• Poster Board
• Glitter Cardstock
• Smart Iron-on Materials
• Smart Vinyl
• Paper
• Party Foil
• Window Cling
• Writeable Vinyl

Where Can I buy Cricut Blades?

All Cricut blades and tips are available at any craft store such as Hobby Lobby, Joann Fabric, and Michaels, but can be purchased at places like Cricut and even Walmart has a decent selection these days! WOOHOO!!!

I always try to find the best deals, fonts, svgs, and bundles and I usually post them on my Facebook Page so if you are all about saving money please connect with me on my page and I look forward to getting to know you!

How long will my Cricut Blades last?

Oh if I got paid every time I hear that question, I just maybe a millionaire:) There’s no set timeline for this question, but the Cricut Blades are meant to last a while! A long while but that depends on many things such as the kind of material you are cutting, how intricate the cuts are, how often you are using the blade, and last but not least, how you take care of your blades.

For instance, Smooth cardstock is going to be easier on your blade compared to Glitter Cardstock because the Glitter is rougher on your blade.

You will definitely know when your blade is dull because it won’t cut clean crisps lines anymore, but I have a tip for you.

TIP: If you think your blade is dull and needs to be changed try this first!

Get a piece of aluminum foil and ball it up. Next push the blade down until it is sticking out of the bottom and run it in and out of the ball a few times. This SHARPENS your blade and maybe all that it needs.

How do I replace my Blades?

Cricut blades are meant to last a long time but will eventually need to be replaced at some point. Replacements Blade are sold at any craft store, Cricut, and even Walmart and are pretty cheap.

• Deep Point Replacement Blades
• Fine Point Replacement Blades
• Cricut 60 mm Rotary Blade Refill | 2 Replacement Blades
• Cricut 45 mm Rotary Blade Refill | 3 Replacement Blades
• Cricut Joy Replacement Blade
• Cricut Rotary Blade Replacement Kit
• Knife Blade Replacement Kit
• Foil Transfer Tool Replacement Tips

Fine Point, Deep Point, and Bonded Fabric Blades

These blades all get changed the same way and are pretty easy to change, just be careful because the blades may still be sharp.

1. Grab the blade that needs to be changed
2. Push that top knob on the housing down
3. CAREFULLY pull the blade from the bottom
4. Remove the protective covering from the new blade
5. Insert new blade upside down in the housing
6. YOU’RE ALL SET:)

The Fine Point Blade, Deep Point Blade, and Bonded Fabric Blade do not need to be calibrated.

The Rotary Blade and Knife Blade are a bit more difficult!

I am linking you to the help articles at Cricut because their instructions are great and accurate, plus it has a video at the bottom which is super helpful.

Rotary Blade Replacement Video — Rotary Blade Replacement Kit

Knife Blade Replacement Video — Knife Blade Replacement Kit

Calibrating your Rotary Blade

Every time a blade needs to be calibrated, Cricut Design Space will prompt you so don’t ignore those prompts! Calibrating the Rotary Blade leads to better cutting, sizing, and alignment. Cricut Maker-Rotary Blade Calibration

Calibrating your Knife Blade

Before you use your knife blade Cricut will continue to prompt you to calibrate the Knife Blade. The calibration process helps your Cricut Maker become familiar with the blade and housing so it can be precise and accurate when it cuts.

Cricut does an excellent job of explaining this process. Cricut Maker- Knife Blade Calibration

How do I care for my Cricut Blades?

The blades and housing themselves are pretty pricey so you want to take the best possible care of those blades as possible! The better you care for your blades the longer the life span they will have.

• Always use the right blade for the right material. Design Space prompts you with which blade you will use for the material you selected. Use that blade. If you try to get away with cutting something with the wrong blade 2 things will happen
  1. Design space will not cut because it detects the wrong blade
  2. It will cut it, but it will wear and tear harder on that blade and the cut may not be pretty.

• I can’t stress this one enough. ALWAYS save your protective coverings and make sure they are on what it needs to be on. Especially with the housings with the gears on top. They put that plastic protector on there for good reasons to protect it from all the dust and particles out there!

• Store your blades in a safe place! I usually put my extra blades and the blades I am not using in the cricut maker storage compartment. Yes the maker has its very own storage compartment.

Cricut blade chart

Just one more thing. I found this chart from Cricut super duper helpful so I am adding it in this article so you have it because it shows you which blades go with which machine!

I know I covered this earlier in the article but thought I would add this in for your convenience.

PHEW!!!! That was a ton of information so CONGRATULATIONS!!!

You know everything there is to know about blades, the different blades and their purpose, where you can buy these items, how to replace and calibrate the blades, and finally taking care of those oh so amazing Blades and Tips!

I hope you learned a ton from this article! If this article helped you, please share away! And also leave a comment. I would love to hear from you!

Still not sure what you really need to start with your Cricut? Visit Which supplies and accessories do I really need to start using my Cricut vs later investments.

SO TELL ME:

What are some of the things you are struggling with your Cricut?

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