Sockets

Socket & Drive Tool Range — Quick Reference

AIMS Industrial stocks 578 individual sockets, ratchets, socket sets and drive accessories — the broadest single sockets range we carry, sourced from Ko-Ken, Stahlwille, Trax, Maxigear and a small number of other trusted brands. Use the tables below to narrow down by drive size, then by the specific socket or accessory type you need.

Beyond drive size, the right socket also depends on the fastener type and the tool you're driving it with:

Critical: never use a standard chrome socket on an impact wrench or impact driver — chrome sockets are harder and more brittle, and can shatter under impact loading. Use black-finish, impact-rated sockets for any powered impact tool. When mixing drive sizes, use a proper drive adaptor rather than an oversized extension — an excessive moment arm on an undersized drive squares off (rounds) the fastener or the tool's own drive lug. Match drive size to the fastener's torque requirement: undersized drive squares strip under load; oversized sockets won't fit small fasteners at all. Shop by brand: Ko-Ken, Stahlwille, Trax, Maxigear. Companion range: Ratchets & Sockets, Inhex Socket Sets, torque wrenches, hand tools.

578 Sockets, Ratchets and Drive Accessories — AIMS Industrial's Main Sockets Hub

This is the broadest sockets range AIMS Industrial stocks: 578 individual products spanning 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4" and 1" drive, metric, imperial (AF) and Whitworth systems, and everything from single replacement sockets through to complete workshop sets. Whether you need one 17mm deep socket to finish a job today or a full rail-mounted set to fit out a new bench, this range is built to be the first place you look.

The bulk of the range comes from three brands: Ko-Ken, the largest single brand here by a wide margin, covering metric and imperial sockets in 6-point and 12-point, deep and standard length, across every drive size from 1/4" through to 1"; Stahlwille, supplying Inhex (hex bit), Torx and spark plug sockets alongside drive handles and extensions; and Trax, whose socket sets and Whitworth sets round out the workshop-kit end of the range.

Ratchets and Drive Handles

• 1/4" and 3/8" Drive Ratchets: The most common ratchet sizes in the range, used for general automotive, maintenance and light-to-medium engineering fastener work. Ko-Ken and Stahlwille both supply reversible ratchet handles in these sizes.
• 1/2", 3/4" and 1" Drive Ratchets and Bars: For heavier fastening. At the top end of the range Ko-Ken supplies 3/4" drive impact-rated extensions and swivel handles, and Trax's ARX-6019FHE extendable breaker bar is stocked for high-torque 3/4" drive breakout work where a ratchet alone won't shift a seized fastener.
• Swivel, Flex-Head and Speed Handles: Ko-Ken's range includes swivel handles (polished and knurled grip, up to 600mm long), speed handles for quickly running down long runs of fasteners, and quick spinners for fast socket engagement before final tightening with a ratchet or torque wrench.
• Ratchet Adaptors: Ko-Ken also stocks ratchet adaptors that let a single ratchet head drive multiple socket drive sizes.

Sockets — Metric, Imperial (AF) and Whitworth

The core of the range is standard hex sockets, available in both 6-point and 12-point configurations, in shallow and deep lengths, across all five drive sizes.

• Metric Sockets: The largest single category in the range — Ko-Ken metric sockets alone cover 1/4" through 1" drive in both 6-point and 12-point.
• Imperial (AF) Sockets: Stocked in parallel across the same drive sizes for equipment built to inch fastener standards, including American-made machinery and older vehicles.
• Whitworth Sockets: Trax stocks dedicated British Standard Whitworth (BSW) socket sets — including a 1/2" drive 8-piece set and a combined 1/2"/3/8" 16-piece set — for the older British-standard machinery, agricultural equipment and plant still in service across Australian workshops. Whitworth socket sizing is based on the fastener's thread diameter rather than the actual hex size, so a Whitworth socket is not interchangeable with an AF or metric socket of a similar-looking size — using the wrong one risks rounding the fastener head.
• Deep Sockets: Extended-length sockets for studs with long exposed thread, recessed bolts and spark plugs, available in metric and imperial across the range.

Impact and Specialist Sockets

• Impact Sockets: Black-finish, hardened, thicker-walled sockets built to survive the shock loading of a pneumatic or electric impact wrench. Ko-Ken's impact range extends up to 3/4" drive extensions and attack driver sets for heavy fastening work. Standard chrome sockets must never be used on impact tools.
• Spark Plug Sockets: Stahlwille supplies dedicated spark plug sockets with a rubber insert that grips the plug and protects the ceramic insulator — available in 3/8" and 1/2" drive.
• Nut Twister Sockets: A Ko-Ken specialty — designed with a deeper internal bite to grip rounded, rusted or otherwise damaged nuts that a standard socket can no longer turn without slipping.
• Flare Nut Sockets and Crow's Foot Spanners: Ko-Ken supplies flare nut sockets, and Stahlwille supplies crow's foot spanners (open-ended flare-nut wrench heads used with a ratchet extension) plus a dedicated extension bar for them — both suited to brake line, fuel line and hydraulic fitting work where the pipe running through the fitting rules out a solid socket.
• Hex Bit (Inhex), Torx and XZN Bit Sockets: Stahlwille and Ko-Ken both stock hex bit ("Inhex") sockets for internal hex socket-head cap screws, standard Torx bit sockets, tamper-proof Torx variants, and XZN (multi-spline/triple-square) bit sockets for European automotive and driveline fasteners — driven with a standard ratchet rather than a separate Allen key or Torx key.

Extensions, Universal Joints, Adaptors and Accessories

• Extension Bars: Standard extensions from roughly 50mm to 250mm, plus impact-rated extensions in the heavier drive sizes, for reaching recessed and set-back fasteners.
• Universal Joints and Wobble Extensions: Ko-Ken's Z-Series universal joints, wobble-fix extensions and double universal joints give angled access to fasteners a straight extension can't reach — including impact-rated universal joints for powered tools.
• Drive Adaptors: Step-up and step-down adaptors between 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" and 3/4" drive — including Maxigear's Versa-Drive 2-in-1 adaptor and Stahlwille's dedicated square drive units — so one ratchet or breaker bar can run sockets of a different drive size without buying a second tool.
• Socket Clips, Rails and Magnetic Storage: Ko-Ken's Z-Series rail clips keep loose sockets organised on a magnetic rail rather than rattling around a drawer.

Socket Sets and Rail Systems

Alongside individual sockets, the range includes complete sets for workshop, vehicle and field-service use — from compact rail sets holding a dozen sockets through to comprehensive multi-drive sets. Ko-Ken's 1/2" drive sets run from 10-piece rail sets up to 36-piece combined metric and imperial sets, plus a dedicated 14-piece Whitworth set; Trax supplies metric/SAE combination sets (including a 42-piece 1/4" drive set) and the Whitworth sets noted above; and rail-mounted sets from both brands keep a full run of sizes visible and in order rather than loose in a tray.

Our Socket and Ratchet Brands

• Ko-Ken: Ko-Ken is by far the largest brand in this range, with individual sockets, sets, extensions, universal joints and drive handles across every drive size we stock. Ko-Ken is a Japanese precision tool manufacturer, and its sockets are a common choice among mechanics, engineers and maintenance technicians who want tight dimensional tolerance and long service life over a low purchase price.
• Stahlwille: Stahlwille is a German precision tool brand, well represented here through its Inhex (hex bit), Torx and spark plug socket ranges, plus drive handles, extensions and adaptors. Stahlwille tools are widely used in automotive, aerospace and precision maintenance work where manufacturing tolerance matters. See the full Stahlwille range for the brand's broader hand tool offering.
• Trax: Trax supplies workshop-oriented socket sets, including the Whitworth sets covered above and metric/SAE combination sets, aimed at trade and general workshop use rather than precision engineering work.
• Maxigear: Maxigear supplies a small but useful line of flex-head sockets and drive adaptors, including a 10-piece 3/8" flex-head socket set.

You'll also find a handful of specialist items filed in this collection that aren't conventional sockets: Champion linkage ball joints (pivoting connectors for throttle, brake and control-rod linkages), Super scaffolding podger ratchets, and Garrick Herbert hand ratchet pipe-threading kits. These are genuine stock, not sockets in the usual sense — if you're chasing one of those product lines specifically, get in touch and we'll point you to the right part or the right AIMS collection.

Choosing the Right Socket

• Drive Size: Match drive size to the torque the fastener needs — 1/4" for light, tight-access work; 3/8" as the general-purpose default; 1/2" for heavier automotive and structural fastening; 3/4" and 1" for heavy plant, truck and mining bolting. Going bigger than you need adds bulk and cost for no benefit; going smaller risks stripping the drive square under load.
• 6-Point vs 12-Point: A 6-point socket contacts more of the fastener's flat face, giving maximum grip and the lowest risk of rounding — the right choice for stubborn or high-torque fasteners. A 12-point socket engages every 30° of rotation, which makes it easier to seat in restricted-swing spaces, at some cost to grip on very tight or worn fasteners.
• Metric, Imperial or Whitworth: Use metric sockets on metric fasteners and imperial (AF) sockets on inch fasteners — most modern machinery and vehicles are metric, while older American-built equipment and some agricultural gear runs imperial. Whitworth sockets are a separate sizing system again, needed specifically for British Standard Whitworth fasteners still found on older machinery, plant and vehicles; don't substitute a metric or AF socket for a Whitworth one even if the size looks close.
• Standard vs Impact: Only ever fit black-finish, impact-rated sockets to a pneumatic or electric impact wrench — standard chrome sockets are not built to absorb impact loading and can crack or shatter.

Sockets vs Ratchets & Sockets — Which AIMS Range Do I Need?

AIMS Industrial runs two related sockets collections, and it's worth knowing the difference so you land on the right one. This page — Sockets — is the main hub: 578 products, the full spread of Ko-Ken, Stahlwille, Trax and Maxigear stock across every drive size and system we carry, plus the specialist items covered above. Our Ratchets & Sockets collection is a smaller, curated companion range of 85 products, drawn from the same core brands, aimed at buyers who want a tighter shortlist rather than the full catalogue. If you already know exactly what you're after by part number or brand, this page is the place to search. If you'd rather browse a shorter, more curated list of the everyday essentials first, start with Ratchets & Sockets. Either way, our team can help you find the right item — the stock and support behind both pages is the same.

Expert Support: Not sure which drive size, socket type or brand suits your application? Call us on (02) 9773 0122, contact our team or request a quote for a bulk or account order — we'll match the right sockets to the job rather than leave you guessing.

Australian Business, Local Supply: AIMS Industrial is a proudly Australian-owned industrial supplies business, based in Sydney with a supporting team in Manila. We stock this range locally for fast, reliable dispatch to trade, maintenance and engineering customers across Australia.

Also see our Ratchets & Sockets, Inhex Socket Sets, torque wrenches, spanners & wrenches, hand tools and tool storage ranges.

People Also Ask — Sockets

Q: What's the difference between the Sockets range and the Ratchets & Sockets collection?

The Sockets range is AIMS Industrial's main hub — 578 products covering the full spread of drive sizes, systems and brands we stock. Ratchets & Sockets is a smaller, curated companion collection of 85 products from the same core brands, aimed at buyers who want a shorter shortlist rather than the full catalogue.

Q: Can I use a standard chrome socket on an impact wrench?

No. Standard chrome sockets are harder and more brittle than impact-rated sockets and can crack or shatter under the shock loading of a pneumatic or electric impact wrench. Always use a black-finish, impact-rated socket with impact tools.

Q: What's the difference between a 6-point and a 12-point socket?

A 6-point socket contacts more of the fastener's flat face, giving maximum grip and the lowest risk of rounding the fastener — the better choice for stubborn or high-torque work. A 12-point socket engages every 30°, making it easier to fit in restricted-swing spaces, at some cost to grip.

Q: What size drive should I use for general workshop and automotive work?

3/8" drive is the general-purpose default for most automotive and workshop fastening. Step up to 1/2" drive for heavier automotive and structural work, and down to 1/4" drive for small fasteners and tight, low-torque access.

Q: When do I need a Whitworth socket instead of a metric or imperial one?

Whitworth sockets are needed for British Standard Whitworth (BSW) fasteners still found on older machinery, agricultural equipment and plant in service across Australia. Whitworth sizing is based on thread diameter rather than actual hex size, so a metric or AF (imperial) socket is not a safe substitute — using the wrong one risks rounding the fastener head.

Q: What's a nut twister socket used for?

A nut twister socket has a deeper internal bite designed to grip rounded, rusted or otherwise damaged nuts that a standard socket can no longer turn without slipping — useful for stripped fasteners that would otherwise need to be cut off.

Q: Do you stock 3/4" and 1" drive sockets for heavy industrial work?

Yes. Alongside the more common 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" drive sizes, the range includes 3/4" and 1" drive sockets and accessories — including breaker bars and impact-rated extensions — for heavy truck, plant and mining bolting work.

Q: What's a flare nut socket or crow's foot spanner used for?

Both are designed for fittings on brake lines, fuel lines and hydraulic pipework, where a solid socket can't fit over the pipe running through the fitting. A flare nut socket is a socket with a slot cut into the wall to slip over the line; a crow's foot spanner is an open-ended wrench head fitted to a ratchet extension for the same purpose in tighter spaces.