Buy Snips & Shears Online in Australia
Snips + Shears Selection — Quick Reference
Snips + shears — METAL CUTTING shears for sheet + light steel + aluminium + tin + roofing. Workshop + HVAC + roofing + automotive panel. Match BLADE TYPE (straight + left + right cut) + capacity to material.
| Snip / Shear Type | Best For |
|---|---|
| Aviation / Tin Snips (Compound) | Workshop sheet metal |
| Straight Cut (Yellow / Green) | Straight + slight curve cuts |
| Left Cut (Red Handle) | Curving left + tight curves |
| Right Cut (Green Handle) | Curving right + tight curves |
| Heavy-Duty Steel Shears | Heavier gauge metal |
| Long-Reach Shears | Extended cuts |
| Hand Lever Shears | Higher leverage + thicker metal |
| Power Shears — see power shears | Production volume |
Critical: Match BLADE TYPE to cut direction. Inspect for CHIPPED + BLUNT blades + replace. PPE — leather gloves + safety glasses. Brands: Bahco, Channellock. Companion: knives + blades, pliers + cutters, hand tools.
Tin Snips and Aviation Shears for Australian Sheet Metal and Trade Work
Tin snips and aviation shears are the hand tools for cutting sheet metal, ducting, and thin steel where powered cutting tools aren't practical. From standard straight-pattern tin snips through to colour-coded aviation shears for left and right curves, the right snip in the right hand produces clean cuts in thin material faster and cleaner than power tools. For Australian sheet metal workshops, HVAC contractors, and roofing trades, snips are everyday tools. AIMS Industrial supplies snips and shears from Bahco, Wiha, and approved trade brands.
The snip and shear types we stock
- Aviation tin snips (compound action) — the modern industry standard; multi-pivot mechanism multiplies hand force for cleaner cuts in heavier sheet
- Straight-pattern tin snips — single-pivot snips for traditional sheet metal work; lighter cutting force but simpler construction
- Pipe shears — purpose-built for cutting plastic and copper pipe
- Cable shears — for cutting electrical cable and rope cleanly
- HVAC duct shears — for clean cutting of HVAC ducting and ductwork material
- Heavy-duty notching snips — for cutting curves and notches in sheet
Aviation snip colour coding — what each handles
- Yellow handles — straight cuts in any direction; the everyday workshop choice
- Green handles — right-curve cuts; standard for cutting curved patterns rotating right
- Red handles — left-curve cuts; standard for cutting curved patterns rotating left
The colour coding is universal across brands — yellow, green, and red snips work the same way regardless of manufacturer. For sheet metal workshops doing varied work, all three handle colours earn their place; for predominantly straight cutting, yellow alone covers most work.
Where snips earn their place
- Sheet metal fabrication — cutting sheet to size, trimming weld preparation, finishing edges
- HVAC ductwork — cutting ducting sheet, fittings, and trim
- Roofing and cladding — trimming sheet to fit, cutting around penetrations
- Automotive panel work — cutting body panels, repairs, and trim
- Electrical cable trays — cutting cable tray to length and trimming fittings
Sheet thickness capacity
Snip capacity varies by mechanism and brand. Typical capacities:
- Standard tin snips — soft sheet to 1.0mm, harder material to 0.7mm
- Aviation snips — soft sheet to 1.2mm, stainless to 0.8mm
- Heavy-duty aviation snips — soft sheet to 1.6mm, stainless to 1.0mm
- Industrial bench shears — for thicker sheet (these are bench-mounted, not hand snips)
Don't push snips beyond their rated capacity — the cutting edges chip, the pivots loosen, and the tool's life is dramatically shortened. For thicker sheet, use power shears, plasma cutting, or bench shears.
Brands stocked at AIMS
Bahco covers the trade range with strong product depth across yellow, green, and red aviation snips, plus specialty cutters for pipe and cable. Wiha provides the precision end with German engineering on the snips' jaw and pivot construction. Both brands deliver the cutting edge accuracy and joint smoothness that snips need to keep working over years of trade use.
Care and replacement
Snips fail at the cutting edges and the pivot joint. Wipe down after each shift to remove metal swarf that grinds into the joint. A drop of light machine oil in the pivot every few months keeps the action smooth. Replace snips when the cutting edges are visibly chipped or the joint develops play — sharpening tin snips is generally not economical for trade-grade tools.
Companion ranges at AIMS
Snips and shears sit alongside our broader cutting tool and sheet metal range — see side cutting pliers, saws and hacksaws, power shears, and notching punches and dies for the related products.
Need help speccing snips for sheet metal, HVAC, or trade work? contact our team — we'll match by capacity, cut type, and brand.
People Also Ask — Snips & Shears
Q: What do the yellow, green and red handle colours mean on aviation snips?
The colour coding on aviation snips is universal across brands: yellow handles cut straight in any direction and are the everyday workshop choice; green handles are for right-curve cuts, rotating right; red handles are for left-curve cuts, rotating left. For sheet metal workshops doing varied pattern work, having all three colours earns its place, but for mostly straight cutting, yellow alone covers most jobs.
Q: What's the difference between aviation snips and straight-pattern tin snips?
Aviation snips (compound-action) use a multi-pivot mechanism that multiplies hand force, letting them cut cleaner through heavier sheet with less effort — this is now the industry standard. Straight-pattern tin snips use a single-pivot mechanism, giving simpler construction but requiring more hand force for the same cut, and they're really only suited to traditional straight-line sheet metal work rather than curved cutting.
Q: How thick a sheet can snips cut before I need power shears instead?
Capacity depends on the snip type: standard tin snips handle soft sheet up to about 1.0mm and harder material to 0.7mm; aviation snips manage soft sheet to 1.2mm and stainless to 0.8mm; heavy-duty aviation snips extend to 1.6mm soft sheet and 1.0mm stainless. Pushing a snip beyond its rated capacity chips the cutting edges and loosens the pivot fast — once you're past those thicknesses, move to power shears, plasma cutting or a bench shear rather than forcing hand snips.
Q: Is it worth sharpening tin snips when the blades get chipped?
Generally no — sharpening tin snips is not economical for trade-grade tools once the cutting edges are visibly chipped or the pivot joint develops play. At that point the tool's replaced rather than reground, since resharpening a compound-action snip properly to restore the original cutting geometry is a specialist job that usually costs more than a new pair.
Q: How should I maintain snips to keep the cutting action smooth?
Wipe snips down after each shift to clear metal swarf, which otherwise grinds into the pivot joint and accelerates wear. A drop of light machine oil in the pivot every few months keeps the action smooth. These are the two habits that determine whether a pair of snips lasts — the failure points are always the cutting edges and the pivot joint, and swarf left in the joint is what wears the pivot out early.