Cut nails can be recognized by the shaft configuration, with two tapering sides and two parallel sides. The ends of early cut nails may have slightly rounded ends. Cut nails with hand-made heads continued to be produced until circa 1820. Shafts are cross-grained, and thus break when bent. The earlier versions have irregular heads which are often eccentric to the shaft, along with a distinct pinched neck under the head.
Shafts remain cross-grained, and rounded ends are common.
These nails were produced until circa 1840. Machine-headed cut nails were perfected by circa 1835. These perfected versions display longitudinal grain and square ends. Such nails dominated the building construction until circa 1890. Cut nails are still used today for certain very limited uses which benefit from their superior holding power.