Size of an anvil

I have a 94lb one that's about 21" long by 3.5" wide and 9.5" tall with a base that's 8.5" x 9.5". It was originally a bit longer - the horn's mushroomed at the end like it got dropped on something hard. London pattern, though I don't know its pedigree.

- ken

Thanks Ken, that's a great help. I'm looking at the odd advert here and there and the sellers are usually not smiths but people who have come across anvils (often being used as garden ornaments) so they tend not to know the weight. Asking them to tell me the length is much easier. All I have to remember is the weight goes with the length cubed (roughly.)

Colin

If your sellers are anything like the ones I've tried this approach on, you'll get answers like "Hey, its like 30 inches long!", but it will turn out to be about 18.

Here's something I saved from a guy named Page Thomas:

One can estimate the weight of a standard anvil by its dimensions.

10lb anvil. face is 6 x 2; horn, 3 1/2"; hgt., 4"; base, 3 1/2"

100lb. face, 14 x 3 3/8; horn, 9 3/4"; waist, 5"; heal, 13/16; drop, 13/16, hh, 7/8

125lb face, 15 1/2x3 1/2; horn 10 1/2; waist, 5 1/4; heal, 7/8; dp, 7/8; hh, 15/16

160lb face, 17 1/2x4; horn, 11 1/2; waist, 5 1/2; heal, 15/16; drop, 15/16; hh, 1"

200lb face 19x4 1/4; horn, 12; waist, 6; heal, 1, drop, 1; hh, 1 1/16

225lb face, 19 1/2x4 1/2; horn, 12 1/2; waist, 6 1/2; heal, drop, 1 1/16, hh,

1 1/16

900lb face 28 x 8 horn, 19"; height, 18; base 19x16; hh 2"

A farrier's anvil will usually have a longer horn and shorter face, but other dimensions are close.

One should be able to estimate the weight of their anvil, + - 25 lbs.

Steve Smith

Yes. I am also getting use to "Excellent Condition" meaning, 'a badly scarred face very far from flat but with a nice coat of black gloss to make it look nice for the garden.'

Thanks for these numbers.

Colin

My main anvil is a Fisher from 1890, a 350 pounder that's 30 inches long (tip of horn broken off, original would be longer) 6 inches wide and 14 inches high at the face.

My light duty anvil is a 100 pound Vulcan, and it's 20 1/2 inches long, 3

1/2 inches wide and 9 1/2 inches high at the face.

Please note: blacksmiths use words differently from cleaner people; "light" is one of those words

Conrad Hodson

Yes, I've noticed. A couple of the adverts I have followed up have described the anvils as extremely heavy but when I go to see them I see something a jeweller would frown at as being too light!

Colin