26/6 Standard Staple

Direct Answer

The 26/6 staple (standardized under DIN 7405) is the most common standard for desktop office staplers worldwide. The numbering designates a 26-gauge wire (approx. 0.40 mm diameter) with a 6 mm (1/4 inch) leg length and a 12.7 mm (1/2 inch) crown width, engineered to fasten 20 to 30 sheets of standard 80 gsm paper.

Source: DIN 7405 / ISO Office Fastener Standards · Last reviewed Aug 28, 2026

Specs

Crown Width	12.7 mm (0.50 in / 1/2 in)
Leg Length	6.0 mm (0.24 in / approx. 1/4 in)
Conductor Wire Gauge (AWG)	26 AWG (approx. 0.404 mm / 0.0159 in wire diameter)
Standard Sheet Capacity	20 to 30 sheets (80 gsm bond paper)
Strip Quantity Standard	Full strip (210 staples) or Half strip (105 staples)
Comparison to 24/6	26/6 has thinner wire (0.40 mm) than 24/6 (0.51 mm), providing lower stapling effort on normal stacks
Primary Applications	Universal desktop office staplers (Swingline 747, Bostitch, Rexel, Rapid)

Decoding the 26/6 Naming Convention

The staple designation fraction A/B reveals two critical engineering metrics:

Numerator (26): The American Wire Gauge (26 AWG) of the drawn steel wire. Higher numbers mean thinner wire.
Denominator (6): The depth of the staple legs in millimeters (6 mm).

Thinner 26-gauge wire requires less downward hand pressure from the user, making 26/6 the standard choice for general desktop administration.