Glossary

A breaker bar is a long, non-ratcheting hand tool used to apply high torque for loosening very tight or rusted fasteners, such as bolts and nuts. It looks similar to a socket wrench but without the ratcheting mechanism. Instead, it has a solid handle, usually made of steel, and a drive end that accepts interchangeable sockets.

The key feature of a breaker bar is its length. The extended handle provides much greater leverage compared to a standard wrench or ratchet. This leverage reduces the amount of force you need to apply with your hand in order to break free a stuck or over-tightened fastener. For example, a two-foot breaker bar allows you to generate far more torque with the same effort than a short ratchet handle.

Breaker bars are commonly used in automotive, heavy equipment, and industrial maintenance when dealing with seized, corroded, or over-torqued fasteners. They are not intended for tightening bolts to a specific torque (that’s the job of a torque wrench), but rather for the brute-force loosening of stubborn ones. Because they lack moving parts, they’re also very durable and less prone to damage under extreme force.