A
tang or
shank is the back portion of the
blade component of a
tool where it extends into stock material or connects to a handle - as on a
knife,
sword,
spear,
arrowhead,
chisel,
file,
coulter,
pike,
scythe,
screwdriver, etc. One can classify various tang designs by their appearance, by the manner in which they attach to a handle, and by their length in relation to the handle.