Gouges: Designs, Blade Figures and Handling

August 23, 2026

Gouge 1.8 mm made of stainless steel for podiatric treatment

In professional foot care the gouge is the instrument for everything that has to be removed over an area or at a single point: hyperkeratoses, corn cores, the edges of fissures. There are two designs to choose from – the solid gouge and the holder with a replaceable blade. This guide shows when each of them makes sense and how to read the sizes.

You will find gouges, blade holders and disposable blades in our category Gouges and blades.

Solid gouge or replaceable blade?

Solid gouge

A piece of instrument steel with a permanently ground half-round edge, specified in millimetres of blade width – 1 mm, 1.3 mm and 1.8 mm are common.

Advantage: Very stable, no blade play, autoclavable, no consumable costs.
Disadvantage: It has to be resharpened. A blunt gouge presses instead of cutting – and the patient notices that immediately.
Suitable for: Practices with their own reprocessing that prefer a few well-maintained instruments.

Holder with a replaceable blade

A holder into which sterile single-use blades are inserted. The blades are ordered by figure (Fig.).

Advantage: Always sharp, no resharpening, a clear hygiene situation – the blade goes into the disposal container after the treatment.
Disadvantage: Ongoing costs, and the holder has to match the blade figure.
Suitable for: Practices with a high throughput and for everyone who has switched to single-use products.

Reading the blade figures

The figure number essentially describes the width and the curve of the half-round edge. As a rule of thumb:

Fig. 1 and 2 – small. For work in the nail fold, on ingrown nail edges and for individual corn cores (clavus). The small edge follows the core without taking the surrounding tissue with it.
Fig. 5 – medium. For ridge-shaped hard skin, the edges of fissures and medium-sized hyperkeratoses.
Fig. 10 – large. For extensive, heavy hyperkeratoses on the heel and the ball of the foot, where a small edge only costs time.

If you do not know what to start with: an assortment with Fig. 1/2/5/10 plus a holder covers practically the entire spectrum and turns the decision into a routine rather than an ordering question.

Blade material

Carbon steel – a finer grind, sharper on the first cut, more sensitive to moisture. Intended as a single-use blade.
Stainless steel – somewhat more robust, lasts over more cuts, less sensitive when working in damp conditions.

Guiding it: pencil grip, flat angle

Hold it like a pencil. Three fingers on the holder, with the ball of the hand or the little finger supported on the foot. That is the difference between controlled removal and slipping.
Set it on flat. The flatter the angle, the thinner the layer. Set on steeply, the edge digs in.
Work around corns. Go around the core in a gentle, rotating movement and release it, rather than stabbing into it from above.
Work in layers. Remove thin layers several times and assess the tissue in between. Pink, shiny tissue is the limit.
Not on heavily softened skin. The depth is then difficult to judge.

Hygiene and disposal

Never fit or remove blades with your fingers – use a clamp or a blade remover.
Used blades go into the puncture-proof sharps container, not into household waste.
Clean holders and solid gouges immediately after the treatment so that nothing dries on. The procedure is described in Instrument reprocessing in podiatry.
Blades with damaged sterile packaging are not used.

Not for self-treatment

The gouge removes tissue, and how much is decided in tenths of a millimetre. For use at home, a shaver, a rasp and a file are the right choice – see Removing hard skin from the feet. In cases of diabetes, circulatory disorders or reduced sensation, every treatment that removes tissue belongs in expert hands; see Foot care with diabetes.