Banned Knives in the UK: The Full List

No. You cannot legally sell or import a knife on this list. In England and Wales you also cannot legally keep one at home. This has applied since 14 July 2021 ^[6]. A knife counts as banned in the UK if it appears on the schedule to the ^[2] (as amended). It also counts as banned if it is a flick knife or gravity knife under the ^[4]. This is different from a knife that is merely illegal to carry in public. Banned knives are controlled by possession, dealing and import offences. Only narrow statutory exemptions apply.

Banned covers four separate acts. Banned weapons cannot be manufactured, sold, hired, offered for sale or hire, lent, given away or imported under ^[1]. The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 inserted a new subsection. Private possession is also an offence under ^[6]. This has applied in England and Wales from 14 July 2021 and in Scotland in stages from 28 June 2022. Someone who already owned a banned item before it was added to the schedule could keep it at home without breaking the law before then. This applied provided they did not sell, lend or import it. That gap closed for weapons on the schedule from the point the possession offence came into force.

What does “banned” actually mean?

Banned means four things. You cannot make it. You cannot sell it. You cannot import it. In England, Wales and Scotland you also cannot keep it in private. It is an offence to manufacture, sell, hire, offer for sale or hire, lend or give a banned weapon to anyone ^[1]. Importing one is a separate offence under the same regime. Border Force enforces this at the point of entry.

Section 141(1A) was inserted by ^[6]. It adds a further offence. That offence is possessing a banned weapon in private, not just in public. “Private” is defined differently in each nation. In England and Wales it means anywhere other than a public place, school or further education premises, or a prison. In Scotland it means domestic premises ^[1]. The text of section 141 also defines private possession for Northern Ireland. Legislation.gov.uk records section 46 commencement for England and Wales and for Scotland, though, not Northern Ireland ^[6].

Defences exist under the same section for museums, weapons of historical importance, and items used for theatre, film or television production. These are narrow exemptions. They are not a general “collector’s” defence. Each depends on the specific circumstances.

The full banned knives list

The table below lists every knife-type item currently on the schedule to the ^[3]. It also lists the two weapons banned separately under the ^[4]. Descriptions are neutral. They match the statutory wording, not marketing terms.

Item	What it is	Status	Added
Flick knife (switchblade)	Blade opens automatically by pressing a button, spring or device in or attached to the handle	Banned	1959 Act, s.1
Gravity knife	Blade releases from the handle by gravity or centrifugal force and locks in place by a button, spring or lever	Banned	1959 Act, s.1
Butterfly knife (balisong)	Blade concealed inside a split handle that swings apart to reveal it, no spring or mechanical assistance	Banned	1988 Order, original schedule
Swordstick	A hollow walking stick or cane containing a blade that can be used as a sword	Banned	1988 Order, original schedule
Knuckleduster	A band of metal or hard material worn on the fingers and designed to cause injury, including any weapon incorporating one	Banned	1988 Order, original schedule
Handclaw	A band of metal or hard material with sharp spikes protruding, worn around the hand	Banned	1988 Order, original schedule
Footclaw	A bar of metal or hard material with sharp spikes protruding, strapped to the foot	Banned	1988 Order, original schedule
Belt buckle knife	A belt buckle that incorporates or conceals a knife blade	Banned	1988 Order, original schedule
Push dagger	A knife with a handle that fits inside a clenched fist, blade protruding between two fingers	Banned	1988 Order, original schedule
Hollow kubotan	A cylindrical container holding a number of sharp spikes	Banned	1988 Order, original schedule
Shuriken (throwing star)	A hard, non-flexible plate with three or more sharp radiating points, designed to be thrown	Banned	1988 Order, original schedule
Telescopic truncheon	A truncheon that extends automatically by hand pressure on a button, spring or device in the handle	Banned	1988 Order, original schedule
Blowpipe	A hollow tube from which pellets or darts are shot by breath	Banned	1988 Order, original schedule
Kusari-gama, kyoketsu-shoge, manrikigusari	Martial-arts weapons of rope, cord, wire or chain fastened to a sickle, hooked knife or weight	Banned	1988 Order, original schedule
Disguised knife	A knife concealed to appear as an everyday object such as a comb, pen or lipstick case	Banned	2002 amendment
Stealth knife	A knife with a blade or blade and handle made entirely from a material that will not readily show on an x-ray	Banned	2004 amendment
Curved sword (over 50cm)	A sword with a curved blade of 50cm or more, subject to a narrow religious and ceremonial exemption for Sikh kirpans	Banned	2008 amendment
Zombie knife	A blade with a cutting edge, a serrated edge, and images or words on the blade or handle that suggest use for violence	Banned	2016 amendment
Cyclone knife (spiral knife)	A handled weapon with two or more cutting edges that each form a helix (spiral) shape	Banned	Offensive Weapons Act 2019, [7]
Zombie-style knife or machete	A bladed article with a plain cutting edge, a sharp point, a blade over 8 inches (20.3cm), and at least one of: a serrated edge, holes in the blade, spikes, or more than two sharp points. Practical agricultural, gardening or outdoor-use machetes are excluded	Banned	[5], in force 24 September 2024, England and Wales only

Every item on this table is banned outright. The ordinary “good reason” defence for carrying a knife in public does not make it lawful to possess, sell or import one. Separate exemptions can apply where the relevant legislation allows them. Examples include museums, weapons of historical importance and theatre, film or television use. Antiques over 100 years old are another example.

The 2024 zombie-style knife and machete ban

The 2024 ban prohibits manufacturing, selling, hiring, importing, supplying or possessing a zombie-style knife or machete in England and Wales from 24 September 2024. Part 2 of the ^[5] amended the 1988 Order’s schedule. It came into force on 24 September 2024. Article 1(3) states that the Order extends to England and Wales.

The Order defines a zombie-style knife or machete as a bladed article with a plain cutting edge and a sharp pointed end. The blade must also exceed 8 inches (20.3cm). It must also have at least one of four features: a serrated cutting edge, one or more holes in the blade, one or more spikes, or more than two sharp points. Ordinary machetes designed and marketed for practical agricultural, gardening or outdoor use are explicitly excluded from the definition.

A surrender and compensation scheme ran from 26 August to 23 September 2024. It let owners hand affected items to police for a payment before the ban took effect. That scheme has now closed. Anyone in England or Wales who still possesses a zombie-style knife or machete after 24 September 2024 commits an offence, regardless of when they acquired it.

Flick knives and gravity knives

Flick knives and gravity knives are banned under a different, older law with no antiques exemption. The ^[4] makes it an offence in England, Wales and Scotland to manufacture, sell, hire, offer for sale or hire, lend or give a flick knife or gravity knife to any person, regardless of the recipient’s age or purpose.

A flick knife is defined as a knife with a blade that opens automatically. This happens by manual pressure on a button, spring or device in or attached to the handle. A gravity knife is defined as a knife with a blade that releases from the handle by gravity or centrifugal force. It then locks in place by a button, spring, lever or similar device.

Article 53 of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 covers the manufacture, sale, hire, lending and gift of flick knives and gravity knives in Northern Ireland. The maximum is 4 years on indictment ^[13].

The schedule under the 1988 Order includes a 100-year antiques exemption. The 1959 Act does not. A genuine antique flick knife or gravity knife is still banned.

Do antiques get an exemption?

Yes, for most banned weapons. Flick knives and gravity knives are the exception. A weapon on the schedule to the ^[2] is exempt if it was manufactured more than 100 years before the date of the alleged offence. This is confirmed on ^[8].

This exemption applies item by item, based on genuine manufacture date, not on the item’s style or appearance. A modern reproduction of an antique-style weapon is not covered. The burden of proving the age falls on the person relying on the exemption.

The exemption does not apply to flick knives or gravity knives under the 1959 Act. An antique flick knife is still a banned weapon. No age-based defence is available.

What the Crime and Policing Act 2026 changes

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 adds a new intent-based offence. It raises some maximum penalties. It creates a new seizure power. None of its knife provisions was in force on 28 September 2026 though. The Act (c. 20) received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026.

Section 28 inserts a new section 139AB into the Criminal Justice Act 1988. This creates an offence in England and Wales of having a bladed article or offensive weapon with intent to use unlawful violence. The same applies to intent to cause someone to fear unlawful violence, or to cause serious damage to property. The maximum is 7 years’ imprisonment on indictment ^[9]. Section 29 makes the section 141 dealing offence triable on indictment. The maximum there is 2 years in England, Wales and Scotland. It also sets new maximums for private possession and for section 141A sales to under-18s ^[10]. Section 30 creates a police power in England and Wales to seize a bladed article from premises where an officer is lawfully present ^[11]. The Act does not amend section 139. It does not amend the 3 inch folding-pocketknife exemption or the good-reason defence.

Enacted. Not yet in force. Sections 28 to 43 commence only by regulations. The first three commencement regulations for Great Britain are SI 2026/689, SI 2026/939 and SI 2026/960. The first Northern Ireland commencement order is SR 2026/153. None of these include sections 28 to 30 ^{[12][14][15][16]}. Legislation.gov.uk still listed sections 28, 29 and 30 as not in force on 28 September 2026 ^[9]. Until a later commencement order is made, the penalties described earlier on this page are the ones that apply.

What isn’t on this list

A locking folding knife, a kitchen knife or a knife over 3 inches is legal to own. Each can still be illegal to carry in public without a good reason. These items sit in a different legal category. They are legal to own and legal to buy ^[8].

Carrying one in public requires a lawful reason such as work. The separate guide to carrying a pocket knife in the UK sets out the rules that apply to them.

A locking multitool is one example not on this banned list. See multitool and Swiss Army knife carry rules before carrying one in public.

This is legal information. It is not legal advice. Get advice from a solicitor or Citizens Advice if you have a specific question about a knife you own or intend to buy.