Pole Saw Chain Size Guide

There's no standard pole saw chain. Pole saws and pole pruners in Australia use four different pitches — 1/4", 3/8" low profile, .325" and, on some small pruning saws, 0.300" — on bars from 8" to 12". Even the same brand at the same bar length can differ: the EGO PS1000 takes a 1/4" .043" chain with 56 drive links, while the EGO PSA1000 attachment, also 10", takes 3/8" LP .043" with 40. Match pitch, gauge and drive-link count to your exact model or bar stamp.

Pole saws get less attention than chainsaws, and their chains are harder to find. Most are sold as part of a multi-tool or battery platform, the replacement chain is rarely stocked on the shelf, and the manual is long gone. This guide lists every pole saw and pole pruner we fit, grouped by brand, with the exact chain for each.

This page is part of our complete chainsaw chain size guide.

Pole Saw Chain Sizes by Model

Stihl pole pruners

Echo Power Pruners

Husqvarna pole saws

Makita pole saws

The DUA200Z catches people out — it runs .325" pitch, not the 3/8" LP most small battery pole saws use.

Ryobi pole saws

EGO pole saws

DeWalt, Ozito and Baumr-AG

Alpine codes read left to right: NN = 1/4", LT = 3/8" LP, EN = .325"; 43 or 50 = gauge; S = semi-chisel; final number = drive links. Full code breakdown here.

Model not listed? Search by Chainsaw, or read the numbers off the bar and use Search by Bar Stamp.

Why Pole Saw Chains Are So Easy to Get Wrong

With a chainsaw, bar length narrows the options a lot. With a pole saw it barely helps. Almost every pole saw runs an 8", 10" or 12" bar, and across those three lengths you'll find four pitches and two gauges. Three things cause most wrong orders:

• Same brand, different chain. EGO's PS1000 and PSA1000 are both 10" and both 56V, and they take completely different chains. So do Makita's DUA200Z and EY401MP.

• 1/4" looks like 3/8" LP until you compare them. A 1/4" chain has far more drive links for the same bar length — 64 on a 12" Stihl HT bar versus 44–45 for 3/8" LP on a 12" bar. If your drive-link count seems unusually high for a short bar, you're almost certainly running 1/4".

• Gauge varies within 3/8" LP. Echo, Husqvarna, Makita EY401MP, Ozito and Baumr-AG pole saws run .050". Ryobi, EGO PSA1000 and DeWalt run the thinner .043". Same pitch, same bar length, not interchangeable.

If pitch and gauge are unfamiliar terms, our guides to chain pitch and bar gauge explain both, and how to measure a chainsaw chain shows how to count drive links.

Keeping a Pole Saw Chain Cutting

A pole saw works at the end of a two-to-four-metre lever. When the chain is sharp, the weight of the head does most of the work. When it's dull, you end up pushing from the far end of a long pole — which is tiring, imprecise and hard on the drive shaft or motor.

• File little and often. Two or three strokes per tooth each time you refuel or swap batteries. Use the right round file: 4.0mm for 3/8" LP; 4.5mm for .325" narrow-kerf chain like the Makita DUA200Z's; and for 1/4" chain, 3.2mm on Stihl's 1/4" P chain, though some other 1/4" chains take 4.0mm. When in doubt, use the size printed on the chain's packaging. (See our chainsaw file guide and sharpening guide.)

• Check tension often. Short chains show stretch quickly, and a loose chain on a short bar derails easily when cutting at an angle overhead. (Our snap test guide covers it.)

• Check the oiler. Overhead cutting rains sawdust onto the bar head, and small oil ports block easily. Run the saw near a light surface and look for an oil line before you start.

• Keep a spare loop. Pole saw chains are short and inexpensive. A spare means a nicked chain doesn't end the job.

What a Pole Saw Is — and Isn't — For

Pole saws are built for limbs, generally up to about 100–150mm depending on the machine. They're not built for felling or blocking firewood, and no chain changes that. In dry Australian hardwood, a semi-chisel chain holds its edge longer than a full chisel and is easier to file back on site, which is why every chain above is semi-chisel. (The reasoning is in full chisel vs semi-chisel.)

Always cut from beside the branch, never beneath it, and keep the drop zone clear.

Browse by Pitch

• 1/4" chains — Stihl HT/HTA pole pruners, EGO PS1000

• 3/8" LP chains — most battery and petrol pole saws

• .325" chains — Makita DUA200Z

Pole Saw Chain — FAQ

What size chain does a pole saw take?

It depends on the model. Australian pole saws use 1/4", 3/8" low profile or .325" pitch chain in .043" or .050" gauge, on 8", 10" or 12" bars. Match the pitch, gauge and drive-link count to your model or bar stamp.

Are pole saw chains the same as chainsaw chains?

They're the same type of chain, just shorter. A pole saw chain is specified by the same three numbers — pitch, gauge and drive links. What differs is that pole saws often use pitches, like 1/4", that are rare on chainsaws.

What chain does a Stihl HT 135 or HTA 86 take?

A 1/4" pitch, .043" gauge chain with 64 drive links on the 12" bar. The HT 105, HTA 66 and HTA 85 take the same chain.

What chain does an Echo Power Pruner take?

Echo PPF and PPT Power Pruners run 3/8" low profile, .050" gauge chain with 39 drive links on the 10" bar.

Do the EGO PS1000 and PSA1000 use the same chain?

No. Both have 10" bars, but the PS1000 takes 1/4" .043" with 56 drive links, and the PSA1000 attachment takes 3/8" LP .043" with 40.

Why does my 12" pole saw chain have 64 drive links?

Because it's 1/4" pitch. 1/4" links are smaller, so more fit on the same bar. A 12" bar takes 64 drive links in 1/4" but around 44–45 in 3/8" LP.

What file do I use on a pole saw chain?

4.0mm for 3/8" low profile and 4.5mm for .325" narrow kerf. For 1/4" chain, Stihl's 1/4" P takes 3.2mm, while some other 1/4" chains take 4.0mm — check the size printed on the chain's packaging.

Can I use a pole saw on hardwood?

For limbs, yes. Keep the chain sharp and use a semi-chisel profile, which holds its edge better in dry, gritty Australian timber. Pole saws aren't designed for felling or cutting firewood rounds.