Annex - examples of ‘zombie-style knives’ and ‘zombie-style machetes’ which will qualify for compensation (accessible)
Updated 23 August 2024
Applies to England and Wales
© Crown copyright 2024
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The measurements relating to the images below are of the blade length, being the straight-line distance from the top of the handle to the tip of the blade.
The blade length is measured as the straight line distance from the top of the handle to the top of the blade.
20” / 50cm ‘zombie-style’ machete. This has a plain cutting edge, a sharp pointed end, a blade over 8” in length, a serrated cutting edge and more than one hole in the blade
17.3” / 44cm Desert style machete. This has a plain cutting edge, a sharp pointed end, a blade over 8” in length, a serrated cutting edge and more than one hole in the blade.
15” / 38cm Fantasy Hunting Knife. This has a plain cutting edge, a sharp pointed end, a blade over 8” in length, a serrated cutting edge and more than one hole in the blade.
10.5” / 26.5cm Fantasy knife. This has a plain cutting edge, a sharp pointed end, a blade over 8” in length, a serrated cutting edge and more than one hole in the blade.
9” / 22.86 cm Rambo style knife. This has a plain cutting edge, a sharp pointed end, a blade over 8” in length and a serrated cutting edge.
18” / 45.72 cm Cutlass style machete. This has a plain cutting edge, a sharp pointed end, a blade over 8” in length and a serrated cutting edge.
10” Fantasy Hunting Knife. This has a plain cutting edge, a sharp pointed end, a blade over 8” in length and a serrated cutting edge.
10” Rambo Style Knife. This has a plain cutting edge, a sharp pointed end, a blade over 8” in length and a serrated cutting edge.
Feature guidance
A serrated cutting edge. Regular blunt grooves, known as Jimping, are often present on the thumb ramp, spine or choil area of knife blades. These are designed to provide grip and are not a serrated cutting edge for the purposes of the legislation.
A serrated cutting edge. Fully serrated knives, which do not also have a section of plain edge do not qualify under the definition.
A serrated cutting edge (other than a serrated cutting edge of up to 2 inches next to the handle). Where there is a section of serrations in the cutting edge next to the handle, as long as they do not exceed 2” in length, this should not be counted as a serrated edge for the purposes of the legislation.
More than two sharp points in the blade (other than a sharp point of a kind specified in sub-paragraph (2))
2(b) a sharp point on the cutting edge of the blade near the handle.
Where the cutting edge ends nearest the handle of a knife this forms an angle, sometimes called the heel of the blade. This should not be counted as a point for the purposes of the legislation.
A sharp point where the angle between the edges which create the point is an angle of at least 90 degrees (where there is a curved edge, the angle will be measured by reference to the tangent of the curve)
Example 1. This tanto style blade has a primary sharp point, Point 1. The angles making the point are 50 degrees (Less than 90 degrees) so Point 1 is a sharp point for the purposes of the legislation.
Example 2. Point 2 is not a sharp point for the purposes of the legislation because the angle creating the point is greater than 90 degrees.
Example 3. This curved point is a sharp point because measuring the angle by looking at the tangent of the curve, the point has an angle of 46 degrees (therefore less than 90 degrees).
