Guide

Selling knives and bladed articles

A practical compliance guide for retailers selling knives, blades, and sharp-pointed articles. Covers age verification requirements, prohibited weapons, online sales rules, Scotland's exception for domestic cutlery, and how to build a due diligence defence.

Retail & Consumer Goods UK-wide

If you sell knives, blades, axes, or other sharp-pointed articles, you have strict legal obligations to prevent sales to underage customers. Failure to comply is a criminal offence that can result in imprisonment, unlimited fines, and serious reputational damage.

This guide applies to you if you sell:

  • Kitchen knives and cutlery
  • Craft knives and utility blades
  • Hunting, camping, or outdoor knives
  • Axes and hatchets
  • Razor blades
  • Any article with a blade or sharp point capable of causing injury

The law applies equally whether you sell in-store, online, or at markets and events.

Minimum age for knife sales

The minimum age for purchasing knives varies by location and product type. Get this wrong and you face prosecution.

Key point: It does not matter whether the knife is for legitimate purposes (cooking, DIY, camping). The age restriction applies regardless of intended use. You cannot accept a parent's permission or presence as a substitute for the customer being 18+.

What counts as a "knife" or "bladed article"

The law defines "article with a blade or point" broadly. All of the following require age verification:

  • Kitchen knives - including all sizes from paring knives to chef's knives
  • Craft and utility knives - Stanley knives, box cutters, scalpels
  • Outdoor knives - hunting knives, camping knives, fishing knives, penknives
  • Axes and hatchets - all sizes including small camping axes
  • Razor blades - loose blades and blade cartridges (not complete safety razors)
  • Letter openers - if they have a sharp blade or point
  • Scissors - those with pointed blades (safety scissors are generally exempt)
  • Multi-tools - if they contain a blade

Blade length threshold: While the 7.62cm (3 inch) blade length is relevant for carrying knives in public, it does not affect your selling obligations. You must age-verify sales of bladed articles regardless of blade length.

Prohibited offensive weapons - you cannot sell these at all

Some weapons are completely prohibited. It is illegal to manufacture, sell, hire, lend, or give these items to anyone, regardless of age. Since July 2021, private possession is also illegal.

September 2025 update: Ninja swords (straight blades over 50cm) were added to the prohibited list. If you previously sold these, you must stop immediately.

What to do if you receive stock of prohibited items: Do not sell them. Contact your local Trading Standards or police for guidance on disposal. Continuing to sell prohibited weapons risks imprisonment.

Age verification - implementing Challenge 25

Trading Standards strongly recommends using a Challenge 25 policy: if the customer looks under 25, ask for ID. This gives you a safety margin and demonstrates due diligence.

Implementing effective age verification

A robust age verification system should include:

  1. Written policy: Document your Challenge 25 policy and ensure all staff have access
  2. Staff training: Train all staff who may sell restricted products. Keep dated training records
  3. Till prompts: Configure your EPOS system to prompt for age verification when knife-related products are scanned
  4. Refusals log: Record every refusal (date, time, product, reason). This is crucial evidence if challenged
  5. Clear signage: Display "It is illegal to sell knives to anyone under 18" at point of sale and near knife displays
  6. Regular audits: Periodically test your own compliance

Selling knives online - additional requirements

Online sellers face stricter requirements under the Offensive Weapons Act 2019. You cannot simply add a checkbox saying "I am over 18" - you must verify age at both checkout and delivery.

Delivery arrangements that comply

You must use a delivery service that verifies age on handover. Options include:

  • Age-verified delivery services: Royal Mail Age Verification, DPD Age Check, AgeChecked
  • Click and collect: Verify age when customer collects from your premises
  • Specialist couriers: Some carriers offer age verification as a paid service

Critical: You cannot deliver knives through a letterbox or leave them with neighbours. The recipient must be verified as 18+ in person. If your courier cannot verify age, the item must be returned to you.

Record keeping: Keep records of age verification for at least 2 years. This includes checkout verification logs and delivery confirmation records.

Scotland - exception for domestic cutlery

Scotland has a specific exception that allows retailers to sell ordinary domestic cutlery and kitchen knives to 16 and 17 year olds.

Practical advice for multi-site retailers: If you operate in Scotland and elsewhere, it may be simpler to apply the stricter England/Wales rule (18 for all knives) across all stores. This avoids staff confusion and potential errors.

The "all reasonable precautions" defence

If you are prosecuted for selling a knife to an under-18, you may have a defence if you can prove you took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid committing the offence.

What counts as reasonable precautions:

  • Written age verification policy (Challenge 25)
  • Documented staff training with refresher dates
  • EPOS till prompts for restricted products
  • Refusals log maintained consistently
  • Age restriction signage displayed prominently
  • Regular compliance audits and mystery shopping

What undermines your defence:

  • No written policy, or policy not followed
  • Staff training not documented or out of date
  • No evidence of refusals (suggests no one is checking)
  • Self-service tills without intervention for knife sales
  • Previous warnings or failed test purchases

The defence is not automatic - you must prove it. Keep comprehensive records.

Enforcement and penalties

Trading Standards actively enforce knife sales laws using test purchases with under-18 volunteers. Businesses that fail are prosecuted.

What happens in a test purchase

  1. Trading Standards send an under-18 volunteer (usually 15-17) to attempt to buy a knife
  2. The volunteer does not lie about their age, but does not volunteer it either
  3. If asked for ID, they admit they do not have any
  4. If the sale proceeds, officers waiting outside record the offence
  5. The business and individual staff member may both be prosecuted

Consequences of a conviction:

  • Fine: Unlimited - typically £2,000-£10,000 for first offence
  • Imprisonment: Up to 2 years (increased from 6 months in 2025)
  • Criminal record: For the individual staff member who made the sale
  • Reputational damage: Local press coverage, loss of customer trust
  • Future scrutiny: More frequent test purchases and inspections

Training your staff

Every member of staff who may sell restricted products must be trained. Training should cover:

  1. What products are restricted: Knives, blades, axes, sharp-pointed articles
  2. The minimum age: 18 (16 in Scotland for domestic cutlery only)
  3. Your Challenge 25 policy: When to ask, what ID to accept
  4. How to refuse a sale: Politely but firmly, with no exceptions
  5. Proxy sales: Do not sell if you suspect the adult will give the knife to a minor
  6. Recording refusals: How to log refusals in your system
  7. Personal liability: The individual staff member can be prosecuted

Record all training with dates and staff signatures. Refresher training should be at least annual, or when laws change.

  1. Write your age verification policy

    Document your Challenge 25 policy in writing. Specify which products require verification, what ID is acceptable, and the procedure for refusals. Make this available to all staff.

  2. Train all relevant staff

    Ensure every employee who may sell knives receives training. Record the date, content covered, and have them sign to confirm understanding.

  3. Configure your EPOS system

    Set up till prompts for all knife-related product codes. The system should require a staff override confirming age has been verified before the sale can proceed.

  4. Display age restriction signage

    Place clear signs stating "It is illegal to sell knives to anyone under 18" at the point of sale and near knife displays.

  5. Set up a refusals log

    Create a system to record every refusal - digital or paper. Include date, time, product, staff member, and reason for refusal.

  6. Review online sales processes

    If you sell online, implement age verification at checkout and ensure your delivery service verifies age on handover. No letterbox deliveries.

Quick reference summary

Minimum age (England, Wales, NI)
18 years - no exceptions
Minimum age (Scotland - domestic cutlery only)
16 years
Blade length threshold for sales
None - all bladed articles restricted
Recommended policy
Challenge 25
Acceptable ID
Passport, photocard driving licence, PASS card
Online delivery requirement
Age verification at handover - no letterbox
Record retention
2+ years for online; keep training records indefinitely
Maximum penalty
2 years imprisonment and/or unlimited fine

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