A C-clamp, also called a G-clamp or G-cramp, is a type of clamp typically used to hold a wood or metal workpiece in place, common in carpentry and welding among other trades. It is often assumed that the name comes from the clamp's C-shaped frame, but the tool was in fact originally called a carriage maker's clamp, or carriage clamp, and the letter name came later.
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Introduced When (Circa)Not established by the cited source.
C-Clamp (Wikipedia) describes construction and use, and notes the tool was originally called a carriage makers clamp or Carriage Clamp (itself flagged citation-needed on the live page), but gives no date or era for when the C-clamp was first introduced; checked fresh 2026-09-17 against the raw article extract. OriginC-clamps were originally called a carriage maker's clamp, or Carriage Clamp, a name that predates the now-common belief that "C" refers only to the clamp's C-shaped frame. 1 Sources
1. C-Clamp (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationArticle body, original-name sentenceQuote, Article body, original-name sentence
they were originally called a carriage maker's clamp, or Carriage Clamp.
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