These tent stakes are made out of 3/8" round stock and are 16" in length. We use these stakes on our 15 x 24 Marquee tent and have worked well in all types of soil and conditions. These stakes were developed by Bill Walters of Four Seasons Tent Masters and myself many years ago. The head of the stake is shaped this way for the following reasons, being the head is folded over this gives you more metal hammer on, also with the metal kicked back toward the stake this keeps the stake straight when being hammered into the ground and keeps it from bending. Now we are not saying that they never bend, some ground is hard as rock, but they work better than the kind that is just bent over on the top. Another advantage to this stake is there is no point, which makes it easier to pull out when your tearing down, with a twist and a pull they come right out. We have been making these stakes for at least 18 years and have used them on all kinds of tents and weather conditions with the results of never having had a tent come down because of these stakes. We feel these are the best working stakes on the market. We have made these stakes for Four Seasons Tent Masters for years and for many other colonial merchants and re-enactors. I will say that these stakes are not copied from any originals in any way shape or form. These were devolved from a tent maker and a blacksmith with an idea that a tent stake could be made better. These stakes are hand forged in our shop. Smiling Fox Forge,LLC