The Dutch sand shovel is especially suited for transporting loose material or for performing excavations in loose soil. Thanks to the curved blade edge, this shovel is also often used for laying water lines or other pipelines. One important part of a shovel is the socket (the point at which the handle is attached) and the socket angle (angle of inclination between shovel blade and handle). This model of shovel has the most common socket angle (¾ raised) and can be combined with a long handle. This means that material can be scooped up from the ground in an upright and back-friendly posture.