The battle axe is a weapon used to cleave skulls and or decapitate, depending on whether it is a one-handed or two-handed one, weighs an average of 25 lbs. Their users, due to the movements required to wield, often build up abnormally large muscles in their shoulder on the side used. Not to be confused with the hatchet, the battle axe usually has a blade around two feet long.

Battle axe is a generic term for a fighting axe, especially a European fighting axe. Battle axes are essentially larger versions of simple axes and are usually two-handed and double-headed. The term battle axe applies only to axes of war. The increased weight and blade size of the battle axe made it even more effective for slashing, chopping, and crushing armor than the simple axe; however, greater skill and strength were required to use a battle axe effectively and thus it was not a common weapon. Most medieval European battle axes had broad, socketed heads (meaning the axe head and the haft fit together, rather than were lashed together), and used reinforcement bands along the haft to prevent the haft from snapping during battle.