The shank of a nail is the long part of the nail with the pointy end on it.
The head of the nail is the part that is on top of the shank of the nail that you hit with a hammer.
There's also ring shank nails that prevent them from being pulled out as easy as other nails such as during high winds, hurricanes etc.
Ring shank nails are great for surfaces exposed to high winds that might pull out a common nail.
They're ideally suited for softer woods that might otherwise split when nailed.
Applications: Siding, Roof Decking, Asphalt Shingles, Underlayment, Subfloors.
The 3 different types of nail shank's are.
Smooth Shank Nails. There are no deformations on the shank, making nails with a smooth shank the easiest to drive.
Spiral Shank Nails. A spiral "thread" on the shank causes the nail to spin during installation, creating a thread-like interlock with the wood, which increases withdrawal capacity.
Annular Ring Shank Nails.
The downside of a smooth shank nail is its loss of withdrawal strength when applied in wood that is continuously expanding and contracting due to moisture.
Ring and screw shanks have a stronger holding power than smooth shanks. In general, ring shanks have the strongest holding power.
Smooth shank nails are the most common and are often used for framing and general construction applications.
They offer enough holding power for most everyday use.
Ring shank nails are those with ridges or spirals around the shank; those little ridges can increase the holding power of the nail by 40 percent or more.
The ridges on the ring shank nails act as little barbs or wedges that lock the nails firmly into the wood once it's driven.