A garden fork differs from a pitchfork because it is designed for digging rather than for lifting. It is sturdier and has shorter, thicker prongs. Forks used to be made of wood but are now made or carbon steel or stainless steel. A pitchfork next to a compost bin Pitching hay A pitchfork is a tool with a long handle and long, thin, widely separated pointed tines (also called prongs) used to lift and throw loose material, such as hay, leaves, grapes, or other agricultural products. ... Plain-carbon steel is a metal alloy, a combination of two elements, iron and carbon, where other elements are present in quantities too small to affect the properties. ... In metallurgy, stainless steel (inox) is defined[1] as a ferrous alloy with a minimum of 10. ...