Una pala es una herramienta de mano utilizada para excavar o mover materiales con cohesión relativamente pequeña. Consta, básicamente, de una lámina plana con una ligera curvatura y de un mango de metal o madera con el que se maneja. La parte plana suele ser metálica y el mango remata en un asidero que puede ser recto o curvo, para poder ejercer mayor fuerza con una de las manos. La pala se ha empleado desde la más remota antigüedad en labores agrícolas y de construcción. Su evolución ha dado lugar a las máquinas excavadoras y cargadoras, muy importantes en las tareas de movimiento de tierras para remodelación y acondicionamiento de terrenos, construcción de infraestructuras urbanas, conformación de sótanos, preparación de cimentaciones de edificios, etc.

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Most shovels are hand tools consisting of a broad blade fixed to a medium-length handle. Shovel blades are usually made of sheet steel or hard plastics and are very strong. Shovel handles are usually made of wood (especially specific varieties such as ash or maple) or glass-reinforced plastic (fibreglass). Hand shovel blades made of sheet steel usually have a folded seam or hem at the back to make a socket for the handle. This fold also commonly provides extra rigidity to the blade. The handles are usually riveted in place. A T-piece is commonly fitted to the end of the handle to aid grip and control where the shovel is designed for moving soil and heavy materials. These designs can all be easily mass-produced. The term shovel is also applied to larger excavating machines called power shovels, which are designed for the same purpose, namely, digging, lifting, and moving material. Modern power shovels are the descendants of steam shovels. Loaders and excavators (such as backhoes) perform very similar work, etically speaking, but they are not classified as shovels emically. Hand shovels have been adapted for many different tasks and environments. They can be optimized for a single task or designed as cross-over or compromise multitaskers. Examples are given under "".

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