PURPOSE: To prevent an elliptical head or an off-center deviation between a head and a shank, in forming a nail head using a die and a punch, by controlling material flow.

CONSTITUTION: An apparatus 10 for forming a nail head consists of a punch 16 and a die for holding a wire material 14. The punch 16 is equipped with flow control grooves 30, 30 parallelly on the punch surface 32, for the purpose of controlling and directing material flow, in forming the head by hitting the end 22 of the wire held on the die. Parallel ribs are produced on the upper surface of the nail head thus formed. The flow control grooves may be provided in the holding die instead of the punch, in which case the ribs are produced on the lower surface of the nail head.