Abstract: A hammer-head comprising an optimally designed set of nail extraction claws oriented at a predetermined tangency angle relative to an integrally mounted anvil. The hammer-head is to be used with an integral or removable handle to minimize the forces required in extraction of nails and in exercising prying forces by such tools as a common hammer, a crowbar, or a lever with a stationary or movable fulcrum point. An optimization methodology based on minimization of the nail extraction energy or minimization of the nail extraction energy is implemented in a design methodology and an algorithm for the synthesis of the optimal contour shape of the claws.