Most crabs have 10 legs in total: 1 pair of claws (pincers) and 4 pairs of walking legs, so they’re part of the decapods, literally “ten‑footed.”

Quick Scoop

  • Typical crab leg count: 10 legs, arranged in five pairs.
  • Front pair = big claws (chelipeds) used for grabbing food, fighting, and defense.
  • Back four pairs = mainly walking (sideways scuttle), sometimes swimming or climbing.
  • They’re called decapods because “deca” = ten and “pous” (Greek) = foot.

Are there exceptions?

Most “true” crabs you think of on beaches or at seafood restaurants follow the 10‑leg rule.

However, a few “false” crabs, like porcelain crabs, only have 8 legs even though they look very crab‑like.

In everyday conversation, if you say “a crab,” people will assume the classic 10‑legged decapod version.

TL;DR: Standard crabs = 10 legs (2 claws + 8 walking legs), with a few unusual species having only 8.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.