Like all groups in Europe at this time, the Magdalenians at Étiolles knapped flint to obtain blades and bladelets. The former were used as tools and the latter were used to make hunting weapons.
Plentiful production of blades
Many of the blades produced were intended for use in everyday activities. The majority had cutting edges and were used as knives for chopping up carcasses and cutting up meat. Some blades contain nicks that are characteristic of this use. The edges of some blades were retouched so they could be used for other activities. For example, burins were used for working bone and reindeer antler, scrapers for working animal hides, and becs and piercers to make holes in a diverse range of materials.
Bladelets for restoring hunting weapons
Bladelets were also produced, to repair weapons damaged during hunting. These bladelets were retouched then stuck along the lengths of sagaie points, made from reindeer antler, to help the projectile penetrate the animal. Weapons were restored near hearths in habitations, around which there are concentrations of bladelets removed from worn projectile points.
Transporting tools
The majority of tools were made on site. However, there are also several tools made in flint from the Secondary Period, which came from between 50 and 80 kilometres away. This is also the case for the bladelets on projectiles, some of which are not made from flint found locally. The Magdalenians at Étiolles must have brought these objects, produced elsewhere, with them, and some blades missing from refits were probably taken with them when they left.
