50 Perfect Gifts for Engineers to Make Their Gears Turn

50 Perfect Gifts for Engineers to Make Their Gears Turn

Jennifer Woods Gift Ideas

Finding gifts for engineers can be a real challenge. They’re a funny bunch and they are brainy and inventive and are often totally unexcited by “regular” gifts. That is why we have put in the hours to scour the internet and find the best, most creative, great gift ideas for you to give to your favorite engineer. In this list, we’ve got it all – from fashion to funny novelty items, from home decor to toys they can tinker with. There are even some useful gifts mixed in for those utilitarian types. Whatever gets your engineer’s gears turning, there is a cool present waiting for them in this list of the best gifts for engineers.

50 Fun, Clever and Stylish Gifts for Engineers They’re Sure to Love

50 Perfect Gifts for Engineers to Make Their Gears Turn

Need help choosing a good gift for your engineer? Not a problem. First, you need to know what type of engineer they are. If you’ve got a computer engineer or programmer, then they will love stuff with computer parts and circuit boards. Sound engineers will appreciate gifts inspired by music and sound waves (and one particularly awesome joke – check out #9). Mechanical and civil engineers will love cool gifts with moving parts and puzzles. The best gifts for engineers will vary based on their specialty. Needless to say, whatever your dear engineer’s nerdy passions are, we’ve got you covered with gift ideas right here!

Your engineer will also love that these gifts are artisan sourced. Many are handmade by engineers just like them! A good backstory – whether from the personal touches in a customized gift or from the artisan who makes it – always make a gift idea for engineers that much better. So what are you waiting for? Here are the top gifts for engineers. Get to clicking and find the coolest, most unique gift your engineer has ever received!

Custom Sound Wave Art Gift

This is a great gift idea for engineers who love music. The sound waves of a song are shaped into a design that can be printed alone or incorporate a photo. You can also add custom text to the print. It’s printed on aluminum which gives a nice modern look.

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Cute “Build Your Own Roller Coaster” Kit

Looking for a fun gift for the tinkerer in your life? This is just the thing! The kit comes with pieces of baltic birch wood that can be assembled into a tiny roller coaster for a steel marble. This is a cool gift for engineers who are young or just young at heart.

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Cool Gift for Engineers – Cartoon USB Flash Drive

This funny little guy comes complete with hardhat, a stack of papers, and an 8GB USB flash drive for engineers on the go. The cute cartoon engineer is also outfitted with a loop that can be attached to a phone or keychain for safekeeping. The merchant makes a female version, too!

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Clever Circuit Board Tie Clip

If you’re looking for a small gift idea, then this is a solution that is affordable but also memorable. Any engineer is sure to love a tie clip made with an upcycled circuit board. As cheap gift ideas go, this one is full of character. And because they’re handmade each one is truly one-of-a-kind!

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Cool Men’s Leather Bracelet with Custom Engraving

While it’s technically a men’s bracelet, this really does work for men and women if you’re looking for unisex gift ideas. The design is rustic with a leather cord that wraps around the wrist and closes with a silver clasp. There’s a coil that goes around the leather and can be engraved with a customized message for your loved one.

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Perfect Custom Jewelry Present for Engineers

Personalized gifts like this monogrammed charm necklace are a wonderful choice for your favorite engineer. This particular necklace is also a great price! Cute, customized and affordable? Count us in! The silver-toned metal is nickel and lead-free. The chain comes with 3 charms: a birthstone, a disc with a stamped initial, and a tiny wrench.

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Fun Computer Key Bauble for Keychain or Phone

Gifts don’t have to be big to be great. Just check out this cool keychain. Remember those old school keyboards with the chunky tan keys? They’ve been up-cycled into an awesome gift for the computer-savvy! You can hang this on a keychain or use it as a phone pendant. You also get to choose the key, so you can customize with an initial.

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Awesome Tesla Alternating Current Generator Patent Art Poster

While this may be a cheap gift idea, it’s not short on style. Historical patent artwork is so stylish when printed and framed. You can get this print of the Tesla Alternating Current Generator patent artwork in a variety of colors and finishes depending on your engineer’s personal aesthetic. You can buy the print alone or have it framed.

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Hilarious T-Shirt or Hoodie for Sound Engineers

Know a sound guy (or gal) who takes their job very seriously? Then try this funny gift for engineers. This graphic apparel is made just for the sound engineer who balances every note, feedback-free. It comes in a white or gray unisex tee, ladies tee, tank top, and hoodie. Any sound engineer worth their salt is sure to appreciate this pun

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Unique T-shirt with Biplane Patent Art Design

Calling all pilots! Are you noticing a theme of patent artwork here? Those engineers, they love to invent! This t-shirt features the patent artwork from the biplane designed in 1926. It’s a really attractive graphic print design for any engineer to wear, but aerospace engineers and pilots will especially like this gift.

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Awesome 3-D Printed Silver Cube Necklace

Stylish architects and engineers will love this cool present! It’s a silver necklace with a cluster of 3-D printed interlocking cubes on a delicate chain. The design is fresh, modern, and minimalist. Each cube connected but moves independently – a design that is only possible with the 3-D printing process. So cool!

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Favorite Song Soundwave Print Poster

This sound wave art is super customizable and the merchant even offers framing. All you have to do is choose your print style, add a personal message (if you want) and send the artist your engineer’s favorite song. They turn all that into a print that’s truly personal (with no shortage of geekiness).

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Funny Engineer T-Shirt for Know-it-alls

Is your engineer the smartest person in the room? Like, always? This is a funny gift for engineers, particularly your favorite brainiac who’s got a logical explanation for everything and a wicked sense of humor. After all, they’re not arguing. They’re just explaining why they’re right! Word to the wise – these shirts are cotton and may shrink a little so consider buying up a size.

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Awesome Joke Mug for Programmers

Any programmer, tech support guru, or web developer will totally get (and love) this novelty mug. Want to give your favorite engineer a smile with their morning coffee? This is the thing to do it. You’ve just got to love a useful gift that still manages to deliver this much snark and sass.

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Beautiful Geek Chic Circuit Board Necklace

Recycled electronics? Check. Style for days? You got it! This is not your average pendant. It’s made from a recycled circuit board cut into a circular shape and set behind a glossy drop of clear resin. They come in many colors and each one is unique! Who knew the guts of your electronics could be so artful?

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Old Fashioned Patent Art Poster for Goggles

We cannot get enough of these patent drawings. They’re so classic! This print harkens from a 1938 patent application for welding goggles. You can have it printed on paper with an antiqued look or something more modern like magenta or a blueprint. Either way, your engineer will love it!

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Cool Gift Jewelry with Recycled Motherboard

Circuit board jewelry, where have you been all our lives?! This silver ring is adjustable so it will fit any finger. The bold rectangular design is inlaid with a blue, yellow or purple circuit board (your choice). This ring is perfect for your favorite stylish computer engineer or programmer.

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Funny Mug for Modest Engineers

If you know a particularly self-deprecating engineer (or one who needs to be taken down a peg), then this is a funny mug to make them smile. In this day and age of the biggest and best, being the “Word’s Okayest Engineer” might just be the most impressive thing of all.

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Handsome Unique Cufflinks with Watch Parts

Cuff links are a timeless gift for any dapper gentleman. These cufflinks are outfitted with tiny exposed antique watch parts. The intricate interlinked gears will fascinate your engineer. These cufflinks also serve as a handy conversation piece, so if your engineer is shy these can help them break the ice.

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Awesome “Simpsons” Style Custom Portrait

The Simpson’s is one of TV’s most iconic shows. The animated series is also a perennial favorite of the nerd set. That’s what makes this gift so great. Transform your engineer into a yellow cartoon version of themselves. All you need is a photo and the artist will do the rest. This design is perfect for a computer programmer.

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Fun Bitmoji Style Portrait Mug

Let the cartooning continue! “Engineer” a bitmoji version of your gift recipient and slap it on a mug. You can also animate their favorite dog or cat for another fun option. Either way, they’ll appreciate the digital art and a nice big mug from which to slurp their bean juice.

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“Petroleum Engineer” Decorative Street Sign

This street sign artwork pretty much says it all. Petroleum Engineers may not be the best known of their brethren, but you can make sure they’re appreciated with this gift. It’s printed on aluminum just like a genuine street sign and comes in a variety of colors leading the way to Petroleum Engineer Drive.

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Nice Leather Wallet with Royal Engineers Emblem

The Royal Engineers are a military engineering unit from Great Britain. Their seal is beautifully displayed on this bifold leather wallet. The wallet comes in black or brown and has a billfold and multiple card and ID slots. When you see the craftsmanship you won’t believe how affordable this beauty is. Lucky you!

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Monogrammed Tool Set Present for Engineers

Monogrammed tools. Who’d of thunk it? Some engineer, probably. This useful gift is a great solution for the practical “person who has everything”. You can customize the design of the wooden toolbox to your heart’s content. Make it classy or funny or whatever you like – it’s your gift!

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Slim Wallet/Card Case with Circuit Board Design

This wallet takes geek chic to a whole new level. The metal and wood design is utterly contemporary. The thin wood panel on the cover is precision cut with a circuitry design pattern. It’s freaking awesome and a totally unique gift idea! This can serve as a business card holder or a slim wallet for engineers who travel light.

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Set of Five 3-D Puzzles

You don’t have to be puzzled by finding a cool gift for engineers. Sorry. Couldn’t help it. This set of 5 puzzles are inspired by brain trusts of five global civilizations. They’re mentally stimulating and also really attractive. Your engineer can decorate their desk or coffee table with this collection of brain-stimulating trinkets. It’s the perfect present for engineers who like to keep their hands busy while they think.

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Silver Keyring with Mathematics Themed Charms

Any mathematician or engineer would appreciate this stylish silver keychain with adorable math-inspired charms. Customize it with your engineer’s initial and you’ve got one awesome (and affordable) gift to give! This is also a great gift to say “thanks” to math or engineering teachers

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Funny Engineer Joke Trucker Hat

When it comes to a funny gift for engineers, a bold hat that declares “trust me, I’m an engineer,” gets the job done. They do have a point. Let them make it in bold style with this funny trucker hat fit for the fully capable. You can pick out a hat to match their school colors or just their favorite color to wear. Then let the world know they can be trusted

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Build Your Own Mechanical Safe Kit

This build-it-yourself safe looks utterly intimidating, which probably means that it’s a really good gift for the mechanical engineer in your life. All 179 pieces of Baltic birch have to be painstakingly assembled. The end result is a functional safe. No joke, the thing actually locks once it’s built. Amazing

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Fun Novelty Cutting Board for Engineers

Do you know an engineer by day who is also moonlighting as a genius in the kitchen? Gift them this clever cutting board. It’s another useful gift that will get plenty of love and inspire culinary creations as intricate as their engineering projects. Hopefully, it will give them gift ideas of inviting you over for dinner.

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Sophisticated Modern Wooden Task Lamp

You’ve never seen a desk lamp quite like this unique gift idea. The design has a personality and almost looks like an industrial character out of a Pixar movie! It’s constructed entirely of European lime wood. It has 3 joints so you can adjust and direct the light where you need it to go. It’s also just a darn handsome light fixture!

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Birthstone Charm Bracelet for Engineering Grads

This charming charm bracelet makes a wonderful gift for grads. Several signature engineering icons like a hard hat and bridge are captured in the form of tiny silver charms that hang on an adjustable silver bangle. You can also customize with a cute birthstone and initial charm

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Journal with Circuit Board Hard Cover

Who needs a boring old regular journal when you can have one that’s covered in upcycled circuit boards? Nobody, that’s who! Inspire their next invention or project with this unique journal. The pages are sandwiched between a “hardcover” (read: circuit board) that protects the inner pages.

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Old Fashioned Metal “Warning Engineer” Sign

Nothing says “Engineer at Work” like a sign that looks like it’s been taken right off of a worksite. We love the old fashioned style of this aluminum sign. It’s a great gift idea for office space at home or at work. Now go away, there’s engineering to be done.

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Personalized “Engineer” Dictionary Page Print Artwork

If your engineer is also a wordsmith, then they’ll love this unusual gift. The backdrop for the custom artwork is a page from a dictionary featuring the definition of the word “engineer.” This is a good idea that they can frame as a personalized work of art.

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Stainless Steel Bracelet with 2-Sided Ruler Etching

Engineers measure everything. Like 20 times. That means that when it comes to gifts for engineers, this is the perfect piece of jewelry. The cuff is made of stainless steel and is etched with inches on the outside and centimeters on the inside. They’ll never be without a ruler again!

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Modern Radar Screen Wrist Watch

This watch has a rugged minimalist design and a really cool face. In addition to telling you the time, the “e-paper” face displays 200,000 different patterns with the push of a button. The patterns are inspired by midcentury military radar displays. This watch is perfect for the engineer who is also a history buff.

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Pewter Trinket Box with Royal Engineer Emblem

Everybody needs a nice little box on their desk to hold their odds and ends. This is a perfect solution for your favorite engineer! The round box measures 9 cm in diameter and is made of polished pewter. The cover has the Royal Engineer emblem on its face. It’s a sophisticated gift your engineer will surely appreciate.

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Circuit Board Pendant Keychain for Electrical Engineers

Computer engineers make sense of the world in bits and bytes, so it’s only natural that a circuit board would help them find their keys as well! This cute keyring is a simple round pendant made of a colorful circuit board and topped with resin for a shiny, even finish. It’s one of those unisex gift ideas that work for any computer engineer.

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Silver Men’s Ring with Lug Nut Design

Your mechanical engineer will love this lug nut ring. It’s perfectly masculine and says, “I’m stylish and I can also fix things with my hands.” The silver band is simple and connects with a single lug nut in the center. You will need to know your engineer’s ring size, so sneak in a measurement when you can!

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Stylish Fibonacci Spiral Design Unisex T-Shirt

You may be unfamiliar with the Fibonacci sequence but you can bet your engineer will know exactly what this is at first glance. The shirt design captures the classic tenet of math and engineering in a nice, minimalist design. The cut is unisex and the material is an ultra-soft cotton-poly blend. You may want to order one for yourself while you’re at it!

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Throwback Floppy Disk Covered Notebook

How’s this for a throwback Thursday? Remember floppy disks? These dinosaurs of the computer world will inspire nostalgia in any computer geek’s heart. While floppy disks are now obsolete when it comes to your computer, they’ve been given new life in the form of a hardcover for a journal. This is a really fun gift for an OG programmer

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Planing Machine Patent Artwork Poster from 1875

This high-quality art print of planing machine patent artwork from 1875 will look amazing as home or office decor. You can have it printed up as a poster, on canvas, or framed in various sizes. The design fits perfectly as a contrast with modern or industrial decor, or with classic style.

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Skinny Tie with Gold Circuitboard Design

So, back in the day geeks were known for wearing…geeky ties. This inspired update is notably more stylish. You can order the tie in green or black. The design is a monochromatic gold line drawing of a circuit board pattern. The skinny tie is super-stylish and surprisingly formal! Whether they dress it up or dress it down, this gift is a sure winner.

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Super Engineer Etched Stemless Wine Glass

Feed their engineering ego with this wine glass. Inspiring artwork plus liquid courage equals one super confident engineer. This is a small gift idea for engineers who could use a little more faith in their abilities. And also for those who are already feeling themselves. Paired with a nice bottle of wine, it’s the perfect way to say “congrats”.

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A5 Size Notebook with Circuit Board Cover

Keep those ideas protected with a circuit board covered notebook. This one is an A5 size which will fit handily into most bags and briefcases. The vibrant green color just begs you to crack open the cover and write down something brilliant! It’s a perfect small gift idea – a recycled circuit board design any computer engineer would love.

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Silver Cufflinks with Diode Symbol Design

Do you know what the heck a diode is? Don’t worry, neither do we, but your engineer will totally get it. These cufflinks have such a sleek design, you’d hardly notice that there’s a diode circuit symbol on there…but your engineer will. Pop these into those cuffs and they’ll have brains and beauty to boot!

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Wooden Wall Clock with Planetary Gears Design

This clock has so many wonderful things going for it. First off, it’s a wall clock. That’s a lost art that should be enjoyed. Second, it’s made of sustainable bamboo. Third, it features a gear design inspired by the solar system. This is an unusual gift that any engineer would be jazzed about

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Yellow Cartoon Portrait for Electrical Engineers

The yellow cartoons are back! This time they’re working on electrical engineering projects. Once you get the artwork back you can do so much. Put it on a mug, a mousepad, a gigantic canvas for the world to see! Whatever you do with it, that object will be your engineer’s favorite

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50 Totally Timeless Gifts for Engineers You Can Afford

Don’t you just love these gifts for engineers? It kind of makes you want to do some math and physics to see what all the fuss is about. We hope you discover that one ideal present in this collection of gifts for engineers that will make your loved one happy and proud to be a smarty-pants.

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About the Author
Jennifer Woods

As a former planner of wedding parties, Jennifer knows just how important choosing the right gift can be: it’s not just about the value, but emotional connection as well. Her expertise in unique and loveable gift ideas has already made countless events unforgettable, and now her articles help out readers all over the world. Originally from Ottawa, Canada, Jennifer moved to the USA to pursue her dreams in writing. When not working on a new article, she spends most of her time reading and making her small garden prettier. See all articles from Jennifer.