Needle sizes

Needle sizing describes the thickness or circumference of knitting needles, which range from very thin to really quite chunky.

Needle size terminology is almost as varied as the number of differently sized needles available!

The US system starts with a 0 numbered needle, equivalent to a 2.0mm metric needle. In the UK, this is a 14.

The US needle sizing goes up in (mainly) single digit increments, until a 50 needle is reached. This is equivalent to a 25mm metric needle size.

The UK, however, goes down in number from 14 to 000. This 000 needle is equivalent to a 10mm metric needle.

For example, in the metric system, the needle numbering begins with the smallest sizes, starting around 2.00mm. While there are even smaller needles, they’re less common.

From there, the numbers increase in increments of either 0.25mm or 0.5mm, reaching up to around 25mm for extra thick needles meant for super chunky yarns.

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