Bead Knowledge Center - Sizing Charts
The charts below are only approximate as all beads of the same size, especially from different manufacturers, are not necessarily the same size.
Need a mm to inch conversion? Check out this conversion site.
This page lists the following charts:
Seed Beads
| Bead Size |
Approx Length of 15 beads laid in a row |
Approx Length of 1 bead |
Suggested Needle Size * |
Suggested Thread Size* |
| 15/0 |
14mm |
1.5 mm |
12 - 15 |
B or D |
| 14/0 |
15mm |
1.6 mm |
12 |
B or D |
| 13/0 |
16mm |
1.7 mm |
12 |
B or D |
| 12/0 |
17mm |
1.9 mm |
12 |
D |
| 11/0 |
19mm |
2.2 mm |
10 |
D |
| 10/0 |
25mm |
2.3 mm |
10 |
D |
| 9/0 |
27mm |
2.6 mm |
10 |
D |
| 8/0 |
33mm |
3.0 mm |
10 |
D |
| 6/0 |
43mm |
3.7 mm |
10 |
D |
* Suggested needle and thread sizes are based on going through the beads mutlple times. If only going through once, a size 12 needle and size D thread is usually sufficient. For Bead Embroidery, a usual needle size is 10 and thread size is D, but the embroiderer should also carry size 12 and 15 for those cases where the hole is smaller than normal.
Bugle Beads
Diameter of bugles are about 2mm.
| Size of Bugle |
Length of Bead |
| #1 |
2.5mm |
| #2 |
5mm |
| #3 |
7mm |
| #4 |
9mm |
| #5 |
11mm |
Larger sizes are sized by the mm, not a number. |
Beads per Inch
This chart is a starting point. All counts are rounded to the nearest 1/4". When figuring out a length, don't forget to count the clasp. This chart can also help you determine how many beads you are getting on an unstrung chord of beads. A more complete list can be found on Fire Mountain Beads.
| Bead Size |
1" |
7" |
16" |
24" |
| 3mm |
8.25 beads |
59.25 beads |
135.5 beads |
203.25 beads |
| 4mm |
6.25 beads |
44.5 beads |
101.5 beads |
152.5 beads |
| 5mm |
5 beads |
35.5 beads |
81.25 beads |
122 beads |
| 6mm |
4.25 beads |
29.5 beads |
67.75 beads |
100.5 beads |
| 8mm |
3.25 beads |
22.25 beads |
50 beads |
76.25 beads |
| 10mm |
2.5 beads |
17.75 beads |
40.5 beads |
61 beads |
| 12mm |
2 beads |
14.75 beads |
33.75 beads |
50.75 beads |
| 14mm |
1.75 beads |
12.75 beads |
29 beads |
43.5 beads |
| 16mm |
1.5 beads |
11 beads |
25.5 beads |
38 beads |
Wire Gauge to Bead Size Guide
| Bead Type |
Bead Size |
Wire Gauge |
| Seed beads |
15° |
28 ga |
| 11° |
22 ga |
| 8° and 6° |
20-ga |
| Pearls |
Any size |
28 to 24 ga |
| Gemstones |
4 mm |
24-26 ga |
| 6 mm to 8 mm |
24 - 22 ga |
| Large nuggets |
22 - 20 ga |
| Crystals |
3 mm |
24 ga |
| 4 mm and larger |
22 ga |
| Lampwork |
Any size |
20 - 18 ga |
| Metal |
2 mm - 3 mm |
22 ga |
| 4 mm and larger |
22 - 18 ga |
| Czech pressed glass |
Any size |
22 0 20 ga |
| Czech Fire-Polished |
Any size |
22 ga |
| Polymer Clay |
Any size |
20 ga |
Drill Bit to Wire Gauge Conversion Chart
| B&S |
MM |
Inches |
Drill Size |
| 0 |
8.26 |
0.325 |
21/64 |
|
| 1 |
7.34 |
0.289 |
9/32 |
|
| 2 |
6.52 |
0.257 |
1/4 |
|
| 3 |
5.81 |
0.229 |
7/32 |
1 |
| 4 |
5.18 |
0.204 |
13/64 |
6 |
| 5 |
4.62 |
0.182 |
3/16 |
15 |
| 6 |
4.11 |
0.162 |
5/32 |
20 |
| 7 |
3.66 |
0.144 |
9/64 |
27 |
| 8 |
3.25 |
0.128 |
1/8 |
30 |
| 9 |
2.9 |
0.114 |
|
|
| 10 |
2.59 |
0.102 |
|
38 |
| 11 |
2.31 |
0.091 |
5/32 |
43 |
| 12 |
2.06 |
0.081 |
5/64 |
46 |
| 13 |
1.83 |
0.072 |
|
50 |
| 14 |
1.63 |
0.064 |
1/16 |
51 |
| 15 |
1.45 |
0.057 |
|
52 |
| 16 |
1.3 |
0.051 |
|
54 |
| 17 |
1.14 |
0.045 |
3/64 |
55 |
| 18 |
1.02 |
0.04 |
|
56 |
| 19 |
0.914 |
0.036 |
|
60 |
| 20 |
0.812 |
0.032 |
1/32 |
65 |
| 21 |
0.711 |
0.028 |
|
67 |
| 22 |
0.635 |
0.025 |
|
70 |
| 23 |
0.558 |
0.022 |
|
71 |
| 24 |
0.508 |
0.02 |
|
74 |
| 25 |
0.457 |
0.018 |
|
75 |
| 26 |
0.406 |
0.016 |
1/64 |
77 |
| 27 |
0.355 |
0.014 |
|
78 |
| 28 |
0.304 |
0.012 |
|
79 |
| 29 |
0.279 |
0.011 |
|
80 |
| 30 |
0.254 |
0.01 |
|
|
Weight of Beads from the bead store
Beads usually come in 3" or 6" round tubes from a bead store or a hank of beads that are 12 stand looped cluster of Czech beads.
- A 3" tube hold about 15 grams of beads
- A 6" tube hold about 30 grams of beads
- A hank is about 36 grams of beads
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