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Home › Chart guides › Knitting Needle Size Chart
A US size 8 needle and an old UK size 8 are not the same: one is 5 mm and the other 4 mm. This conversion chart puts metric, US and old UK and Canadian needle sizes side by side, from fine lace needles to large chunky ones, with the yarn each is typically used for.
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Metric, US and old UK / Canadian needle sizes side by side.
| Metric (mm) | US size | Old UK / Canadian | Typical yarn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 mm | 000 | - | Lace |
| 1.75 mm | 00 | - | Lace |
| 2 mm | 0 | 14 | Lace |
| 2.25 mm | 1 | 13 | Lace, fingering |
| 2.75 mm | 2 | 12 | Fingering, sock |
| 3 mm | - | 11 | Fingering, sock |
| 3.25 mm | 3 | 10 | Fingering, sport |
| 3.5 mm | 4 | - | Sport |
| 3.75 mm | 5 | 9 | Sport, DK |
| Metric (mm) | US size | Old UK / Canadian | Typical yarn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 mm | 6 | 8 | DK, light worsted |
| 4.5 mm | 7 | 7 | DK, worsted |
| 5 mm | 8 | 6 | Worsted, aran |
| 5.5 mm | 9 | 5 | Worsted, chunky |
| 6 mm | 10 | 4 | Chunky |
| 6.5 mm | 10 1/2 | 3 | Chunky |
| 7 mm | - | 2 | Chunky |
| 7.5 mm | - | 1 | Chunky |
| Metric (mm) | US size | Old UK / Canadian | Typical yarn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 mm | 11 | 0 | Chunky, super bulky |
| 9 mm | 13 | 00 | Super bulky |
| 10 mm | 15 | 000 | Super bulky |
| 12.75 mm | 17 | - | Super bulky, jumbo |
| 15 mm | 19 | - | Jumbo |
| 19 mm | 35 | - | Jumbo |
| 25 mm | 50 | - | Jumbo |
A dash means that system has no size there. Metric and US sizes follow the Craft Yarn Council standard; old UK and Canadian sizes run backwards, getting smaller as the number rises.
Always knit a gauge swatch: go up a size if you have too many stitches per inch, down a size if you have too few.
On a vintage pattern, a needle number with no 'mm' is in that country's own system: a UK size 8 is 4 mm but a US size 8 is 5 mm.
Yarn weights follow the Craft Yarn Council's recommended needle ranges; your pattern and swatch always win.