Wire gauge conversion tables

I found these conversion charts at a metalwork forum. Mini knitters may be interested in knowing that non-metric UK knitting needle sizes are equivalent to the British SWG wire gauge. I don't know how US knitting needle sizes are defined.


American wire gauge

mm inch B&S (gauge)
6.54 .2576 2
5.19 .2043 4
4.11 .1620 6
3.26 .1285 8
2.59 .1019 10
2.05 .0808 12
1.63 .0641 14
1.29 .0508 16
1.02 .0403 18
0.813 .0320 20
0.643 .0253 22
0.511 .0201 24
0.404 .0154 26
0.330 .0126 28
0.254 .0100 30
0.200 .0079 32
0.160 .0063 34
0.127 .0050 36
0.102 .0040 38
0.081 .0032 40

(British) Standard Wire Gauge

SWG inch mm
7/0 .500 12.70
6/0 .464 11.79
5/0 .432 10.97
4/0 .400 10.16
3/0 .372 9.45
2/0 .348 8.84
1/0 .324 8.23
1 .300 7.62
2 .276 7.01
3 .252 6.40
4 .232 5.89
5 .212 5.38
6 .192 4.88
7 .176 4.47
8 .160 4.06
9 .144 3.66
10 .128 3.25
11 .116 2.95
12 .104 2.64
13 .092 2.34
14 .080 2.03
15 .072 1.83
16 .064 1.63
17 .056 1.42
18 .048 1.22
19 .040 1.016
20 .036 0.914
21 .032 0.813
22 .028 0.711
23 .024 0.610
24 .022 0.559
25 .020 0.508
26 .018 0.457
27 .0164 0.417
28 .0148 0.376
29 .0136 0.345
30 .0124 0.315


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