Your Guide to Bead & Wire Sizes

Beads come in all sizes, big and small. It will take some practice to be able to visually look at a bead and know its size. Shopping online has been a wonderful tool, however when it comes to beads it can be tricky, especially when you see that bead you MUST have and order it before you read all the details. Photos of beads on the Internet often appear larger then they are in person. This is to show you the details of the bead. So before you get out your credit card and order that MUST have bead, grab your ruler and check out the description of the bead first. Personally, I always have my ruler handy when I do anything related to beading. It helps me get a better idea of the size of the bead and how many I’ll need to order for my project. Almost all beads are measured in millimeters, so be sure your ruler has a millimeter side to it.


The Mystery of the Seed Bead Size

Seed beads come in a variety of sizes and are marked with numbers like 11° and 6°. You will also see these as 11/0 and 6/0. Seed bead sizes get smaller as the measurement number increases. An 11/0 seed bead is much smaller than an 8/0 seed bead. Again, remember that most measurements in the bead world are through the metric system and given in millimeters.

Seed bead numbers are based on how many seed beads of that size bead will fit into a length of 20mm. This is an approximation; some seed beads could vary in size even if they are all marked 11°. Size irregularities are due to the methods of manufacturing. If you need seed beads that are all closer to the exact same size look for Japanese seed beads or Delicas. Their manufacturing guidelines are stricter.

Seed bead sizes and the true meaning of the numbers are still being argued throughout the beading world. After doing some personal measurements I have come to agree with the 20mm theory.

Charts:

The charts below can be used to reference different sizes and gauge the number of beads you might need for a project. Millimeter Bead Sizing Chart, Seed Bead Sizes, and Wire Gauge Guide can be found below.