Needle Gauge Size Chart

Needle gauge sizes refer to the size of a needle, which is determined by the diameter of the shaft. A larger gauge number indicates a smaller needle size, while a smaller gauge number indicates a larger needle size. Needles are measured in gauges ranging from 12 (the largest) to 33 (the smallest). Needles of larger gauge sizes are used for more delicate work, while needles of smaller gauge sizes are used for larger and more robust projects.

Gauge Number	Needle Nominal O.D. (mm)	Needle Nominal I.D. (mm)	Needle Wall Thickness (mm)	Needle Dead Volume (µL/25.4 mm)
34 gauge needle	0.159	0.051	0.051	0.052 µL/25.4 mm
33 gauge needle	0.21	0.108	0.051	0.233 µL/25.4 mm
32 gauge needle	0.235	0.108	0.064	0.233 µL/25.4 mm
31 gauge needle	0.261	0.133	0.064	0.353 µL/25.4 mm
30 gauge needle	0.312	0.159	0.076	0.504 µL/25.4 mm
29 gauge needle	0.337	0.184	0.076	0.675 µL/25.4mm
28 gauge needle	0.362	0.184	0.089	0.675 µL/25.4 mm
27 gauge needle	0.413	0.21	0.102	0.876 µL/25.4 mm
26s gauge needle	0.474	0.127	0.178	0.322 µL/25.4 mm
26 gauge needle	0.464	0.26	0.102	1.349 µL/25.4 mm
25s gauge needle	0.515	0.153	0.178	0.464 µL/25.4 mm
25 gauge needle	0.515	0.26	0.127	1.349 µL/25.4 mm
24 gauge needle	0.566	0.311	0.127	1.93 µL/25.4 mm
23s gauge needle	0.642	0.116	0.267	0.268 µL/25.4 mm
23 gauge needle	0.642	0.337	0.152	2.266 µL/25.4 mm
22s gauge needle	0.718	0.168	0.279	0.563 µL/25.4 mm
22 gauge needle	0.718	0.413	0.152	3.403 µL/25.4 mm
21 gauge needle	0.819	0.514	0.152	5.271 µL/25.4 mm
20 gauge needle	0.908	0.603	0.152	7.255 µL/25.4 mm
19 gauge needle	1.067	0.686	0.191	9.389 µL/25.4 mm
18 gauge needle	1.27	0.838	0.216	14.011 µL/25.4 mm
17 gauge needle	1.473	1.067	0.203	22.715 µL/25.4 mm
16 gauge needle	1.651	1.194	0.229	28.444 µL/25.4 mm
15 gauge needle	1.829	1.372	0.229	37.529 µL/25.4 mm
14 gauge needle	2.109	1.6	0.254	51.076 µL/25.4 mm
13 gauge needle	2.413	1.804	0.305	64.895 µL/25.4 mm
12 gauge needle	2.769	2.159	0.305	93 µL/25.4 mm
11 gauge needle	3.048	2.388	0.33	113.728 µL/25.4 mm
10 gauge needle	3.404	2.693	0.356	144.641 µL/25.4 mm
*mm are nominal

What to understand about needle gauge sizes

Needle gauge size is a measure of the thickness of the needle. The higher the gauge size, the thinner the needle. Needles are available in a range of sizes, from the thinnest (typically around 30 gauge) to the thickest (usually around 13 gauge). The size of the needle you should use for any particular task depends on the material you are using and the desired effect. For instance, a larger needle is often used for sewing thicker fabrics, while a smaller needle is used for finer fabrics. Additionally, the size of the needle can affect the rate at which the material can be sewn and the amount of needle flex that is possible.