Yarn Weight Chart

Yarn weight, sometimes called yarn size, is how thick a yarn is, not how much a skein weighs. In the US, yarn is sorted into eight standard weights numbered from 0 (lace, the thinnest) to 7 (jumbo, the thickest), and many labels print that number inside a small skein symbol. The number tells you which needles or hook to start with and roughly what gauge to expect.

The chart below covers all eight weights with needle and hook sizes and gauge, followed by wraps per inch (WPI), typical yardage and the names the same yarns go by in the UK and Australia. Further down you will find how to identify an unlabeled yarn, how to substitute one weight for another, and notes for spinners and weavers.

On this page: Chart | Weights in order | Identify a yarn | Choosing a weight | Substituting | Spinners | Weavers

Yarn weight chart: sizes 0 to 7

Gauge is the number of stitches across 4 inches (10 cm): stockinette for knitting, single crochet (sc) for crochet. Treat these ranges as starting points, because your pattern's gauge always wins. On a phone, swipe the chart sideways to see every column.

* Lace is usually worked on bigger needles or hooks than this to open up the stitches, so follow your pattern. ** Steel crochet hooks are numbered backward from regular hooks: the higher the number, the smaller the hook.

Yarn weights in order, thinnest to thickest

What are the yarn weights in order of thickness?

From thinnest to thickest, with our full guide where we have one:

• 0 Lace: the finest yarn, for lace shawls, doilies and airy wraps.
• 1 Super Fine (fingering or sock): socks, shawls, baby things and fine colorwork. Read What Is Fingering Weight Yarn?
• 2 Fine (sport): light sweaters, baby clothes and cushier socks. Read What Is Sport Weight Yarn?
• 3 Light (DK): everyday sweaters, hats, baby blankets and amigurumi. Read What Is DK Weight Yarn?
• 4 Medium (worsted): the all-rounder for sweaters, hats, blankets and first projects. Read What Is Worsted Weight Yarn?
• 4 Medium (aran): a little thicker than worsted and the classic for cabled sweaters. Read What Is Aran Weight Yarn?
• 5 Bulky (chunky): quick hats, cowls and warm outerwear.
• 6 Super Bulky (super chunky): fast blankets, big cowls and rugs.
• 7 Jumbo: the thickest yarn, for arm knitting and giant blankets.

Is DK a 2 or a 3 yarn weight?

DK is a 3, which the standard calls Light. Sport weight is a 2 (Fine), so DK is the thicker of the two. The numbers always go up as yarn gets thicker, from 0 for lace to 7 for jumbo, and a label marked 3 may say light worsted instead of DK.

Is worsted the same as aran?

Close, but not quite. Both are a 4 (Medium), and plenty of labels use the names loosely. Aran is usually a little thicker, so it often calls for a needle one size larger, such as a US 8 instead of a US 7, and gives a few fewer stitches per 4 inches. Swatch before you swap one for the other in a fitted garment. Our aran weight guide has the details.

How to identify a yarn's weight

Use this table to identify a yarn without a label, or to translate a pattern from the UK or Australia. Worsted and aran get separate rows here because they measure a little differently.

WPI depends on how snugly you wrap, and yardage depends on fiber: cotton, silk and alpaca usually give fewer yards per 100 g than springy wool of the same thickness, while brushed mohair gives more. Treat both columns as ranges to compare against, not rules.

What does the number on a yarn label mean?

It is the yarn's weight on the standard 0 to 7 scale, usually printed inside a small skein symbol. A 4 means medium (worsted or aran), a 3 means light (DK), and so on. Use it with the chart above to pick a starting needle or hook, then check the gauge and tool size printed on the label, which are specific to that yarn.

How can I tell what weight yarn I have?

If the label is gone, you have three good options:

1. Count wraps per inch. Wrap the yarn around a ruler or a WPI tool and compare your count with the WPI column above (steps below).
2. Check yards per 100 grams. If you know the skein's length and weight, divide the yards by the grams, multiply by 100 and compare with the yardage column.
3. Swatch it. Knit or crochet a 4 inch (10 cm) square on the needle or hook you think fits, count the stitches across 4 inches and find the closest gauge in the main chart.

When two methods agree, you have your answer. Fluffy and textured yarns can fool a WPI count, so trust the swatch for those.

How do I measure wraps per inch (WPI)?

1. Wrap the yarn around a ruler, pencil or WPI tool, laying each wrap snugly beside the last. Do not overlap, stretch or squash the wraps.
2. Wrap a little more than an inch, then count the wraps that fit in exactly one inch.
3. Check two or three spots along the yarn, since handspun and textured yarns vary, and compare your count with the WPI column above.

A dedicated gauge makes it easier to keep the wraps even. We carry the Kromski Wooden WPI Tool, the Ashford Yarn Gauge and the Schacht Dizzy Yarn Gauge, which doubles as a sett gauge for weavers and a diz for spinners.

Why does 4 ply not mean four strands?

In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, ply names describe thickness rather than construction. 4 ply is a fingering weight, 8 ply is DK and 10 ply is close to worsted, no matter how many strands the yarn actually has. On US labels, ply simply means how many strands are twisted together, so a 2-ply yarn can be any weight. Go by the weight number, WPI or gauge instead.

Choosing a yarn weight for your project

Your pattern comes first: it names a weight and a gauge, and matching both is the surest way to get the size and fabric the designer intended. When you are choosing yarn for your own idea, these are the usual starting points:

Thinner yarn gives finer detail and more drape but takes longer to work up. Thicker yarn grows fast and makes warmer, firmer fabric.

What yarn weight is best for beginners?

Worsted (4, Medium). It is thick enough to see each stitch, it works on comfortable US 7 to 9 needles or an I-9 to K-10.5 hook, and a huge number of beginner patterns use it. Pick a smooth, light-colored wool or wool blend so your stitches are easy to read and easy to rip back. Dark, fuzzy and novelty yarns are harder to learn on. New to knitting? Start with our Knitting 101 guide.

Substituting yarn and holding strands together

How do I convert yarn yardage to weight?

Start with the label. Divide the yards your pattern calls for by the yards in one skein and round up. For example, a project that needs 1,000 yards of a worsted with 220 yards per 100 g skein works out to about 4.5 skeins, so buy 5 (500 g). To compare two yarns for a substitution, convert both to yards per 100 g: yards divided by grams, times 100. If the numbers are close and the weight category matches, the yarns should swap well. Buy everything from one dye lot, with a skein to spare.

Can I use a different yarn weight than my pattern calls for?

You can, but the size and feel of the finished piece will change unless you match the gauge. Stay in the same weight category when you can, swatch on the needle or hook that gives the pattern's gauge, and make sure you like the fabric at that gauge. Going one weight thinner or thicker works well for shawls, blankets and other pieces where exact size matters less. For fitted garments, recalculate the stitch counts or choose a pattern written for your yarn.

Can I hold two strands together to make a thicker yarn?

Yes, and it is a handy way to use yarn you already have. As a rough guide, two strands of lace weight work up like a fingering, two strands of fingering like a DK or light worsted, two strands of DK like an aran or chunky, two strands of worsted like a bulky, and two strands of bulky like a super bulky. A doubled yarn is thicker but not twice as thick, so swatch to check your gauge.

For spinners: the weight of your handspun

Handspun does not come with a label, so spinners use the same checks as everyone else, with a couple of extra steps.

How do I find the weight of handspun yarn?

1. Finish the yarn first. Wash it and let it dry before you measure. Most yarn changes after its first bath, and woolen-spun yarn can bloom noticeably.
2. Measure WPI in several places and go with the average, since handspun naturally varies.
3. Work out yards per 100 g. Count the wraps on your niddy noddy and multiply by the length of one wrap (measure yours once, since sizes vary), then weigh the skein. Yards divided by grams, times 100, gives you a number to compare with the chart.
4. Swatch it. Gauge is the final word, especially for textured and art yarns.

Spinning toward a target weight? Wrap a few turns of a finished yarn you like around a card and keep it by your wheel to check against as you spin. For bulky and art yarns, a jumbo flyer with a bigger orifice makes the job much easier.

For weavers: sett and yarn counts

Weavers think in sett, the number of warp ends per inch (epi), instead of needle sizes. On a rigid heddle loom, the dent size of the reed sets your sett, so the yarn weight tells you which reed to reach for. These are good starting points for balanced plain weave:

Weave and wash a small sample before you commit, because fiber, twist and how hard you beat all change the cloth. For twill on a multi-shaft loom, set the warp a little closer than for plain weave. Shop rigid heddle reeds and rigid heddle looms.

What does 8/2 mean on weaving yarn?

It is the yarn count. The first number is the thickness of a single strand (the higher the number, the finer the strand) and the second is how many strands are plied together. For cotton, a size 1 single is 840 yards per pound, so yards per pound = 840 times the first number, divided by the second. That puts 8/2 cotton at about 3,360 yards per pound, 5/2 cotton at about 2,100, 8/4 cotton at about 1,680 and 3/2 cotton at about 1,260. Linen and wool use different base numbers, so compare yards per pound rather than the fraction. Browse all of our weaving yarn.

More yarn guides

• What Is Fingering Weight Yarn?
• What Is Sport Weight Yarn?
• What Is DK Weight Yarn?
• What Is Worsted Weight Yarn?
• What Is Aran Weight Yarn?
• What Is Superwash Wool?
• What Is a Dye Lot?
• Crochet Hook Buying Guide: hook sizes in mm and US, materials and how to choose
• All crafting resources and guides

Questions about a specific yarn? Call us at (509) 536-7746 or email [email protected].

Gauge, needle and hook ranges follow the Craft Yarn Council's Standard Yarn Weight System. WPI, yardage, ply names and reed sizes are common guidelines rather than standards, so always check your label and swatch.