Body Piercing Jewelry Size Reference


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Body Jewelry Size Reference

Here's everything you need to know to pick the right size body jewelry for your piercings. Please see our links page for the piercing FAQ, which will help you determine initial jewelry sizes and aftercare, plus the most useful body piercing links.

You may also be interested in the SteelSkin.com sizing chart which will help you determine the gauge and size of your existing jewelry as well as visualize the actual size of jewelry you are considering for purchase.

Gauge Reference
The gauge is the thickness of the jewelry (Usually the thickness of the wire the jewelry is made from but may also be the diameter of a plug or eyelet). From 20 gauge to 00 gauge, the smaller the number is, the thicker the jewelry is. After 00, the diameter of body jewelry is usually measured in fractional inches as shown below.
Gauge	Decimal Inches	Fractional Inches		Millimeters
20	0.032	Approximately	1/32	0.812
18	0.04	Larger than	1/32	1.024
16	0.051	Smaller than	1/16	1.291
14	0.064	Approximately	1/16	1.628
12	0.081	Larger than	1/16	2.053
10	0.102	Smaller than	1/8	2.588
8	0.128	Approximately	1/8	3.264
6	0.162	Larger than	1/8	4.115
4	0.204	Smaller than	1/4	5.189
2 or 1/4"	0.258	Approximately	1/4	6.544
0 or 5/16"	0.325	Approximately	5/16	8.251
00 or 3/8"	0.365	Approximately	3/8	9.266
000 or 7/16"	0.410		7/16	11.110
0000 or 1/2"	0.460		1/2	12.710
5/8"	0.630		5/8	15.875
3/4"	0.750		3/4	19.050

Captive Bead Ring Diameter
	The diameter of all types of rings is the inside diameter of the ring. The gauge is the thickness of the wire.
Straight Barbell Length
	Straight barbell length is the linear length of the bar between the balls. The gauge is the thickness of the wire..
Curved Barbell Length
	Curved barbells or banana bells, are measured in a straight line between where the lip of each ball meets the bar on the inside of the curve. Measure the distance between the top and bottom holes of your piercing to determine the length you need. The gauge is the thickness of the wire.
Circular Barbell Diameter
	Circular barbells are measured across the inside diameter of the barbell similar to captive bead rings. The gauge is the thickness of the wire.
Doorknocker & Jackhammer Size
	Like straight barbells, doorknockers and jackhammers are sized according to the linear length of the bar between the two balls. The gauge is the thickness of the wire.
Labret Length
	Labrets are measured from the disk to the ball along the length of the bar. The gauge is the thickness of the wire.
Plug Wearable Area
	The wearable area of a plug is the distance between flares or flare and o-ring. The gauge is the diameter of the plug.
Eyelet Wearable Area
	The wearable area of eyelets and flesh tunnels is the distance between the flares or flare and the o-ring. The gauge is the diameter.
Septum Spike Wearable Area
	Septum spike wearable area is the length of the bar between the spikes. The gauge is the thickness of the wire.
Pincher Diameter
	The diameter of pinchers is measured as the inside diameter. The gauge is the thickness of the pincher at the thickest point (top).
Helix or Spiral Diameter
	The diameter of helix or spiral barbells is measured as the inside diameter. The gauge is the thickness of the wire.