Yarn Weight Chart: Every Weight with Gauge, Needles and Yardage
Lace to jumbo: what each yarn weight is called in the US, UK and Australia, its gauge, needle size, typical metres per 100 g and what to knit with it.
The short answer: yarn weight means thickness, not grams. The Craft Yarn Council groups yarn into eight weights from 0 (lace) to 7 (jumbo), and each weight has a typical gauge and needle size. The chart below lists all eight with their names in the US, UK and Australia, so you can read any pattern or label.
“Weight” is one of the most confusing words in knitting. It has nothing to do with how heavy a ball is. A 100 g ball of fingering yarn and a 100 g ball of chunky yarn weigh the same, but the fingering yarn is thin and long, and the chunky yarn is thick and short. Yarn weight describes the thickness of the strand, which decides how many stitches you get in 10 cm, which needle you use and what you can knit.
Yarn weight chart
| Weight | Common names | Stitches per 10 cm (4 in) | Needle size | Typical metres per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 Lace | lace, cobweb, 1 to 2 ply | 33 – 40 | 1.5 – 2.25 mm (US 000 – 1) | 600 – 800+ |
| 1 Super fine | fingering, sock, 4 ply | 27 – 32 | 2.25 – 3.25 mm (US 1 – 3) | 350 – 450 |
| 2 Fine | sport, baby, 5 ply | 23 – 26 | 3.25 – 3.75 mm (US 3 – 5) | 250 – 350 |
| 3 Light | DK, light worsted, 8 ply | 21 – 24 | 3.75 – 4.5 mm (US 5 – 7) | 200 – 260 |
| 4 Medium | worsted, aran, afghan, 10 ply | 16 – 20 | 4.5 – 5.5 mm (US 7 – 9) | 150 – 220 |
| 5 Bulky | chunky, craft, rug, 12 ply | 12 – 15 | 5.5 – 8 mm (US 9 – 11) | 100 – 150 |
| 6 Super bulky | super chunky, roving, 14 ply | 7 – 11 | 8 – 12.75 mm (US 11 – 17) | 50 – 100 |
| 7 Jumbo | jumbo, roving | 6 or fewer | 12.75 mm and up (US 17 and up) | under 50 |
The gauge and needle columns follow the Craft Yarn Council standard printed on most yarn labels. The metres per 100 g column is a typical range for wool; it shifts with the fibre. Cotton and linen are denser than wool, so the same thickness gives fewer metres per 100 g; mohair and alpaca blends are lighter and give more. For needle conversions, see the knitting needle size chart.
What to knit with each weight
- Lace (0): shawls and stoles with open, airy patterns, usually on needles a few sizes larger than the label to open up the fabric.
- Fingering, sock, 4 ply (1): socks, fine sweaters, colourwork yokes, baby clothes. Stranded colourwork like Fair Isle is traditionally knit at this weight.
- Sport (2): light sweaters, baby blankets, accessories. A good in-between when fingering feels slow.
- DK, 8 ply (3): the all-rounder. Sweaters, cardigans, hats, mittens and children’s clothes. Knits up faster than fingering but still gives detail.
- Worsted and aran, 10 ply (4): warm sweaters, cabled pullovers, hats, blankets. The most popular weight for beginners because the stitches are easy to see.
- Chunky (5): quick hats, cowls, winter sweaters and blankets.
- Super bulky and jumbo (6, 7): statement blankets, arm-knit throws, very quick scarves.
Reading a yarn label
Most labels give you everything you need to place a yarn in the chart:
- The weight symbol: a yarn ball with a number from 0 to 7.
- Gauge: usually a square with “10 cm” and a count such as “22 sts x 30 rows”. That count is measured in stockinette on the suggested needle.
- Needle size: the size the manufacturer used for that gauge.
- Length and weight: for example “100 g, 225 m”. Divide the metres by the grams to compare yarns: 225 m per 100 g sits in the DK range.
- Fibre and care: machine washable, hand wash only, felting wool. This decides how you block your swatch.
- Dye lot: buy all the yarn for one project from the same dye lot, because colours vary slightly between lots.
Substituting yarn
A pattern is written for a gauge, not a brand. To substitute:
- Stay in the same weight. Pick a yarn whose label gauge matches the pattern’s.
- Compare metres, not balls. Multiply the number of balls in the pattern by the metres per ball to get the total length, then divide by the metres per ball of your yarn. Round up.
- Match the fibre where it matters. A cotton will not behave like wool in a fitted sweater: it is heavier and has no stretch.
- Knit a swatch. Two DK yarns can still knit to different gauges. The gauge calculator shows how many stitches and rows you need at your own gauge.
For how much yarn a project needs in each weight, see how much yarn do I need.
Plan colourwork at your yarn’s gauge
Once you know your yarn and gauge, you can start a knitting chart in Knytstudio: draw a motif in your yarn colours, check your floats and stitch counts, and get written instructions row by row.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between DK and worsted yarn?
Worsted is thicker. DK (double knitting, weight 3) knits at about 21 to 24 stitches per 4 inches on 3.75 to 4.5 mm needles; worsted (weight 4) knits at about 16 to 20 stitches on 4.5 to 5.5 mm needles. A worsted sweater has fewer, larger stitches and a thicker fabric.
Is aran the same as worsted?
They are neighbours in the same category (weight 4 medium). Aran is usually a little thicker than worsted. Many patterns accept either, but always knit a gauge swatch before substituting.
What does 4 ply mean?
In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, 4 ply is the name for fingering weight yarn (weight 1 super fine), the weight used for socks and fine sweaters. The ply number no longer describes how many strands the yarn has; it is just the name of the thickness.
Can I substitute one yarn weight for another?
Only if you change the pattern's numbers. A thicker yarn gives fewer stitches per 10 cm, so the same stitch count makes a larger piece. Swap for a yarn in the same weight category, or recalculate the stitch counts from your own gauge.
How do I find the weight of a yarn with no label?
Knit a small swatch on a needle size in the middle of the range that looks right and count the stitches in 10 cm. Compare the number with the gauge column in the chart; the closest range is its weight.