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Yarn weights 0 to 7 explained

The eight standard yarn weight categories, what they are called in different countries, and how to tell them apart when the label does not help.

By The StudioPublished Jul 4, 20264 min read

Yarn weight means thickness, not how much the ball weighs. The Craft Yarn Council standard sorts yarn into eight categories numbered 0 to 7, from thread you could sew with to rope you could tow with, and the number is printed as a small skein symbol on most labels. Every pattern in this shop lists the weight in its specs. Knowing the categories lets you substitute yarn with confidence and read labels from any country.

The categories

Number	Name	Also called	Hook range	Single crochet per 10 cm
0	Lace	thread, cobweb, 2 ply	1.5 to 2.25 mm	32 to 42
1	Super fine	fingering, sock, 4 ply	2.25 to 3.5 mm	21 to 32
2	Fine	sport, baby, 5 ply	3.5 to 4.5 mm	16 to 20
3	Light	DK, light worsted, 8 ply	4.5 to 5.5 mm	12 to 17
4	Medium	worsted, aran, 10 ply	5.5 to 6.5 mm	11 to 14
5	Bulky	chunky, craft, rug	6.5 to 9 mm	8 to 11
6	Super bulky	super chunky, roving	9 to 15 mm	5 to 9
7	Jumbo	jumbo, giant	15 mm and up

Names by country

North American labels use the names in the third column: fingering, sport, DK, worsted, bulky. British and Australian labels count plies or use chunky: 4 ply is roughly fingering, 8 ply is DK, 10 ply is worsted or aran, chunky is bulky. The ply count is historical and unreliable, since a modern single ply yarn can be any thickness, but as a rough guide it works. When in doubt, the number in the skein symbol is the same everywhere.

The categories blur at the edges

Two yarns can both be labeled 4 and one can be noticeably thicker than the other. Aran sits at the heavy end of medium and worsted at the light end; DK sits between sport and worsted and is sometimes labeled either. The most reliable cross-check is meters per 100 grams, which almost every label prints.

Lace: 600 m or more per 100 g
Fingering: 350 to 450 m per 100 g
Sport: 280 to 350 m per 100 g
DK: 200 to 280 m per 100 g
Worsted and aran: 160 to 220 m per 100 g
Bulky: 100 to 160 m per 100 g
Super bulky: 50 to 100 m per 100 g

When two yarns have the same weight number but different meters per 100 g, the one with fewer meters is thicker. Choose the substitute whose meterage is closest to the original, then swatch.

Wraps per inch

If a yarn has no label at all, wrap it around a ruler so the strands lie side by side without gaps or overlap, and count how many fit in 2.5 cm (1 in). Roughly: lace 35 or more, fingering 19 to 22, sport 15 to 18, DK 12 to 14, worsted 9 to 11, bulky 7 to 8, super bulky 5 to 6. It is approximate, but it will tell you which patterns a mystery skein could work for.

Choosing a weight for a project

Lighter weights make finer fabric and take longer; heavier weights work up fast and make thick fabric. A fingering weight shawl has drape and delicacy but takes weeks; the same shawl in worsted takes days and is a winter wrap. Baby garments are usually fingering to DK so they are not bulky on a small body. Toys are usually DK to worsted because the stitches are easy to see and the fabric is firm. Blankets are DK to bulky depending on how heavy you want them; a worsted throw weighs around a kilogram, a bulky one nearer two.

What a pattern was designed in is the safest choice, but weight is only the first step in substituting yarn. Fiber changes the result as much as thickness does, and the next article on hook sizes and materials covers the other half of the pairing.

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