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Yarn Weights: The Complete Encyclopedia that Actually Help You

Janne Kleivset
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There are a lot to know about yarn and even more to figure out about yarn weights if you are new to it. But even though you have been creating stuff with yarn your whole life there might still be things to learn.

Here’s an encyclopedia covering all you need to know about yarn weights; all the different standards & names. As with crochet terms there is also different naming systems or definitions. This can be quite frustrating when reading crochet patterns.

Yarn Weights: The Complete Encyclopedia that Actually Help You

Different Yarn Weight Standards

There’s many different standards for yarn weights. First of all there is different names in both US, UK, New Zealand & Australia & other countries, and yarn manufacturers use them differently. In this article I’ll be going trough yarn weights standards & compare them.

I’ll also go through the meaning of the term “yarn weights”. Next I’ll go through the importance of using the right yarn weight when following a pattern. Finally I’ve made a cheat sheet for you to download to get control over the different yarn weights.

What Does Yarn Weight Mean?

The meaning of the term yarn weights is really to describe the thickness of the yarn or thread. It’s as easy as that. Many might think it has something to do with the weight of a skein or ball of yarn, but that is one of the things that makes it confusing.

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Yarn Weights: The Complete Encyclopedia that Actually Help You

Why is Yarn Weight So Important?

When following a pattern it’s important to know that you’re using the right type of yarn aka yarn weight. The reason for this is that you’ll want the result of your crochet project to be the right size. I mean, it’s nothing worse than spending hours making something that you think is correct & then realizing that its waaay to small or big. What I’m describing now is gauge. You can read more about gauge here. But essentially it’s how many rows & stitches that fit within a specified measurement.

Related: HOW TO Read a Crochet Pattern part 1 (with free workbook to learn calculating gauge)!

Make sure you also grab the FREE cheat sheet for yarn weights at the bottom of the page, consequently you’ll be able to find the right yarns for you faster.

Standard Yarn Weight System From Craft Yarn Council

The Craft Yarn Council or Yarn Standards have worked together to set up a series of guidelines & standards to bring uniformity to yarn, needle & hook labeling. This with the goal to bring uniformity to books, magazines and yarns. Consequently there will be easier for crocheters and knitters to follow written patterns from all over the world.

Yarn weights from Craft Yarn Council or Yarn Standards are given with a number & name (These are typically also viewed as US yarn weight standards). You’ve got:

  • 0: Lace Weight Yarn
  • 1: Super Fine Weight Yarn
  • 2: Fine Weight Yarn
  • 3: Light Weight Yarn
  • 4: Medium Weight Yarn
  • 5: Bulky Weight Yarn
  • 6: Super Bulky Weight Yarn
  • 7: Jumbo Weight Yarn

These are often given with pictures from the Craft Yarn Council:

yarn weights
yarn weights
yarn weights
yarn weights
yarn weights
yarn weights
yarn weights
yarn weights

For now there’s no confusion right? I mean it seems quite easy? But…

Yarn Weights Common Names

To make it even more confusing there’s even more typical names for yarn weights.

Besides the Craft Yarn Councils standardization, you’ve got those other common terms. In the list below the names on the same row are approximately the same. These names are found in different countries.

  • Lace, Fingering, 10-count crochet thread, Coweb
  • Sock, Fingering Yarn, Baby
  • Sport, Baby
  • DK, Light Worsted
  • Worsted, Afghan, Aran Yarn
  • Bulky Yarn, Chunky Yarn, Craft, Rug
  • Super Bulky, Roving
  • Jumbo Yarn, Roving

Some of the yarn names comes from what the yarn usually was used for, like baby weight yarn where commonly used for baby clothes, while sock weight yarn was used for socks.

Lace yarn and 10-count crochet thread was often used for doilies and table runners.

The afghan yarns where often used for blankets.

As you see the different type of yarn name was used for different needs.

Ply & Yarn Weights – What Does It Mean?

In UK, New Zealand & Australia you’ve typically got the yarn weight given i ply. This is a term that’s not even 100 % used in the same ways in these countries. But it’s given in 1 ply as the thinnest yarn & up to 12 or higher as the thickest.

But what does it mean? This term goes back to when spinners made yarn. Back to when it was a more manual process. The process of making yarn was to pull fibers from distorted masses of fibers into single long threads. Those single threads where then plied with one or more threads to make the yarn a desired weight or thickness. In this way you could make yarn in different yarn weights.

As an example, a 4-ply yarn would be made up of 4 separate threads or strands spinned together.

Back then this was an easy & quite uniform way to describe the thickness of the yarn. Because there was then mostly a typical thickness of each thread & then the number of threads (ply) was a good way to describe the yarn weight.

Today the meaning are rarely clear, as there can be super thick yarns that are just 1 ply, but at the same times a thin yarn can also be 1 ply.

Wraps Per Inch (WPI) & Yarn Weights

Wraps per inch or WPI is used to determine the yarn weight in situations when you’ve lost the yarn label. This is a great way to make sure you can use all your scrap yarn.

You will need

  • Your yarn that’s not labeled
  • A Ruler
  • A pencil or other object with consistent circumference.

Alternative you can use a specific WPI Tool. A good one is available here: WPI Tool (Wraps Per Inch) Tool Kit.

How to Calculate Wraps Per Inch

You’ll be able to determine what yarn weight your yarn is by wrapping the yarn around the pencil. It’s important to not wrap to tightly. You should then measure how many wraps you have in one inch.

Wraps per inch is given in numbers ranging from >35 & as low as 0. WPI is often not given as the same from different resources, as the definition also depends on the diameter of the pencil or tool. In my list below you’ll have a common number for WPI for each yarn weight.

Yarn Weights: An Overview

So as you’ve probably understood by now it’s quite complex to compare yarn weights with all the different standards. I’ve put all the common names into a table to make it easier to see.

PictureWrittenCommon namesPlyWPI
 yarn weights 0: LaceThread
Coweb
Lace
Light Fingering/Fingering
1 Ply
2 Ply
3 Ply
>35
 yarn weights 1: Super FineFingering
Sock
Baby
3 ply or 4 ply 19-22
 yarn weights 2: FineSport

Baby

4 ply or 5 ply15-18
 yarn weights 3: LightDK (Double knit)
Light Worsted
8 ply12-14
 yarn weights 4: MediumWorsted
Aran
Triple Knit (rare)
Fisherman
Afgahn
10 ply or 12 ply9-11
 yarn weights 5: BulkyBulky
Chunky
Craft
Rug
Double Double Knit (rare)
12 ply or 16 ply7-8
 yarn weights 6: Super BulkySuper Bulky

Roving

14 ply5-6
 yarn weights 7: JumboJumbo

Roving

 0-4

When it comes to what yarn weight size you should use together with a crochet hook size(or size needles), there’s lots of knowledge out there. There is much to learn, & consequently I’ve written a post about this so you can learn more:

Related: Yarn weights in comparison to crochet hooks.

Related resource: Why a Gauge Swatch Is Important When Crocheting Sweaters

The Typical Questions About Yarn Weights

What is double knitting wool?

Double knitting wool is the same as dk weight yarn.

What is worsted weight yarn?

Worsted weight yarn is also called 4 medium yarn and it refers to the thickness of the yarn.

What is sock weight yarn?

Sock weight yarn is the same as 1 super fine yarn and is a relatively thin yarn often used for crocheting or knitting socks.

Yarn weight category 4?

Yarn weight category 4 is also known as aran weight yarn or worsted weight yarn. It’s a mid range yarn when it comes to thickness.

Sport weight yarn equivalent? or sport weight yarn number?

Sport weight yarn is the same thickness as baby yarn and 2 fine yarn. The yarn number for sport weight yarn is 2 fine yarn.

What does DK weight yarn mean? What is DK weight yarn? DK yarn definition?

DK weight yarn is short for double knitting yarn. It’s a yarn that also can be called 3 light yarn or light worsted yarn.

What is aran weight yarn?

Aran weight yarn is a mid range yarn when it comes to thickness and is also standardized as a 4 medium weight yarn.

Janne Kleivset

Janne Kleivset

Founder, Crochet Pattern Designer & Owner of Joy of Motion Crochet.

Janne has helped millions of crocheters find their next crochet project with more than 250 free crochet patterns and 110 crochet tutorials on her blog.

With more than two decades of crochet experience, and crochet designing since 2011, she's been featured on multiple prominent sites such as Lion Brand Yarn, in crochet magazines and the OML "Make" book.

Learn more about Janne.



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