# Confused by crochet hook sizes



## Isuel (Sep 27, 2011)

I need a 4mm size hook. I looked and looked in my stash and I didn't have one. I do have a G which also has marked 4.25mm. I then looked online and everyone else says that G is a 4mm. Who is correct and would there be that much difference between a 4 and a 4.25 mm hook. Thanking in advance. I don't know what I'd do without Knitting Paradise and it's experts!


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## DHobbit (Jan 11, 2014)

depends on the pattern. If it's clothes it MIGHT make a difference but if it is a shawl or blanket... scarf... that kind of thing that it shouldn't matter.

If your hook has mm (example 4.25) embossed on it then that should be the real size.

All mine are marked in mm I had to go to this website and print out this chart so I can find the right size.

http://www.yarnfwd.com/main/crochetconv.html

When all else fails you MAY have to do a swatch.


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## Klockie (Sep 20, 2011)

Sorry, I don't know, but I would like to know also.


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## yourmother306 (Nov 30, 2011)

DHobbit said:


> depends on the pattern. If it's clothes it MIGHT make a difference but if it is a shawl or blanket... scarf... that kind of thing that it shouldn't matter.
> 
> If your hook has mm (example 4.25) embossed on it then that should be the real size.
> 
> ...


This chart is very helpful


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## HandyFamily (Sep 30, 2011)

The letter or number and letter sizing depends on the producer's mood / view at the time they produced a particular hook. Meaning, a G hook could sometimes be 4mm and sometimes 4.25 - and sometimes perhaps even less than 4mm.
The metric sizes are always correct - so if your hook is marked 4.25mm and the producers didn't really make a big... no-no, it is 4.25mm - and it can be described as G, even though 4.0mm hooks can also be described as G.


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## DHobbit (Jan 11, 2014)

I found this better chart for more sizes. I printed it out then cut around it and slipped it into my crochet needle case.

http://www.karpstyles.com/crochet/hook-chart.html


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## Yarn Happy (May 13, 2012)

Not all brands of hooks seem to follow the same rules, the Clover G and Susan Bates are 4mm, the Cornerstone products the G is 4.5mm, and the Crochet Dude hooks and Boye the G are 4.25. So it is safer to forget the letter and look at the mm. I think most of the hooks today tell you the mm.


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## Charlie 7 (Dec 21, 2013)

I have one of each 4.25mm and a 400mm and they do make a difference. When you look at the hooks side by side you will see the difference. I found my 4.00mm at JoAnn's . Happy crocheting


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## Carol J. (Jan 27, 2011)

Use whatever you have and if the gauge comes out to suit your pattern, go for it. Would be nice if the sizes were standardized but not all hooks are made by one company and each one has their own standards. The US tried to get manufacturers to all use the same sizing back in the 1970's, that worked for awhile but didn't last. Older hooks may differ from what you get today. Getting the gauge in this case is more important. Your gauge will be different if you use plastic or metal hooks too. 

Carol J.


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## RobbiD (Nov 13, 2012)

Isuel said:


> I need a 4mm size hook. I looked and looked in my stash and I didn't have one. I do have a G which also has marked 4.25mm. I then looked online and everyone else says that G is a 4mm. Who is correct and would there be that much difference between a 4 and a 4.25 mm hook. Thanking in advance. I don't know what I'd do without Knitting Paradise and it's experts!


After reading your question and a few of the responses, I became intrigued. Maybe the difference is in the manufacturer of the hook? I dragged out my Susan Bates needle gauge and 2 size G crochet hooks that I have. The needle gauge states that a size G is 4 mm. The Boye hook that I have is stamped G/6-4.25 mm. The other size G I have is stamped G/6-4.00 mm but has no manufacturer's name (it was a gift). The "anonymous" hook was purchased at Hobby Lobby and has a wooden handle/grip on it, if anyone might know who makes it. The extra .25 mm shouldn't make much difference if you are making something that size doesn't matter (a shawl. scarf, afghan, etc.), but if you are making a garment, or even slippers or socks, it may result in a garment that is larger than you want it to be. I hope I didn't add to your quandary.

RobbiD


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## RoxyCatlady (Mar 22, 2011)

It depends on the brand of crochet hook.

Bates/Susan Bates/Coats & Clark/Red Heart brand on the package: G-6 is 4.00mm, G-7 is 4.5mm

Wrights/Boye brand: G hook is 4.25mm

Aero crochet hooks: Come in mm sizes, and they have a 4.00mm crochet hook.


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## Angela W (Aug 31, 2011)

I have a very reliable book (from Patons -- can't remember if their knitting yarns are available in USA but they are one of the oldest and best companies in UK)... The chart in that book says that 4.50 is a U.S. G (old size 7)

Hope that helps and doesn't just add more confusion!


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## yarncrazy102 (Mar 16, 2013)

I would definitely go with the stated hooks size. If you look at the conversion chart, it says the 4.5 mm equals a "7". Since we don't have that, I would go one up to an "H" hook especially if it's clothing. Imagine my quandary. I have steel hooks dating back to the 30s and 40s and their hooks are nowhere near the steel hooks of today. (Thanks, Gram.) They are much smaller. If I make a doily using the old hooks, they come out the right size. If I make the same doily with a new hook, it will definitely be bigger anywhere from 1/4" to 1/2". I have a hook that my Gram used that is steel, brand name "Killarney", marked 1896 (year). It is a size 7. It has a smaller hook the either the older hooks or the newer hooks I have. Go figure!


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## scot_belle (Feb 10, 2013)

Isuel said:


> I need a 4mm size hook. I looked and looked in my stash and I didn't have one. I do have a G which also has marked 4.25mm. I then looked online and everyone else says that G is a 4mm. Who is correct and would there be that much difference between a 4 and a 4.25 mm hook. Thanking in advance. I don't know what I'd do without Knitting Paradise and it's experts!


As a long-time crochet'er...this to me is not an important issue, 
but with that having been said, here is a tip to keep in mind.

If you tend to crochet loosely...as I tend to do, then you would 
not have to worry about that extra .25 NOT being there on 
your 4 mm hook. However, if you tend to crochet very tightly, 
an H hook would be your better bet.

Just remember that...EVERY crochet'er crochets at their own 
individual tension...and THIS is why checking OUR gauge against 
the pattern gauge is so important, especially with clothing.

No matter whether it is crochet or knitting...just have fun.

Lisa


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## scot_belle (Feb 10, 2013)

DHobbit said:


> I found this better chart for more sizes. I printed it out then cut around it and slipped it into my crochet needle case.
> 
> http://www.yarnfwd.com/main/crochetconv.html
> 
> http://www.karpstyles.com/crochet/hook-chart.html


THANK YOU for both of these websites. They are...terrific. :thumbup:

Over the years, I have noticed that each manufacturer has their own standard for sizing......so I have TRIED to stay with one, but some of the vintage patterns have proved to be a problem in translating hook sizes. These charts...will help. :thumbup:

For myself, I just did the old 'copy-paste' bit into a WORD document, and then AFTER including the URL, saved as a PDF. This is EXACTLY what I do for the various free patterns too.

This protocol protects copyright and...whoever then handles the PDF's that I share... knows where the pattern came from. 


Lisa


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## ali'sfolly (Oct 27, 2012)

Thanks for posting this question. I'd been a bit confused myself and the answers given have really helped to clarify the situation. As always, I learn great things here!!


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## Isuel (Sep 27, 2011)

Thank you! I see that the size can be lettered differently by manufacturer but a 4mm is a 4mm.
I'm making a baby blanket. By the way looked a little harder and found a G 6 4mm. So I'll stick with that one.
So many of KP's have a "master's degree" in crochet and knitting!


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## disgo (Mar 2, 2013)

Isuel said:


> Thank you! I see that the size can be lettered differently by manufacturer but a 4mm is a 4mm.
> I'm making a baby blanket. By the way looked a little harder and found a G 6 4mm. So I'll stick with that one.
> So many of KP's have a "master's degree" in crochet and knitting!


No MCA here but many years of experience and using it a lot in business. All self taught and open to any new idea like DEC and Cro-tat. As is done in many of the different forms of crocheting and knitting guage is necessary if measurement is important (standardly garments). Tatting does not.


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## Aggie May (Aug 28, 2011)

Isuel said:


> I need a 4mm size hook. I looked and looked in my stash and I didn't have one. I do have a G which also has marked 4.25mm. I then looked online and everyone else says that G is a 4mm. Who is correct and would there be that much difference between a 4 and a 4.25 mm hook. Thanking in advance. I don't know what I'd do without Knitting Paradise and it's experts!


4mm is the nearest to a G hook.
Metric hooks do not usually come in 4.25mm so 4mm will be the closest.
Metric hooks come in 3mm, 3.25mm, 3.5mm, 3.75mm, 4mm, 4.5mm, 5.0mm and they continue up in .5mm increments.
Have fun.
Colleen.


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