Gauge is used to measure the thickness of piercing jewellery. The gauge meaning is the opposite of what you may expect because the higher the gauge of the jewellery, the thinner it is.
It is important to wear the right size piercing jewellery as wearing jewellery that is too thin could result in the jewellery slipping out. In the case of a BCR, if the gauge is too high it may rotate through the piercing hole easily, causing irritation and rubbing the piercing. Whereas, wearing jewellery that is too thick or of a low gauge will not only cause pain and discomfort during insertion but will unnecessarily stretch the piercing hole.
If you’re ready to choose your new piercing and are looking
for an exact fit; you’ve come to the right place. Depending on the type and
area of the piercing you choose, you will have to pick the correct jewellery
accordingly. It’s important to realise that the gauge of a piercing will vary
depending on the type of jewellery required. You can use the following methods
to measure the gauge of your piercing jewellery:
- BCR: Measure the width of the bar.
- Labret: Measure the width of the bar.
- Barbell: Measure the width of the bar
- Septum Ring: Measure the width of the ring at its thickest section.
- Tunnels & Plugs: Measure the circumference of the inside of your ear.
Using the piercing gauge conversion table above and the measurement guide you can now find a piece of piercing jewellery that offers the perfect fit. If you’re finding a piece of jewellery suitable for your first jewellery change, it’s important to consider that your healing must be fully healed before changing.
At Blue Banana, we list our piercings using millimetre measurements. We have created a piercing gauge chart to help ensure you choose the right size for your piercing, which shows piercing gauge to mm conversions:
| Gauge | Millimeters | Inches |
| 18g | 1.0mm | 0.040" |
| 16g | 1.2mm | 0.047" |
| 14g | 1.6mm | 0.062" |
| 12g | 2.0mm | 0.078" |
| 10g | 2.5mm | 0.098" |
| 8g | 3.0mm | 0.118" |
| 6g | 4.0mm | 0.157" |
| 4g | 5.0mm | 0.196" |
| 2g | 6.0mm | 0.236" |
| 0g | 8.0mm | 0.314" |
| 00g | 10.0mm | 0.400" |
Here is a list of which piercing gauge sizes are usually appropriate for different piercing types. However, please note that these are general recommendations and can be different depending on anatomy or style of piercing.
- 24 Gauge (0.6mm)Nose Studs
- 20 Gauge (0.8mm)Nose Studs & Nose Rings
- 18 Gauge (1.0mm)Earrings, Ear Studs, Add-Ons, Nose Studs & Nose Rings
- 16 Gauge (1.2mm)Nose Studs, Nose Rings, Balls & Add-Ons, Cartilage Barbells, Eyebrow Bars, Labrets, Lip Rings & Fake Ear Plugs
- 14 Gauge (1.6mm)Balls & Add-Ons, Navel Bars, Barbells, Labrets, Lip Rings, BCRs, Tongue Barbells, Nipple Barbells & Rings
- 12 Gauge (2.0mm)BCRs, Barbells, Stretching Crescents, Tapers, Nipple Barbells & Rings
- 10 Gauge (2.4mm)Stretching Jewellery & Barbells
- Over 10 Gauge Exclusively Stretching Jewellery & Male Genital Jewellery
The safest and best way to select the right gauge sizes for your piercing is to speak to our professional piercers who can offer expert advice in choosing an appropriate piercing gauge. Once you know your piercing gauge you can confidently shop in-store or online for new piercing jewellery!
Please Note: Blue Banana piercing information is based on knowledge from our experiences as one of the UK's top piercing studios. All details provided should be read alongside professional advice. Please see our full Piercing Articles Disclaimer, here.