Yarn Weight Chart

The full CYC chart

Every category from 0 (Lace) to 7 (Jumbo), with the gauge, needle size and hook size ranges the Craft Yarn Council defines for each. This is the same numbering system printed inside a small skein icon on most US yarn labels.

Source: Craft Yarn Council standard yarn weight system. Want substitutes for a specific category, filterable by fiber content? Use the yarn substitute finder instead of this static table.

How to read the chart

Gauge is measured over a 4-inch (10cm) square of stockinette stitch (knit) or single crochet, using the needle or hook size in the same row. It is a range, not a fixed number, because different knitters and different yarns within the same category can pull slightly tighter or looser. Always knit or crochet your own swatch with the needle/hook size in the row before starting a real project; the chart is a starting point, not a substitute for checking your own tension.

The needle and hook columns are also ranges, and the specific size that works for you depends on your own gauge. A pattern will usually specify an exact needle or hook size to start from within that range, then tell you to go up or down half a size if your swatch comes out too loose or too tight.

The numbering itself runs from thinnest (0) to thickest (7), which is worth remembering because plenty of older patterns and some non-US brands use words instead of numbers (fingering, sport, DK, worsted, chunky) without ever printing a CYC number at all. This chart's "also called" column is there specifically to translate between the two systems, since a pattern written before the numbered system became common will only ever use the word.

Identifying an unlabeled yarn's weight

If a skein has lost its label, or you inherited a stash without one, there is no single tool that measures weight instantly, but a few comparisons narrow it down fast.

• Compare it side by side against a yarn you already know the weight of. If it looks noticeably thinner than a worsted-weight (category 4) yarn but thicker than a sock-weight (category 1) yarn, it is probably sport or DK (category 2 or 3).
• Knit or crochet a quick swatch with a mid-range needle or hook and count your stitches over 4 inches, then compare that count against the knit gauge or crochet gauge column in the chart above.
• Check the ply and how tightly it is spun. A loosely spun single strand is often lace or fingering weight even if it looks fluffy and thick; a tightly plied 4-strand yarn of the same visual thickness can be a full category heavier.
• If you have a kitchen scale and know the skein's total yardage (sometimes written on a yarn band that has otherwise faded), calculate yards per 100g and compare it against the typical yardage column above. This is the single most reliable DIY method when you have both numbers.

Finding substitutes once you know the category

Once you've matched a yarn to a category using this chart, the yarn substitute finder on the homepage lets you search by yarn name or select the category directly, filter by fiber content, and see a short list of commonly available substitutes plus a yards-to-skeins calculator for the one you pick. See common yarn brands by weight category for a longer reference list with fiber notes for each one.