Gauge Size
| GAUGE | COMMON PIERCINGS |
|---|---|
| 20G (0.81mm) | Most earlobe piercings are made with a 20G needle, as are some nose piercings. |
| 18G (1.0mm) | An 18G needle can be used for earlobe piercings, nose piercings, as well as some cartilage piercings (e.g. forward helix). 18G earrings are great for many healed cartilage piercings. |
Beside above, is 14G bigger than 16G?
Jewelry is measured through a gauge system (see chart below). The higher the gauge number the smaller the wire is. A standard “earring” is usually 20 gauge. Jewelry gauges/sizes can vary between manufacturers.
| Gauge | Millimeter | Inch |
|---|---|---|
| 16g | 1.2mm | 3/64″ |
| 14g | 1.6mm | 1/16″ |
| 12g | 2mm | 5/64″ |
| 10g | 2.4mm | 3/32″ |
Also to know is, can I put a 16g in a 14g piercing?
Yes all day you can. However, the 16g post is thinner than the 14g. Downsizing is not an issue unless you’ve got a large collection of 14g jewelry that you wish to wear again. Downsizing to 16g is safe as long as it is healed.
What tongue bar size is best?
16 mm
Is 16 or 14 gauge smaller?
So higher numbers (like 16 gauge) are thinner than smaller numbers (like a 6 gauge). When discussing gauges, references to a “larger gauge” means bigger around, not a bigger number. That is to say that if you’re told that you need a larger gauge than 14, you need to look at 12 or 10 which are wider, not at 16.
