New piercings are always exciting with so much to offer, like style, design and the thrill to have a whole new look. But the moment you shop for a piercing, especially online, things get somewhat confusing. You see size charts in detail and are not sure what these numbers mean. Some people are not even familiar with the term gauge, which is totally fine, as it is not so common. So, what to do when you want to understand a nose ring diameter or the barbell length?
Let’s dive into this guide and see through piercing jewellery sizes. This way, you can get correct piercing gauges for tragus, common cartilage piercing sizes and belly piercing bar lengths.
Simple Piercing Size Formula
To keep things very simple, a 20g nose ring is smaller than a 16g nose ring. Gauges works backwards and is super simple to understand.
Here’s the one thing you need to remember: the smaller the gauge number, the thicker the jewellery. That means a 14g bar used for a navel piercing is much thicker than a delicate 18g stud.
Standard Sizes for Different Piercings
Now, let’s cover sizes for different piercings to understand various lengths and gauges.
Lobe Piercing: Lobe piercings are usually 20G or 18G.
Helix: Typically 16G or 18G, with a hoop or flatback stud
Tragus: Often 16G or 18G
If you’re choosing a hoop, check the hoop size for cartilage piercing carefully. Most people need between 6 mm and 8 mm inner diameter for a snug but comfortable fit.
Nose Piercings
Most nostril piercings are done at 20G (0.8 mm) or 18G (1.0 mm).
For rings, the nose ring diameter chart usually ranges from 6 mm to 9 mm, depending on your anatomy.
Lip and Labret
A labret stud size chart is helpful here. Most labret studs are 16G (1.2 mm) with bar lengths of 6 mm – 8 mm.
Belly Button
Belly piercing gauge and length: usually 14G (1.6 mm) with a bar length of 10 mm.
Tongue
Standard is 14G with bar lengths ranging from 14 mm to 18 mm. If you’ve ever wondered how long a barbell should be for a tongue piercing, the answer depends on swelling. Most piercers usually start longer and then downsize.
Septum
Septum piercing ring sizes are commonly 16G or 14G, with inner diameters around 8 – 10 mm, depending on your nose shape.
Why It’s Important to Understand Length and Diameter
There is a one-word answer: comfort. Gauge isn’t the only thing to think about. How long a barbell should be or how wide your hoop is makes a huge difference in comfort. Too short, and jewellery can pinch your skin; too long, and it may snag or move around too much.
That’s why a proper piercing jewellery size guide is essential before buying anything online.
Stretching and Size Charts
If you are a huge fan of plugs and tunnels, you also want to understand stretching size charts. It helps you safely move up sizes without damaging your piercing. Like the jump from 14G to 12G may sound small, but your ears need time to adjust.
A piercing gauge chart mm and inches is helpful here too, since many plugs and tunnels are sold in millimetres while older charts may show inches.
Some Quick Tips to Consider
The best place to know the right piercing size is your piercer. They know what to wear in what location. You can also use a piercing gauge chart in mm and inches to double-check before ordering online.
When in doubt, buy jewellery from a reputable piercing jewellery brand that clearly lists size options.
When you are buying piercing jewellery online, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming now. Once you learn the basics of gauge to mm piercing conversion and get familiar with common sizes, whether it’s the labret stud size chart, the nose ring diameter chart, or the belly piercing gauge and length, it becomes much easier to shop confidently.