5 mm knitting needle
5 mm
US 8 · UK 6 · Worsted, aran
What this size is for
The American default in the way 4 mm is the British one, because worsted is the standard American yarn weight and DK is the British.
In each scale
| Diameter | 5 mm |
| US size | 8 |
| UK / Canadian size | 6 |
| Yarn weight | Worsted, aran |
A US 8 and a UK 8 are not the same needle. This one is 5 mm; the British 8 is 4 mm. Buy by millimetre wherever the pattern allows it.
Nearby sizes
| mm | US | UK | Yarn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 | 4 | — | Sport |
| 3.75 | 5 | 9 | Sport to DK |
| 4 | 6 | 8 | DK |
| 4.5 | 7 | 7 | DK to worsted |
| 5 | 8 | 6 | Worsted, aran |
| 5.5 | 9 | 5 | Aran |
| 6 | 10 | 4 | Aran to chunky |
| 6.5 | 10.5 | 3 | Chunky |
Frequently asked questions
What is a 5 mm knitting needle in US and UK sizes?
US 8 and UK 6. The millimetre figure is the actual diameter and the only one that means the same thing everywhere.
Is a US 8 the same as a UK 8?
No. A US 8 is 5 mm; a UK 8 is 4 mm. The scales run in opposite directions — American numbers grow with the needle and British ones shrink — so the same number is two different needles.
What yarn suits a 5 mm needle?
Worsted, aran. The American default in the way 4 mm is the British one, because worsted is the standard American yarn weight and DK is the British.
Why do the two scales run in opposite directions?
The British scale counts down from the thickest wire in a gauge, in the same way a wire gauge does — more drawing operations, higher number, thinner. The American scale simply counts up from the finest needle. Neither is wrong; they were never designed to be compared, and the only size where the numbers coincide is 4.5 mm, which is size 7 in both.