Ear Gauge Sizes at Actual Size
Every ear gauge from 20g to 2 inches drawn at real size, with the size in mm and inches.
Tap a size, or hold a plug or tunnel against the circle and step through the sizes until it matches.
This size is wider than your screen here: scroll sideways to see all of it, turn your phone sideways, or use the printable card.
Not calibrated yet, so the circle may not be real size. The dashed circle is the next size down. Shops round some sizes differently, so check a shop's own chart before you buy.
How to use the actual-size gauge chart
Gauge numbers don't say much on their own: 0g sounds smaller than 2g but is bigger, and after 00g the sizes switch to fractions of an inch. This tool draws the end of a plug at its true diameter on your screen, from 20g (0.8 mm) up to 2 inches (50.8 mm), so you can see exactly how big a size is before you buy it. The dashed circle inside is the next size down, which shows how big the jump to the next size really is. To identify a plug or tunnel you already have, hold its wearable surface (not the flare) against the circle and step through the sizes. The full chart, how gauges work and how to measure jewelry are in the ear gauge size chart guide.
Related guides: Ear Gauge Size Chart: Gauge to mm and Inches
How to use it
- Tap Calibrate and match a bank card first. Without calibration the circle is only approximately real size.
- Tap a size, or use − and + to step through them. The readout shows the size in millimeters and inches.
- To identify jewelry, hold a plug flat against the screen with its wearable surface over the circle. Ignore the flared rim: the size is the part that sits in the ear.
- Pick the size where the edge of the plug sits exactly on the edge of the circle. If it falls between two sizes, it's probably a metric size that shops round to the nearest gauge.
Good to know
- Higher gauge numbers are thinner: 20g is 0.8 mm, while 0g is 8 mm. After 0g comes 00g (about 10 mm), then inch sizes start at 7/16" (11.1 mm).
- Gauge sizes come from the American Wire Gauge, so the exact sizes are odd numbers like 9.27 mm for 00g. Jewelry is usually sold rounded to a whole or simple metric size, such as 10 mm.
- Most regular earrings are about 20g or 18g (0.8 to 1 mm), the size a standard lobe piercing starts at.
- Jumps get bigger as you go up: 14g to 12g adds 0.4 mm, 0g to 00g adds about 2 mm.
- Download the printable gauge card (Letter) or A4 version to check sizes on paper. Print at 100% and measure the check square first.
Ear gauge chart: gauge to mm and inches
The metric size is what most shops sell each gauge as. Some shops round a few sizes differently, shown in brackets. The last column is the exact American Wire Gauge diameter the size comes from. Inch sizes from 7/16" up are exact: 1/2" is 12.70 mm. The full chart up to 2 inches is in the ear gauge size chart guide.
| Gauge | Metric size (mm) | Inches | Exact AWG (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20g | 0.8 | 0.032 | 0.81 |
| 18g | 1 | 0.040 | 1.02 |
| 16g | 1.2 | 0.051 | 1.29 |
| 14g | 1.6 | 0.064 | 1.63 |
| 12g | 2 | 0.081 | 2.05 |
| 10g | 2.4 (or 2.5) | 0.102 | 2.59 |
| 8g | 3.2 (or 3) | 0.129 | 3.26 |
| 6g | 4 | 0.162 | 4.12 |
| 4g | 5 | 0.204 | 5.19 |
| 2g | 6 (or 6.5) | 0.258 | 6.54 |
| 0g | 8 | 0.325 | 8.25 |
| 00g | 10 (or 9.5) | 0.365 | 9.27 |
- Inch sizes and their mm: 7/16" = 11.1 mm, 1/2" = 12.7 mm, 9/16" = 14.3 mm, 5/8" = 15.9 mm, 3/4" = 19.1 mm, 7/8" = 22.2 mm, 1" = 25.4 mm, 1 1/2" = 38.1 mm, 2" = 50.8 mm.
- Comparing sizes for stretching? The mm to inches converter turns any metric size into inches, and the calibrated mm ruler measures jewelry you already own.
Three ways to calibrate
Auto-detect your device
The ruler recognizes about 130 phones, tablets, laptops and monitors, including iPhones, Galaxy phones, Pixels and MacBooks.
Enter your screen size
Enter your screen's diagonal size (for example, 15.6" for a laptop), and the ruler works out the scale from your screen resolution.
Calibrate with a bank card
Hold any bank card against the outline on screen and move the slider until they match. Bank cards are the same size everywhere: 85.60 × 53.98 mm.
How accurate is the ruler?
How accurate the ruler is depends on how well it knows your screen's pixel density, meaning how many pixels fit in an inch. There are three ways to set it, from most to least accurate:
Bank card (±0.5%): Bank and credit cards are made to one worldwide size, 85.60 × 53.98 mm (ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1). Because every card is exactly the same, matching one on screen gives the most accurate result.
Auto-detect (±1%): The ruler looks up your device's published screen size and resolution. Screens of the same model can differ very slightly, so this is a little less exact. It covers about 130 devices.
Screen size (±2%): You type in your screen size, and the ruler works out the rest from your resolution. Advertised sizes are rounded (a "15.6-inch" screen may really be 15.59 inches), so this is the least exact method. It's a good fallback when you don't have a card.
Real-life objects to check your measurements
Use these everyday objects to confirm the ruler is calibrated correctly.
Bank or credit card: 85.60 × 53.98 mm (3.37 × 2.13 in)
A4 paper: 210 × 297 mm (8.27 × 11.69 in)
US Letter paper: 8.5 × 11 in (215.9 × 279.4 mm)
US quarter: 24.26 mm (0.955 in) across
1 euro coin: 23.25 mm (0.915 in) across
AA battery: about 50.5 mm long and 14.5 mm wide