Not sure what weight a yarn is? Type the length and weight from the ball band below and we will match it against more than 4,000 real yarns. Underneath you will find the full yarn weight chart with needle and hook sizes, plus how much yarn each weight takes for a blanket.
Enter the length and weight printed on the ball band. Example: a yarn with 218 yards per 100 g (about 199 m per 100 g) is a typical worsted weight.
Compared with the typical yardage of 4,428 popular yarns on Ravelry, grouped by weight. Fiber matters: cotton and silk are denser (fewer yards per 100 g), alpaca and mohair blends are lighter.
Yarn weight chart
The categories, gauges and tool sizes follow the Craft Yarn Council standard used on most US yarn labels. The yards per 100 g column is our own: the typical yardage of the most popular yarns in each weight on Ravelry, so you can see what “worsted” or “DK” actually means in practice.
| Weight | Also called | Yards per 100 g median (typical range) | Knit gauge sts / 4 in | Needles US / mm | Crochet gauge sc / 4 in | Hook US / mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 Lace Lace | Lace, cobweb, crochet thread | 875 yd (711–928) 800 m | 33–40* | 000–1 1.5–2.25 mm | 32–42 dc* | Steel 6–8, B-1 1.4–2.25 mm |
| 1 Super Fine Fingering | Fingering, sock, baby | 416 yd (382–437) 380 m | 27–32 | 1–3 2.25–3.25 mm | 21–32 | B-1 to E-4 2.25–3.5 mm |
| 2 Fine Sport | Sport, baby | 328 yd (284–368) 300 m | 23–26 | 3–5 3.25–3.75 mm | 16–20 | E-4 to 7 3.5–4.5 mm |
| 3 Light DK | DK, light worsted | 262 yd (233–298) 240 m | 21–24 | 5–7 3.75–4.5 mm | 12–17 | 7 to I-9 4.5–5.5 mm |
| 4 Medium Worsted | Worsted, afghan | 218 yd (193–240) 199 m | 16–20 | 7–9 4.5–5.5 mm | 11–14 | I-9 to K-10½ 5.5–6.5 mm |
| 4 Medium Aran | Aran, heavy worsted | 187 yd (174–218) 171 m | 16–20 | 7–9 4.5–5.5 mm | 11–14 | I-9 to K-10½ 5.5–6.5 mm |
| 5 Bulky Bulky | Chunky, craft, rug | 142 yd (120–175) 130 m | 12–15 | 9–11 5.5–8 mm | 8–11 | K-10½ to M-13 6.5–9 mm |
| 6 Super Bulky Super Bulky | Super chunky, roving | 93 yd (67–110) 85 m | 7–11 | 11–17 8–12.75 mm | 7–9 | M-13 to Q 9–15 mm |
| 7 Jumbo Jumbo | Jumbo, roving | 31 yd (14–45) 28 m | 6 or fewer | 17+ 12.75+ mm | 6 or fewer | Q+ 15+ mm |
Weight categories, gauges, needle and hook sizes: Craft Yarn Council Standard Yarn Weight System (guidelines; always follow your pattern's gauge). *Lace is usually worked on larger needles or hooks for openwork. Yards per 100 g: median and middle 50% of 4,428 popular yarns listed on Ravelry, October 2026.
How to read a yarn label
Most ball bands show the weight category as a numbered yarn symbol from 0 to 7, the length (in yards and/or metres), the net weight (in grams and/or ounces), a gauge square and the suggested needle or hook. If the label has no weight category, or you have an unlabelled skein from your stash, divide the length by the weight: that yards-per-100-g figure is what the tool above uses to identify the weight.
Worsted vs aran: what is the difference?
Both belong to category 4 (Medium), so they share the same official gauge and needle range. In real yarns, aran is a little thicker: the typical worsted has about 218 yards per 100 g, the typical aran about 187. The two ranges overlap between roughly 193 and 218 yards per 100 g, which is why the same yarn is sold as worsted in one shop and as aran in another. In our blanket data, knitted aran blankets use about 11% less yarn per square inch than worsted ones.
Why yardage varies within the same weight
Two yarns of the same weight can have very different yardage because of the fiber. Dense fibers such as cotton, linen and silk give fewer yards per 100 g; airy fibers such as alpaca, mohair and brushed blends give more. When you substitute a yarn, match the weight category and the gauge first, then use the yardage to work out how many skeins you need.
How much yarn for a blanket by weight
Typical yardage for two common blanket sizes, based on 2,681 knitted and crocheted blanket patterns. Thinner yarn needs more yards to cover the same area, and crochet uses more yarn than knitting in every weight.
| Yarn weight | Throw 50×60 in, knit | Throw, crochet | Queen 90×95 in, knit | Queen, crochet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fingering | 4,000 yd | 4,610 yd | 11,400 yd | 13,150 yd |
| Sport | 3,330 yd | 3,790 yd | 9,480 yd | 10,800 yd |
| DK | 3,150 yd | 3,740 yd | 8,990 yd | 10,650 yd |
| Worsted | 2,820 yd | 3,000 yd | 8,050 yd | 8,560 yd |
| Aran | 2,510 yd | 2,970 yd | 7,140 yd | 8,470 yd |
| Bulky | 2,090 yd | 2,190 yd | 5,940 yd | 6,250 yd |
| Super Bulky | 1,310 yd | 1,520 yd | 3,740 yd | 4,330 yd |
For your exact size, the typical range and the number of skeins, use the blanket yarn calculator. Making a quilt instead? Start with the quilt backing calculator.