what are the needle gauges?

Felting needles are available in different gauges. I've created this page to provide information about each needle gauge and what type of work and/or fibre it is best suited to. There are no hard and fast rules with needle felting. The needle gauges I prefer may not necessarily work as well for you. Try to get a needle sample pack or buy one of each needle to find the ones you like best, then stock up on your favorites.

Shown in the picture above from top to bottom is a 36 tri, 38 star, 38 tri and a 42 tri. It's pretty much impossible to tell the difference by looking at the picture and honestly..it's just as difficult when you have the needles right in front of you. What is difficult to see with the naked eye can be quite easily detected with a bit of practice when you start pushing the needles into the fibre.

The gauge of the needle refers to it's diameter. Needles gauges range from 32 up to 42. The higher the gauge the finer the needle. When you start a project, it is common to choose a needle that is thicker in diameter as it felts your fibre faster. A low gauge needle will also be far more effective in felting coarse fibre such as Romney wool. Higher gauge needles are used for adding details to your piece (eye sockets for example) and for helping to smooth the surface.

However, as mentioned above, there are no hard and fast rules for what you use your needles for. Some people like to use lower gauge needles for creating detail and some will only use one gauge of needle to create their entire piece. It really does depend on your own technique and what you prefer. Many suppliers who sell needles will have a sample pack for sale. You'll get one of each needle (usually the most commonly used needles) in the pack. You'll soon work out what needle gauges are suited to you, you can then stock up on the needles you like most and bypass the ones you don't. Make sure that once you've decided on your favorite gauges, you keep a few of each gauge in your stocks. Felting needles are very brittle and can break easily. There is nothing worse than having to wait for a few days to finish a project because you've got no needles left to finish it with!

Felting needles are often referred to as being a "tri" or a "star". A tri or triangle blade has 3 edges on it. A star blade has 4 edges. Along the blades of felting needles are barbs. The barbs are cut or formed into the surface of the needle. It's the barbs that catch the fibres and tangle them together resulting in the felting process.

32 Gauge Triangular Felting Needle
The 32 gauge is a coarse needle.
Personally I don't own this particular gauge and haven't ever used it.
I believe it is used a lot in attaching hair to the head of vinyl dolls.

36 Gauge Triangular Felting Needle
The 36 gauge is a coarse or medium needle depending on opinion.
I will usually use this needle to start the felting process because it does it's job fast.
It's a great needle for coarse fibre.

38 Gauge Triangular Felting Needle
The 38 gauge triangular is an all purpose medium needle.
It's a popular needle for attaching pieces together.
Some felters will use only this needle from start to finish.

38 Gauge Star Felting Needle
The 38 gauge star is a medium needle.
This needle has more barbs because it has the extra edge compared to the tri needles.
It will felt fibre faster due to the extra edge and barbs.
This needle is one of my favorites.

40 Gauge Triangular Needle
The 40 gauge triangular is a fine needle.
It is good for finishing and for adding fine fibre embellishments to your pieces.

42 Gauge Triangular Needle
The 42 gauge is a super fine needle.
It's a great finishing needle for minimizing the size of needle hole in the surface of your piece.
I like to use it for creating details and final sculpting on my project.
This needle is another of my favorites.

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what are the needle gauges?


	navigation - About AussieFelts - Latest Work - Adoptions - Kits - Gallery - Needle Felting? - Needle Gauges? - Tutorials - Facebook - Awards - Publications - Mailing List - FAQ'S - Links - Contact - Home link to us statistics Owner: Narelle Opened: 1/06/08		what are the needle gauges? Felting needles are available in different gauges. I've created this page to provide information about each needle gauge and what type of work and/or fibre it is best suited to. There are no hard and fast rules with needle felting. The needle gauges I prefer may not necessarily work as well for you. Try to get a needle sample pack or buy one of each needle to find the ones you like best, then stock up on your favorites. Shown in the picture above from top to bottom is a 36 tri, 38 star, 38 tri and a 42 tri. It's pretty much impossible to tell the difference by looking at the picture and honestly..it's just as difficult when you have the needles right in front of you. What is difficult to see with the naked eye can be quite easily detected with a bit of practice when you start pushing the needles into the fibre. The gauge of the needle refers to it's diameter. Needles gauges range from 32 up to 42. The higher the gauge the finer the needle. When you start a project, it is common to choose a needle that is thicker in diameter as it felts your fibre faster. A low gauge needle will also be far more effective in felting coarse fibre such as Romney wool. Higher gauge needles are used for adding details to your piece (eye sockets for example) and for helping to smooth the surface. However, as mentioned above, there are no hard and fast rules for what you use your needles for. Some people like to use lower gauge needles for creating detail and some will only use one gauge of needle to create their entire piece. It really does depend on your own technique and what you prefer. Many suppliers who sell needles will have a sample pack for sale. You'll get one of each needle (usually the most commonly used needles) in the pack. You'll soon work out what needle gauges are suited to you, you can then stock up on the needles you like most and bypass the ones you don't. Make sure that once you've decided on your favorite gauges, you keep a few of each gauge in your stocks. Felting needles are very brittle and can break easily. There is nothing worse than having to wait for a few days to finish a project because you've got no needles left to finish it with! Felting needles are often referred to as being a "tri" or a "star". A tri or triangle blade has 3 edges on it. A star blade has 4 edges. Along the blades of felting needles are barbs. The barbs are cut or formed into the surface of the needle. It's the barbs that catch the fibres and tangle them together resulting in the felting process. 32 Gauge Triangular Felting Needle The 32 gauge is a coarse needle. Personally I don't own this particular gauge and haven't ever used it. I believe it is used a lot in attaching hair to the head of vinyl dolls. 36 Gauge Triangular Felting Needle The 36 gauge is a coarse or medium needle depending on opinion. I will usually use this needle to start the felting process because it does it's job fast. It's a great needle for coarse fibre. 38 Gauge Triangular Felting Needle The 38 gauge triangular is an all purpose medium needle. It's a popular needle for attaching pieces together. Some felters will use only this needle from start to finish. 38 Gauge Star Felting Needle The 38 gauge star is a medium needle. This needle has more barbs because it has the extra edge compared to the tri needles. It will felt fibre faster due to the extra edge and barbs. This needle is one of my favorites. 40 Gauge Triangular Needle The 40 gauge triangular is a fine needle. It is good for finishing and for adding fine fibre embellishments to your pieces. 42 Gauge Triangular Needle The 42 gauge is a super fine needle. It's a great finishing needle for minimizing the size of needle hole in the surface of your piece. I like to use it for creating details and final sculpting on my project. This needle is another of my favorites.