Lots of people confused with when it comes to beads sizes such as 11/0, 15/0, 12/0, 8/0 and so on. Alternatively, they are written as 110 (but the 0 is at the top, just like when we write degree Celcius). These sizes are applicable for round beads (a.k.a. round rocailles).
How do you pronounce the sizes?
11/0 is pronounced as Eleven Ohhh..12/0 is pronounced as Twelve Ohhh..and so on
Why do they use these sizes and what does it means?
From my reading of the beading books and mags, there's no conclusive story or evidence who originally coined the terms. Some says that 11/0 means 11 beads can fit in 1 inch, 15/0 means 15 beads in 1 inch etc. However, this might no longer applicable these days since different manufacturers use different machines. For example, 11/0 size might vary a bit depending on the manufacturer.
Can we convert the size to metric system?
Luckily the answer is YES.
Below is the metric conversion for original Miyuki. The size in metric is the size for 1 bead.
15/0 : 1.5mm --> smallest beads, I only have silverline finish and black opaque round Miyuki
12/0: 1.8mm
11/0: 2.0mm ---> Most of the Miyuki round beads imported to Malaysia is in this size.
10/0: 2.2mm
9/0: 2.5mm
8/0: 3.0mm ---> I only have Miyuki silver and gold in this size
6/0: 4.0mm ---> I only have Miyuki silver and gold in this size
5/0: 5.0mm
2/0: 6.0mm
1/0: 6.5mm
Obviously you can see that the lower the size, the bigger the beads.
The size s that we normally used for cloth embroidering is 11/0 and 12/0, and some 15/0 for finer touch. 8/0 and 6/0 are used sparingly. For jewelry, 11/0,12/0 and 15/0 are favorite sizes too.
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