HOW MANY BEADS PER STRAND?

Do you wonder where the measurement for each bead comes from? Do you ponder over how many beads are on each strand? Do you contemplate whether you are getting the most out of your strands? Well, now there is no more deliberating! The following charts and illustrations offer at-a-glance information from accurately identifying the number of beads available on each strand to how many beads it will take to create necklaces of varying lengths.

Beads Per Inch Chart

"How many beads per inch?" is one of the most commonly asked questions. The majority of beads are sold by the strand, with the most common strand length being 16 inches. The number of beads per strand varies according to bead size and strand length, which can vary from batch to batch.

For easy jewelry designing, take a look at the "Beads per Inch Chart" below. This chart shows you the approximate number of beads for various lengths and helps decipher how many beads it will take to create necklaces of varying lengths. For example, if you wanted 4mm beads and they came on a 16-inch strand, you would receive approximately 102 beads.

Beads Per Inch Chart
	1"	4"	8"	12"	16"	20"	24"	28"	32"
2mm	12.7	50.8	101.6	152.4	203.2	254	304.8	355.6	406.4
3mm	8.47	33.87	67.73	101.6	135.47	169.33	203.2	237.07	270.93
4mm	6.35	25.4	50.8	76.2	101.6	127	152.4	177.8	203.2
5mm	5.08	20.32	40.64	60.96	81.28	101.6	121.92	142.24	162.56
6mm	4.23	16.93	33.87	50.8	67.73	84.67	101.6	118.53	135.47
7mm	3.63	14.51	29.03	43.54	58.06	72.57	87.09	101.6	116.11
8mm	3.18	12.7	25.4	38.1	50.8	63.5	76.2	88.9	101.6
9mm	2.82	11.29	22.58	33.87	45.16	56.44	67.73	79.02	90.31
10mm	2.54	10.16	20.32	30.48	40.64	50.8	60.96	71.12	81.28
11mm	2.31	9.24	18.47	27.71	36.95	46.18	55.42	64.65	73.89
12mm	2.12	8.47	16.93	25.4	33.87	42.33	50.8	59.27	67.73
13mm	1.95	7.82	15.63	23.45	31.26	39.08	46.89	54.71	62.52
14mm	1.81	7.26	14.51	21.77	29.03	36.29	43.54	50.8	58.06
15mm	1.69	6.77	13.55	20.32	27.09	33.87	40.64	47.41	54.19
16mm	1.59	6.35	12.7	19.05	25.4	31.75	38.1	44.45	50.8
17mm	1.49	5.98	11.95	17.93	23.91	29.88	35.86	41.84	47.81
18mm	1.41	5.64	11.29	16.93	22.58	28.22	33.87	39.51	45.16
19mm	1.34	5.35	10.69	16.04	21.39	26.74	32.08	37.43	42.78
20mm	1.27	5.08	10.16	15.24	20.32	25.4	30.48	35.56	40.64
21mm	1.21	4.84	9.68	14.51	19.35	24.19	29.03	33.87	38.7
22mm	1.15	4.62	9.24	13.85	18.47	23.09	27.71	32.33	36.95
23mm	1.1	4.42	8.83	13.25	17.67	22.09	26.5	30.92	35.34
24mm	1.06	4.23	8.47	12.7	16.93	21.17	25.4	29.63	33.87
25mm	1.02	4.06	8.13	12.19	16.26	20.32	24.38	28.45	32.51

(Bead counts per inch are approximate)

To estimate the number of beads per strand, for a bead size not shown in the chart above, follow this formula:

Just remember that 1 inch = 25.4mm. Multiply the length of the strand by 25.4, and divide by the size of the beads in millimeters.

Example:
25.4 x 16 = 406.4 Strand Length in Millimeters
406.4 ÷ 9 = 45.1 Total 9mm Beads on 16-inch Strand

Number of Beads per 16-Inch Strand

An essential tool for jewelry designers, the "Number of Beads per 16-inch Strand" is a handy chart that lists the number of beads to be expected on a 16-inch strand, according to the stringing length. For example, if you wanted a 16-inch strand of 25mm donut beads, you would receive approximately 15 beads.

How Many Beads Will You Need To Make a Necklace?

From time to time, you might ask, "How many beads will it take to design a necklace?" Well, according to each bead's shape and stringing length, the strand length you have in mind and the necklace type, here is an estimation guide of how long a necklace would be.

To estimate the number of beads needed to design any of these necklaces, follow this formula:

Remember that 1 inch = 25.4mm. Multiply the length of the strand by 25.4, and divide by the size of the beads in millimeters.

Strand Length x 25.4mm (1 inch) ÷ bead millimeter = Approximate Bead Quantity Required for Design.

For example:

1. 18-inch princess necklace made with 4mm beads: 18 x 25.4 ÷ 4 = 114.3
2. 32-inch opera necklace made with 10mm beads: 32 x 25.4 ÷ 10 = 81.2

Since beads may be irregular, these numbers are approximate. Also, if you are knotting between the beads, add 1 or 2mm for each knot, depending on the thickness of the thread being used.

What size necklace will a 16-inch strand of beads make when knotted?

Conversion of Millimeters to Inches

Easily convert millimeters to inches with the featured Metric Conversions. From 1mm to 20mm, get the closest equivalent in inches in an easy-to-read, printer-friendly format. Keep the chart at your workbench or shop for quick frame of reference.

Measuring Beads

For consistency, beads are measured in millimeters with the largest number mentioned first. For example, describing a bead that is 10mm means it would be round and have an outer dimension of 10mm when measured hole-to-hole or perpendicular to the hole.

For beads with two-dimensional measurements, the order of the measurement is length by width. To make measurements consistent, we always put in the largest dimension first.

For example, 10x6mm would indicate the bead is 10mm long and 6mm wide at its widest point. For a shape like a briolette or teardrop bead, the length is the measurement from the top to the bottom (perpendicular to the string) of the bead and the width is the measurement as viewed following the hole (parallel to the string) but in the widest part of the bead.

For beads like the oval shape, the length is the distance from one hole to the other and the width is perpendicular to the hole, usually at its widest section.

As you use these helpful reference charts and guidelines, you will become more familiar with the amount of beads needed to create one-of-a-kind designs.

Additional Resources:

• Standard Jewelry Lengths and Number of Beads Needed chart
• Metric Conversions chart