Heirloom Knits - Vintage Crochet Hooks

(Note: The information and table has been reproduced from the Antique Pattern Library under license - please read the terms of use set out here.) It has been compiled by Judith Combs, from hook manufacturers (Bates and Boye), her own hook collection and members of the crochetpartners.org.

Even though the first crochet patterns books started to show up in England and America in the 1840’s (there were magazine articles in Europe before then), manufactured crochet hooks were already available, and several brands of hooks were recommended in the early pattern books. Each manufacturer had its own sizing system. Many lace makers, especially in Ireland, made their own hooks from a bent needle with a cork or wood handle. By 1900 or so, there was a little more size standardization, but even today there are significant differences between manufacturers, even in metrically sized hooks.

mm	US/Eur usually	U.S.- Susan Bates	U.S. - Boye	U.K. - usually	approx. thread size	equiv. knitting needles
0.60	16				100
0.70	14	14			100
0.75	14		14	7	80-100
0.85	13		13	6.5	40-80
0.90	13	13			40-80
1.00	12	12	12	6	30-60
1.05	11	11			20-40
1.10	11		11	5.5	20-40
1.15	10	10			20-30
1.25	10	9			20
1.30	10		10	5	20
1.40	9	8	9	4	10-20
1.50	8	7	8	3	10
1.65	7		7	2.5	10
1.75	6	4			10
1.80	6		6	2	10
1.90	5		5	1.5	5-10
2.00	4 A		4	1	5-10
2.10	3	3	3	1	5-10
2.20	2	2			5-10
2.25	2 B		2 B	12	5-10
2.30	2				5-10
2.35	1 B	1			5-10
2.50				0	5-10
2.55		0			3-5
2.70		00	1		3-5
2.75	C	C 2	C	11	3-5	2
3.00			0	00	3-5
3.25	D	D 3	D	10		3
3.50	E	E 4	00 E	9		4
3.75	F			8		5
4.00	F	F 5	F
4.25	G			7		6
4.50	G	G 6	G			7
5.00	H	H 8	H	6		8
5.50	I	I 9	I	5		9
6.00	J	J 10	J	4
6.50	K	K 10 1/2	K	2/3		10.5
8.00	L	M 13		0/1		11
9.00	M	N 15	N	00		13
mm	US/Eur usually	U.S.- Susan Bates	U.S. - Boye	U.K. - usually	approx. thread size	equiv. knitting needles

Vintage Crochet Hook Size Chart