How to match cord and wire to a bead hole

Measure the hole, not the bead

A bead is sold by its body diameter — 6mm, 8mm, 10mm. The number that decides your build is the hole. On our porcelain and ceramic beads the hole runs roughly a third of the body: a 6mm bead takes about 2mm, an 8mm bead about 2.5mm. Glass and acrylic beads vary more, and seed beads vary most of all. We print the hole size on the bin page for this reason.

Leave a third of the hole free

Pick a cord that uses about two thirds of the hole. A 1mm waxed cotton cord through a 1.5mm hole threads easily, knots cleanly and still fills the bead so it does not rattle. The same cord through a 1mm hole will pass once, then fray on the second pass — and most designs need a second pass at the clasp.

Match the finish to the work

Elastic cord for a stretch bracelet with no clasp. Waxed cotton for knotted work and macramé. Nylon for anything that will get wet. Beading wire, which is steel strands under nylon, when the piece must hold its shape and take crimps. Craft wire only where it is part of the design — wrapping, loops, frames — not as a stringing material.

A crimp is a measurement too

Crimp tubes are sized to the wire, not to the bead. A 2mm crimp on 0.45mm wire closes properly; the same crimp on 0.30mm wire slips under load. If you are buying wire and crimps on separate days, write the wire diameter on the spool before it goes in the drawer.

When in doubt, buy the pair

The reason we sell cord in the same aisle as beads is that the two were specified against each other. If you are unsure, take the cord we list beside the bead. It will not be the cheapest line on the shelf, but it will pass through the hole twice.