Machine gauge is one of the first decisions in knitwear development. It sets how many needles stand in each inch of the needle bed, and that choice frames the yarn you can run, the weight and hand of the fabric, and how the programme is written. This article is a practical guide for knitwear developers and students. It explains what machine gauge is, how it differs from fabric stitch density and from hand-knitting gauge, how to choose a yarn count, when half-gauge and multi-gauge techniques are used, and how to measure a swatch. Numbers are taken from named sources; guideline formulas are labelled as approximations, and no figures are invented.
The same ideas apply whether the garment is cut from a knitted panel, fully fashioned, or knitted as a complete garment. The manufacturing routes themselves are compared in WHOLEGARMENT vs Fully Fashioned vs Cut-and-Sew Knitting.
What machine gauge is
In industrial weft knitting, machine gauge is the number of needles per inch in one needle bed, with the needles in use. A New Zealand unit standard on industrial knitting machines states that, for circular piece-goods and garment-length machines and for flat-bed machines, the gauging system is needles per one inch in one needle bed. (Other machine families use different rules: the same document gives tricot as needles per inch over one needle bar, Raschel as needles per two inches, and full-fashioned machines as needles per 1.5 inches.)
Machine builders write this number with an E-prefix: E5, E7, E12, E14, E16 or E18, and so on. Groz-Beckert, a needle manufacturer, says that in the flat-knitting sector gauges of E 2.5 to E 18 are customary. Stoll product literature lists machine gauge ranges in the same E-notation, for example E 5 to E 18 on some CMS models. An E12 machine therefore has 12 needles per inch of bed; an E18 machine has 18.
One inch is 25.4 mm, so the pitch — the centre-to-centre spacing of neighbouring needles — is 25.4 mm divided by the E-number. That is arithmetic from the definition, not a measured machine setting: E5 gives 5.08 mm, E12 about 2.12 mm, and E18 about 1.41 mm. The diagram below shows those three beds on the same 25.4 mm length.
A finer E-number packs more needles into the same width, so the hooks, the knock-over space and the yarn that will pass through them all have to be finer. A coarser gauge leaves more room for a heavier yarn and a larger loop.
A current International Standard, ISO 8122:2003, deals specifically with large-diameter circular machines. Its official scope says that it specifies the usual number of needles for single-face, double-face and “links-links” circular knitting machines of large nominal diameter, in terms of the needle pitch or gauge E and the machine nominal diameter, and that it can be used as a basis for comparing fabrics knitted on these machines. It is not applicable to circular machines with a selection of single needles. Circular-machine gauge still uses the E-number, but a fair comparison of two circular machines also needs the diameter and the needle count. This article does not reproduce tables from that standard.
On a V-bed flat machine the two needle beds face each other, and a cam-carriage travels along them to select and knit the needles. Gauge is a property of that bed, not of a particular fabric knitted on it.
Gauge is not the same as fabric stitch density
Machine gauge tells you how the bed is built. It does not, by itself, tell you how many loops will appear in a finished piece of cloth.
Fabric stitch density is the number of wales and courses in a measured length of fabric. A wale is a column of loops running along the length; a course is a row of loops running across the width. The European test method EN 14971:2006, adopted for example as EVS-EN 14971:2006 and listed as current on BSI Knowledge as BS EN 14971:2006, “determines the number of wales and courses per centimetre in most knitted fabrics.”
The fabric count can be tighter or looser than the machine gauge suggests. Stitch length, take-down, yarn bulk, structure (plain, rib, interlock, jacquard), and relaxation or finishing after knitting all change how many wales and courses sit in a centimetre of the finished cloth. Two fabrics knitted on the same E12 machine can therefore have different stitch densities. That is why a specification should state the fabric count, or a finished measurement, and not only the machine gauge.
Hand-knitting “gauge” is different again. In consumer patterns it is the number of stitches obtained in a measured swatch, not the number of needles in a machine bed. The Craft Yarn Council publishes a Standard Yarn Weight System that gives guideline knit-gauge ranges in stockinette stitch to 4 inches (10 cm), by yarn category. As an example, the Council lists DK or light worsted yarn at 21 to 24 stitches to 4 inches. Those figures are marked as guidelines only, and they are a hand-knitting reference. They should not be read as industrial E-numbers, and they should not be converted into machine gauge without a proper machine swatch.
Choosing a yarn count for a gauge
Yarn count describes how fine or coarse the yarn is. In the metric count, Nm, the number is a length per mass: AMANN states that Nm (metric count) is the length in metres per 1 gram, and that Nm 10 means 1 g of the sample is 10 m long. A higher Nm is a finer yarn. Two-ply notations such as 16/2 or 48/2 are common on knitwear yarns. In the Stoll yarn table, 16/2 is treated as a resultant count of 8 (16 divided by 2): several such ends can then be assembled and fed as a thicker yarn.
There is no single official formula that fixes the yarn count for a given machine gauge. What exists, and what a developer actually uses, are published guidelines, plus a finished swatch.
The most useful manufacturer table for flat knitting is the Stoll M1plus yarn table, “Allocation of machine gauge and yarn thickness.” Stoll states that the specified values serve as a guideline, and that the quality and the specific weight of a yarn must also be taken into account. It recommends twisted yarn rather than a simple yarn, and says that with coarser machines it is advisable to use several twisted threads. The “final count” ranges, in Nm, include:
- E5: Nm 3 to 4.5
- E7: Nm 4.5 to 7
- E8: Nm 6 to 8
- E10: Nm 8 to 12
- E12: Nm 10 to 18
- E14: Nm 14 to 20
- E16: Nm 20 to 30
- E18: Nm 20 to 40
Those ranges are also shown in the diagram below. They are starting points for sampling, not cam settings and not a guarantee that a particular yarn will run.
A second, coarser rule of thumb is used in some spinning and knitwear notes: that the metric count can be taken as roughly equal to the gauge number. Maruyasu, a Japanese yarn company, states that “Metrix = gauge” serves as a guideline, with examples such as 1/12 for 12 gauge, 1/7 for 7 gauge, 1/5 for 5 gauge and 1/3 for 3 gauge. The same article says this is just a guideline; that up to 12 gauge it often holds true, but that it does not apply as well beyond 14 gauge; and that the suitable gauge still depends on the material, the yarn structure, and whether the fabric is plain, rib or another structure. For standard worsted wool it gives worked examples, again as guidance: 2/60 (equivalent to 1/30) as a single thread is generally suitable for jersey at 18 or 16 gauge, and as two ends (resultant 1/15) at 14 or 12 gauge.
Treat both the Stoll table and the “metric count equals gauge” saying as approximations. Fancy yarns, high-bulk acrylics, mohair, tightly twisted crepes and multi-end feeding will sit on a different part of the range, or off it. The confirmation is always a washed or relaxed swatch knitted in the intended structure.
Common pairings by product
Groz-Beckert lists typical flat-knitting applications as outerwear such as sweaters, jackets and waistcoats, accessories such as collars, cuffs and hats, and three-dimensional shaped parts for technical uses. Within that field, the gauge is chosen to match the product.
Chunky and heavy sweaters are usually developed on coarser gauges, typically in the E5 to E7 area, with heavier final yarn counts. The Stoll guideline for E5 is a final count of Nm 3 to 4.5, and for E7 it is Nm 4.5 to 7. Those yarns give a larger loop, a more substantial hand and, often, a more visible stitch.
Mid-gauge sweater work commonly sits around E8 to E12. Stoll’s guideline final counts there run from Nm 6 to 8 at E8, through Nm 8 to 12 at E10, to Nm 10 to 18 at E12. The exact yarn still has to be proved on the machine.
Fine-gauge tops, light cardigans and finer complete-garment work move up to E14, E16 and E18, and in some cases finer still. Stoll’s guideline final counts are Nm 14 to 20 at E14, Nm 20 to 30 at E16, and Nm 20 to 40 at E18. SHIMA SEIKI’s official WHOLEGARMENT machine lineup includes mid and fine gauges on different models: MACH2VS is listed at gauges 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18; N.SVR183 is listed at 18, 21 and 24; and compact or accessory models such as the SWG 021N2 to 091N2 series are listed at 5, 7, 10, 13, 15 and 18. Those are the gauges the machines are offered in, not a claim about a particular collection. Fine WHOLEGARMENT work is possible on the finer of those beds, provided the yarn and the programme are developed for that route. The comparison of complete-garment knitting with fully fashioned and cut-and-sew routes is in the WHOLEGARMENT article.
Half-gauge and multi-gauge knitting
A flat machine need not knit on every needle. If only every second needle is selected, the working spacing becomes twice the bed pitch, and a heavier yarn or a coarser stitch can be run on a finer bed. Stoll describes this as the 1x1 technique: the first needle knits and the second needle is a non-knitting needle, forming a float. The company says this technique can be implemented on all machine types, but recommends a machine with multi-gauge gauges on grounds of fabric appearance.
Stoll writes multi-gauge numbers in the form E xx.2. Its example is E 5.2: the needle-bed gauge is E 10, and the needle-hook gauge is about E 5. Fine fabrics are knit with fine yarn on all needles; coarse fabrics are knit with coarse yarn in the 1x1 technique, with the yarn thickness adapted by the number of ends. The same yarn table gives separate final-count ranges for “all needles” and “each 2nd needle” on those multi-gauge beds. For example, on E 2,5.2 it lists a final count of Nm 3 to 4.5 on all needles, and Nm 1.3 to 2 on every second needle.
Stoll also describes a multi-gauge knitting technique in which a fine area is knitted on all needles and a coarse area, for example with an Aran structure, is knitted on every second needle in the 1x1 technique. That is how one fabric, or one garment, can carry two effective gauges without changing the machine.
These techniques are the industrial answer to a familiar development request: a coarser stitch or a heavier yarn on a machine that was bought as a finer gauge, or fine and coarse areas in the same piece. They are not a reason to ignore the hook size, the needle-bed gap or the yarn’s bulk. A yarn that is comfortable on every second needle can still be tight, noisy or damaging if it is forced onto every needle of the same bed.
How gauge affects weight, hand, speed and cost
The New Zealand unit standard already cited asks technicians to relate gauge to yarn count, fabric thickness, fabric weight and stitch density. The relationships are real, but they are not fixed conversion factors, and this article does not invent weights, speeds or prices.
A coarser gauge, with a heavier yarn in the Stoll guideline range, generally produces a thicker, more open or more substantial fabric. A finer gauge, with a finer yarn, generally produces a smoother, lighter fabric with more loops in the same width. The hand follows the yarn and the structure as much as the E-number: a soft merino at E12 and a high-twist crepe at E12 will not feel the same.
Production speed and cost move in the same direction as the amount of work in the cloth. A finer gauge has more needles in the same knitting width, so a garment of a given size contains more loops. The carriage must form those loops, often with a finer yarn that may need more careful take-down and more frequent yarn changes. Cycle time and programming effort therefore tend to rise as the gauge becomes finer, and to fall on a coarser bed, but the actual result depends on the structure, the number of systems in work, and whether the piece is a panel, a fashioned part or a complete garment. Multi-gauge machines, as Stoll notes, offer a flexibility advantage: several gauges can be implemented on one machine. That can reduce the need to hold a second machine only to cover a coarser or finer story in the same collection.
Gauge is therefore chosen with the product, the yarn and the available machines in mind, not from the E-number alone.
Measuring a swatch
The yarn-count table does not close the question. The fabric has to be knitted, finished in the way the garment will be finished, and measured.
For stitch density, EN 14971:2006 is the formal test method for the number of wales and courses per centimetre in most knitted fabrics. In everyday development work, a swatch is knitted in the intended structure, on the intended gauge, with the intended yarn and stitch length. It is then relaxed or washed as the production garment will be — because a fabric that is still under take-down tension is not the fabric the customer will wear. Wales are counted across the width and courses along the length, over a measured distance, and the result is expressed per centimetre, as the European method does. Width, length and weight of the swatch are recorded at the same time. Required counting positions and wash cycles belong in the test method or in the factory’s own procedure, and are not invented here.
If the finished stitch density, the hand or the width is wrong, the next step is to change stitch length, take-down, the number of ends, or the yarn, not to assume that the machine gauge was mis-stated. Gauge is the bed. The swatch is the fabric.
FAQ
What does E14 mean on a flat knitting machine?
It means the needle bed is built with 14 needles per inch, with the needles in use. The pitch is 25.4 mm divided by 14, or about 1.81 mm from needle centre to needle centre. It does not, by itself, state the wales and courses of the finished cloth.
Is machine gauge the same as the stitches I count on a swatch?
No. Machine gauge is needles per inch in the bed. Fabric stitch density is wales and courses in a measured length of fabric, for which EN 14971:2006 is the formal test method. Hand-knitting gauge, as in the Craft Yarn Council tables, is stitches in a swatch, usually to 4 inches or 10 cm.
Can I use a heavier yarn on a fine-gauge machine?
Sometimes, by knitting on every second needle (the 1x1 or half-gauge technique). Stoll recommends a multi-gauge machine for appearance when this is done, and publishes separate yarn-count guidelines for “all needles” and “each 2nd needle.” The yarn must still suit the hook and the bed gap. Confirm with a swatch.
Do WHOLEGARMENT machines use a special gauge system?
No. They use the same E-gauge idea. SHIMA SEIKI lists WHOLEGARMENT models in a range of gauges, including 8 to 18 on MACH2VS and 18, 21 and 24 on N.SVR183. The complete-garment programme and the yarn still have to be developed for that bed.
Is “metric count equals gauge” a rule I can issue to a spinner?
No. It is a published guideline, and even the source that states it says it is only a guideline and is weaker above 14 gauge. Use it, and the Stoll final-count ranges, as a starting point, then approve a finished swatch.
Sources
The claims in this article are tied to the following documents, each of which returned a usable public page or file when the article was prepared. Isolated performance, price or speed figures that could not be verified have been left out.
- New Zealand Qualifications Authority, unit standard 26164, Perform basic repairs and service relating to knitting elements for industrial knitting machines, gauging systems for flat-bed and circular machines: PDF.
- Groz-Beckert, Knitting: Products and services for the flat knitting sector, customary flat-knitting gauges E 2.5 to E 18 and typical applications: PDF.
- ISO 8122:2003, Textile machinery — Knitting machines — Number of needles for circular knitting machines of large nominal diameter; also BS ISO 8122:2003.
- EVS-EN 14971:2006, Textiles — Knitted fabrics — Determination of number of stitches per unit length and unit area; also BS EN 14971:2006.
- Craft Yarn Council, Standard Yarn Weight System, knit gauge ranges in stockinette stitch to 4 inches (10 cm).
- AMANN, Textile numbering systems, definition of Nm.
- Stoll M1plus knowledge base, Yarn Table: allocation of machine gauge and yarn thickness.
- Stoll, KNITTING PERFORMANCE FOR ALL CASES, CMS machine gauge ranges including E 5 to E 18.
- Stoll / KARL MAYER, 1x1 knitting technique and Multi Gauge knitting technique.
- Maruyasu, Calculation method of knit yarn count and appropriate gauge.
- SHIMA SEIKI, MACH2VS, N.SVR183 and the WHOLEGARMENT machine lineup.
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