The picks
Best US Size 13 Knitting Needles
Nine millimeters. The size the biggest-selling chunky yarn in America actually asks for, and the one most sets stop short of.
By Sawyer V. · Published October 17, 2026
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The short answer
US 13 is 9mm. It is the size Lion Brand prints on Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, which makes it one of the two most-named chunky needle sizes in America - the other is US 11 (8mm), which Bernat Blanket names. Buy a bamboo fixed circular rather than metal, because at 9mm a stitch is heavy enough to slide off a slick needle on its own. Buy a 24in cable for a hat, cowl or scarf and a 40in cable for a blanket. If you own an interchangeable set, check it first: most reach US 11 and stop, and only one of the three we list carries 9mm comfortably.
| # | Product | Best for | Length | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clover Takumi Bamboo Circular Needle, US 13 (9mm), 24inBamboo at 9mm on a 24in cord. If you are buying a single US 13 and do not already know you want something else, buy this. | One needle, most chunky projects | 24in | Fixed circular | $9.50 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of October 20, 2026 |
| 2 |  ChiaoGoo Red Lace Circular Needle, US 13 (9mm), 40inSteel tips at 9mm on a forty-inch memory-free cable - the cable length is the reason to buy it, not the tips. | Anything more than about 30 inches across | 40in | Fixed circular | $19.67 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of October 20, 2026 |
| 3 |  Clover Takumi Bamboo Single Point Needles, US 13 (9mm), 14inFourteen-inch bamboo straights at 9mm - the length a chunky scarf actually needs. | Flat knitting, if you dislike circulars | 14in | Straights | $8.08 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of October 20, 2026 |
| 4 |  ChiaoGoo Patina Bamboo Double Point Needles, US 13 (9mm), 6inSix-inch bamboo double points at 9mm - bought for one job, which they do well. | Closing the top of a chunky hat | 6in | Double points | $13.59 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of October 20, 2026 |
| 5 |  ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace Interchangeable Set (Complete, 5in tips)The one interchangeable set we list that reaches 9mm comfortably rather than at its top edge. | Someone who will knit at several chunky sizes | Tips US 2-15 | Interchangeable | $216.80 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of October 20, 2026 |
| 6 |  Susan Bates Silvalume Single Point Needles, US 13 (9mm), 14inAluminum straights at 9mm. They are cheap and the right length, and the material is wrong for the size. | Not much, at this gauge | 14in | Straights | $12.09 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of October 20, 2026 |
Clover Takumi Bamboo Circular Needle, US 13 (9mm), 24in
Clover · Best for one needle, most chunky projects
Bamboo tips at 9mm on a 24in cord - the size Wool-Ease Thick & Quick names on its own ball band, and the one most chunky kits assume.
- Size
- US 13 (9mm)
- Length
- 24in
- Material
- Bamboo
- Format
- Fixed circular
- Cord
- Flexible soft cord, seamless join
- Article
- 3016/24-13
Who it suits
Anyone knitting a hat, cowl, scarf or small blanket in super bulky yarn, and anyone whose ball band says US 13 or 9mm.
Why it is here
US 13 (9mm) bamboo, 24in, from the Takumi circular line Clover sells in 16in through 48in. Bamboo matters more at 9mm than at any finer gauge for one reason: a 9mm stitch is heavy, and a heavy stitch slides off a slick needle when you set the work down. Bamboo grips back. It is also the lightest of the three materials here, which your wrists notice after an hour.
What you give up
Twenty-four inches is the wrong cable for a full-size blanket - you want 40in for that. Bamboo also wears at the join over years of hard use in a way steel does not.
Specifications from Clover USA - Takumi bamboo knitting needles. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
ChiaoGoo Red Lace Circular Needle, US 13 (9mm), 40in
ChiaoGoo · Best for anything more than about 30 inches across
Surgical stainless tips at 9mm on a forty-inch memory-free cable - the one to buy if the project is a blanket rather than a scarf.
- Size
- US 13 (9mm)
- Length
- 40in (102cm)
- Tip material
- Surgical stainless steel, satin-sheen finish
- Cable
- Memory-free multi-strand steel, nylon coated, red
- Marking
- Needle size laser imprinted on each circular
- Model
- 7040-13
Who it suits
Anyone casting on a throw, an afghan or a wide wrap in chunky yarn.
Why it is here
US 13 (9mm) surgical stainless tips, 40in (102cm), model 7040-13, on ChiaoGoo's memory-free multi-strand steel cable with a nylon coat. At 9mm you get roughly three stitches to the inch, so a 48in-wide blanket is about 145 stitches - and 145 chunky stitches will not fit on a 24in cord without stretching, which distorts both your gauge and your temper. The memory-free cable matters more at this length because a coiled cord fights a heavy fabric.
What you give up
Steel is slick, which is the opposite of what chunky stitches want, and this is the heaviest needle on the page. For a scarf it is overkill at twice the price.
Specifications from ChiaoGoo - circulars product line. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Clover Takumi Bamboo Single Point Needles, US 13 (9mm), 14in
Clover · Best for flat knitting, if you dislike circulars
Fourteen-inch bamboo straights at 9mm - long enough to hold a chunky scarf's width, unlike the 9in version of the same needle.
- Size
- US 13 (9mm)
- Length
- 14in
- Material
- Bamboo
- Point
- Tapered
- Sold as
- A pair, one size per pack
- Format
- Single point - flat knitting only
Who it suits
Anyone taught on straights who has no intention of switching, and anyone knitting flat panels to seam.
Why it is here
A pair of 14in bamboo single points at US 13 (9mm). Length is the thing that matters at this gauge and it is the thing people get wrong: Clover sells 9in Takumi straights at size 13 too, and nine inches holds about 27 chunky stitches before they crowd the tip. A plain scarf is 20 to 30 stitches plus working room, so the 9in pair is right at the edge and the 14in pair is not.
What you give up
Straights only knit flat - a hat or a cowl in the round is out. The weight of a growing chunky project also hangs off your wrists rather than resting in your lap.
Specifications from Clover USA - Takumi bamboo single point needles. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
ChiaoGoo Patina Bamboo Double Point Needles, US 13 (9mm), 6in
ChiaoGoo · Best for closing the top of a chunky hat
Six-inch bamboo double points at 9mm, for closing the crown of a chunky hat once a circular runs out of room.
- Size
- US 13 (9mm)
- Length
- 6in (15cm)
- Material
- Bamboo, patina finish
- Format
- Double pointed, worked in the round
- Model
- 1036-13
Who it suits
Anyone knitting a hat in the round who has decreased past what a 16in circular can hold.
Why it is here
Six-inch (15cm) bamboo double points at US 13 (9mm), patina finish, model 1036-13. A hat worked in the round gets too small for a circular at the crown and double points are the standard answer. Bamboo rather than steel is the right call here for the same reason as the circular - at 9mm a slick needle sheds stitches, and DPN work means idle needles hanging out of the fabric.
What you give up
Double points are fiddly to learn and six inches is short for anything but a crown. If you would rather not learn them, magic loop on the 24in circular does the same job.
Specifications from ChiaoGoo Patina bamboo double point, US 13 - retail listing. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace Interchangeable Set (Complete, 5in tips)
ChiaoGoo · Best for someone who will knit at several chunky sizes
Thirteen pairs of surgical stainless lace tips on memory-free red nylon-coated steel cables, with a lifeline hole through every tip.
- Tips
- 13 pairs, 5in (13cm), US 2-15 (2.75-10mm)
- Tip material
- Surgical-grade stainless steel, lace point
- Cables
- Multi-strand steel core, red nylon coating; 2 x 14in, 2 x 22in, 2 x 30in
- Notable
- Lifeline hole in each tip; memory-free cable
- Also included
- Stitch markers, two keys, needle gauge, stoppers, connector, case
Who it suits
Anyone who already knits enough to own a set, or is deciding between a set and three single needles.
Why it is here
Tips from US 2 to 15 (2.75-10mm) with 5in tips and the Red Lace cable system, so US 13 sits inside the range rather than at the end of it. If you are going to knit at 11, 13 and 15 - which is what happens once you start swatching chunky yarn properly - a set is cheaper than three circulars and three cable lengths.
What you give up
Steel tips, with the grip problem that implies at this gauge. It is also a large upfront price for someone who wants to make one scarf.
Specifications from ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace set specification. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Susan Bates Silvalume Single Point Needles, US 13 (9mm), 14in
Susan Bates · Best for not much, at this gauge
The cheap aluminum straight at 9mm, in the fourteen-inch length that a chunky project actually needs.
- Size
- US 13 (9mm)
- Length
- 14in
- Material
- Anodized aluminum
- Format
- Single point - flat knitting only
- Model
- 11114-13
Who it suits
Nobody knitting super bulky yarn by choice, which is why they are on the page.
Why it is here
A pair of 14in anodized aluminum single points at US 13 (9mm), model 11114-13. The length is right and the price is lower than the bamboo pair. The problem is the surface: a 9mm aluminum needle is slick and cold, and super bulky stitches are big and heavy enough that they genuinely slide off when the work is set down mid-row. At US 4 this would not matter. At US 13 it does, and the saving is a couple of dollars.
What you give up
If aluminum is what you have in the house, use it - just push the work to the middle of the needle before you put it down. Buying it new at this size is the mistake.
Specifications from Susan Bates Silvalume single point, 14in 9mm - retail listing. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Where 9mm sits
The Craft Yarn Council puts super bulky (category 6) at 8 to 12.75mm, which is US 11 to US 17. Nine millimeters sits near the bottom of that band - one step above US 11, two below US 15.
| US size | Metric | Position in the band |
|---|---|---|
| US 11 | 8mm | Bottom of super bulky |
| US 13 | 9mm | Second step - the Thick & Quick size |
| US 15 | 10mm | Middle |
| US 17 | 12.75mm | Top of the band |
The practical consequence of those half-size and full-size steps: the difference between a US 11 and a US 13 is one millimeter, and at three stitches to the inch one millimeter changes a 48in blanket by several inches of finished width. Buy on the millimeter number, which cannot be ambiguous, rather than on the US number, which European brands often omit.
The yarns that name this size
This is the practical argument for the page. Chunky yarn labels do not agree with each other, and the two best-selling super bulky yarns in American stores name two different needles.
| Yarn | Weight | Needle on the band | Published knit gauge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick | 6 Super Bulky | US 13 (9mm) | 9 sts x 12 rows / 4in |
| Bernat Blanket | 6 Super Bulky | 8mm (US 11) | 8 sts x 13 rows / 4in |
| Bernat Blanket Extra | 7 Jumbo | 12.75mm (US 17) | 5 sts x 7 rows / 4in |
| Patons Classic Wool Roving | 5 Bulky | 6mm (US 10) | 15 sts x 20 rows / 4in |
If your yarn has no band, wraps per inch gets you to a weight category and the yarn weight chart gets you from there to a needle. Best yarn for cold weather covers what to put on this needle if you have not bought the yarn yet.
Bamboo rather than metal, and this is where it matters most
On a US 4 the material argument is mostly about speed and preference. At 9mm it is about whether your stitches stay on the needle.
- A 9mm stitch is physically large and heavy. Super bulky yarn at three stitches to the inch produces loops with real mass, and gravity acts on them.
- Slick surfaces shed them. Set an aluminum or steel needle down mid-row at this gauge and stitches work their way off the tip on their own. Bamboo has enough surface friction to hold.
- Weight compounds. The needle itself is thick at 9mm, so a steel pair is noticeably heavier than a bamboo pair, and at this size you are usually knitting something large.
- The exception is cable length. Nobody makes a 40in bamboo fixed circular at this size that we would recommend over the ChiaoGoo, so for a blanket you take the steel tips and accept the trade.
Bamboo vs metal knitting needles has the full argument across every size; the short version is that the case for bamboo gets stronger as the needle gets fatter.
Cable length is the other real decision
At three stitches to the inch, chunky stitches fill a cable far faster than people expect. The arithmetic is worth doing before you buy, because the wrong cable makes a project physically impossible rather than merely uncomfortable.
- 16in - a hat brim only. Too short for a cowl of any generosity.
- 24in - the default single purchase: hats by magic loop, cowls, scarves, baby blankets.
- 32in - a lap blanket, or a wide wrap.
- 40in and up - a throw or an afghan. A 48in-wide blanket at 9mm is roughly 145 stitches, and that needs 40in of cord.
Circular needle cable lengths maps every length to a project, and best needles for blankets approaches the same question from the project end.
Which sets actually reach 9mm
| Set | Tip range | US 13 included? |
|---|---|---|
| ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace Complete | US 2-15 (2.75-10mm) | Yes |
| addi Click Turbo | US 4-15 (3.5-10mm) | Yes |
| Knitter's Pride Dreamz Deluxe | US 4-11 (3.5-8.0mm) | No - stops at 8mm |
This is the standard gap in interchangeable sets and it catches people out every winter: the set covers every size a sweater needs and then stops one or two steps below the chunky yarn they bought for a gift. Check the case before you buy a single needle, and if the set stops at US 11, a single fixed circular at 9mm is the cheap fix rather than a reason to replace the set.
What people knit at 9mm
- Hats and cowls in super bulky, which is the commonest reason this size is bought and the fastest gift in the craft.
- Chunky scarves, usually 20 to 30 stitches wide, which is why straight-needle length matters.
- Throws and lap blankets in Thick & Quick or similar - the 40in cable project.
- Worsted held double, which lands around this gauge if you want a thick fabric without buying chunky yarn.
- Anything where the point is speed, because at three stitches to the inch a scarf is an evening rather than a fortnight.
Buying without getting the wrong needle
- Buy on the millimeter figure. US 13 is 9mm. The sizes either side are 8mm and 10mm, and listings at adjacent sizes get mixed up constantly.
- Watch for US 13 against 13in. Several needles in this category are described by length, and a '13-inch, size 13' listing contains both numbers - read which is which.
- Check the cable length in the title rather than the photo. The same tip size is sold on five different cords and the photographs look identical.
- Metric-only listings are common from European brands. A needle sold as 9mm with no US number is a US 13.
- US 13 is not US 10.5. American sizing skips from 10.5 (6.5mm) to 11 (8mm), and 13 is two full steps above that - a surprisingly common mix-up when buying from a pattern's abbreviation.
Questions people actually ask
What size is a US 13 knitting needle in mm?
US 13 is 9mm. The sizes either side are US 11 at 8mm and US 15 at 10mm, so the steps here are a full millimeter rather than the half-millimeter steps you get lower down the scale.
What yarn do you use with size 13 needles?
Super bulky, category 6. The Craft Yarn Council puts that band at 8 to 12.75mm, and 9mm sits near its bottom. Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick publishes its gauge on US 13 specifically, so if that is your yarn this is the needle the manufacturer intends.
Is US 13 the same as 9mm?
Yes. A needle sold as 9mm with no US number is a US 13, which is normal for European brands. Buy on the millimeter figure - it is the number that cannot be misread.
Should I use US 11 or US 13 for chunky yarn?
Read the band. Bernat Blanket names 8mm (US 11); Wool-Ease Thick & Quick names US 13 (9mm). The two best-selling super bulky yarns in America name different needles, and that single fact is the commonest reason a first chunky project comes out the wrong size.
What cable length do I need for size 13 needles?
Twenty-four inches for a hat, cowl or scarf; forty inches for a blanket. At 9mm you get roughly three stitches to the inch, so a 48in-wide blanket is about 145 stitches and will not fit on a short cord without stretching the fabric and distorting your gauge.
Do interchangeable needle sets include US 13?
Some do. The ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace Complete (US 2-15) and the addi Click Turbo (US 4-15) both include it. The Knitter's Pride Dreamz Deluxe stops at US 11 (8mm), so it does not. Check your case before buying - this is the size where sets most often run out.
Are bamboo or metal needles better at 9mm?
Bamboo, unless you need a 40in cable. A 9mm stitch is heavy enough to slide off a slick needle when you set the work down, and the bamboo needle is lighter in the hand on what is usually a large project. Steel wins only on cable length, where the memory-free cord matters more than the tip material.
Are 9 inch straight needles long enough at US 13?
Barely. At 9mm you get about three stitches to the inch, so a 9in needle holds roughly 27 stitches before they crowd the tip, and a plain chunky scarf is 20 to 30 stitches plus working room. Buy the 14in pair instead, or knit flat on a circular.
Sources
- Craft Yarn Council - Standard Yarn Weight System
- Clover USA - Takumi circular knitting needles
- Clover USA - Takumi single point knitting needles
- ChiaoGoo - circulars product line
- ChiaoGoo Patina bamboo double point, US 13 - retail listing
- Susan Bates Silvalume single point, 14in 9mm - retail listing
- ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace set specification
- addi Click Turbo set specification
- Knitter's Pride Dreamz Deluxe interchangeable set - retail specification
- Lion Brand - Wool-Ease Thick & Quick specification
- Yarnspirations - Bernat Blanket specification
- Yarnspirations - Bernat Blanket Extra specification
- Yarnspirations - Patons Classic Wool Roving specification