The picks
Best US Size 5 Knitting Needles
Three and three-quarter millimeters. The only size on the whole scale that two yarn weights both claim.
By Sawyer V. · Published September 28, 2026
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The short answer
US 5 is 3.75mm, and it is the one needle size that appears in two yarn weight bands at once - the top of sport and the bottom of DK. Buy a 24in fixed circular if you are buying one, double points if you are knitting sleeves or mittens, and check your set before buying anything: unlike the finer sizes, every interchangeable set on this site reaches US 5.
| # | Product | Best for | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clover Takumi Bamboo Circular Needle, US 5 (3.75mm), 24inA fixed bamboo circular at the size two yarn weights share. | Owning 3.75mm without buying a set | Fixed circular | $8.99 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of September 28, 2026 |
| 2 |  ChiaoGoo Red 6in Stainless Double Point Needles, US 5 (3.75mm)Five stainless double points, in the size a sport-weight sleeve actually needs. | Cuffs, mittens and sleeve tops | Double points | $20.32 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of September 28, 2026 |
| 3 |  ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace Interchangeable Set (Complete, 5in tips)US 5 is comfortably inside this set - as it is inside every set here. | Owning this size and everything around it | Interchangeable set | $216.80 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of September 28, 2026 |
| 4 |  Susan Bates Silvalume Single Point Needles, US 5 (3.75mm), 10inBare aluminum at a fraction of the price of anything else here. | One project, or knitters who prefer straights | Straights | $11.99 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of September 28, 2026 |
| 5 |  Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & QuickSuper bulky on 3.75mm is not a fabric, it is a mistake. | Chunky hats and blankets on a 9mm needle | Yarn | $30.76 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of September 28, 2026 |
Clover Takumi Bamboo Circular Needle, US 5 (3.75mm), 24in
Clover · Best for owning 3.75mm without buying a set
Bamboo at the one size that belongs to both the sport band and the DK band, on the most generally useful cable length.
- Size
- US 5 (3.75mm)
- Cable length
- 24in
- Material
- Bamboo tips, flexible soft cord
- Point
- Tapered
- Article no.
- 3016/24-05
- Sold as
- Fixed circular, one size and length per pack
Who it suits
Anyone with a sport or DK pattern that names 3.75mm.
Why it is here
US 5 (3.75mm) bamboo tips on a flexible soft cord, 24in, article 3016/24-05. Twenty-four inches is the general-purpose cable - long enough for a sweater body, short enough not to fight you on a scarf - and bamboo grips the stitch, which matters at this gauge with a slippery superwash.
What you give up
One size, one length. Bamboo at 3.75mm is also thinner than most people think of bamboo being, and it will snap if you sit on it or force a tight stitch.
Specifications from Clover USA - Takumi bamboo circular needles. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
ChiaoGoo Red 6in Stainless Double Point Needles, US 5 (3.75mm)
ChiaoGoo · Best for cuffs, mittens and sleeve tops
Five stainless double points at 3.75mm - the size a sport-weight sleeve or a tightly knitted DK mitten actually needs.
- Size
- US 5 (3.75mm)
- Material
- Stainless steel, precisely machined
- Length
- 6in (15cm)
- Pack
- Five needles
- Point and finish
- Tapered points, satin finish
- Marking
- Size laser etched on every needle
Who it suits
Anyone who has knitted a DK sweater body and reached the sleeves.
Why it is here
Five 6in stainless steel double points at US 5 (3.75mm), precisely machined, with tapered points, a satin finish and the size laser etched on every needle. Etched sizing earns its place in this part of the scale, because 3.5mm, 3.75mm and 4mm needles are indistinguishable by eye once they are loose in a bag.
What you give up
Five loose needles to keep track of, and steel is slick enough that stitches slide off the idle ones if you put the work down mid-round. Sleeve knitting on double points also travels poorly.
Specifications from ChiaoGoo 6in stainless double point needles - retail specification. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace Interchangeable Set (Complete, 5in tips)
ChiaoGoo · Best for owning this size and everything around it
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 buying a set who wants the fine end covered too.
Why it is here
Thirteen pairs of 5in surgical-grade stainless tips covering US 2 to 15 (2.75-10mm), on multi-strand steel cables with a red nylon coating in 14in, 22in and 30in, with a lifeline hole in every tip. It reaches further below US 5 than the other sets do, which matters if socks are ever on the list.
What you give up
Interchangeable joins are always a weak point, and the lace points are sharp enough to split a softly plied sport yarn. The 30in cable is also shorter than ideal for magic loop.
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 5 (3.75mm), 10in
Susan Bates · Best for one project, or knitters who prefer straights
A pair of 10in aluminum straights at 3.75mm - the cheapest way to own this size, in the format some knitters simply prefer.
- Size
- US 5 (3.75mm)
- Material
- Aluminum, anodized, heat treated and polished
- Length
- 10in
- Pack
- Two needles - one pair
- Knob
- No-roll shape, US and metric size printed on it
- Color
- Steel gray, per the listing
Who it suits
Anyone who needs 3.75mm for one flat project and does not want a circular.
Why it is here
A pair of 10in aluminum single points at 3.75mm, anodized, heat treated and polished, with a no-roll knob carrying the US and metric size. Aluminum is smooth, straight and accurately sized, which is the whole job of a needle.
What you give up
Straights cannot knit in the round, which rules out the sleeves and cuffs this size is often bought for. A thin bare shaft is also harder on the hands over a long session than a gripped or wooden needle.
Specifications from Susan Bates Silvalume single point needles - retail specification. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick
Lion Brand · Best for chunky hats and blankets on a 9mm needle
The super bulky the whole arm-knitting and chunky-blanket category is built on, at a gauge that finishes a throw in a weekend.
- Fiber
- 80% acrylic, 20% wool (fiber ratio varies on some heathered colorways)
- Weight
- 6 Super Bulky
- Skein
- 6oz / 170g, 106yd / 97m
- Gauge
- 9 sts x 12 rows on US 13 (9mm)
- Hook
- M (9mm)
- Care
- Machine wash and dry
Who it suits
Not US 5 knitters. On the needle its band names it is a genuinely good yarn.
Why it is here
80% acrylic and 20% wool, category 6 super bulky, 106yd per 170g skein, published at 9 stitches and 12 rows over 4in on a US 13 (9mm) needle.
What you give up
Its own band asks for a needle more than twice this diameter. Forced onto a US 5 it produces a board you cannot bend, and it will hurt your hands getting there. See [best needles for chunky yarn](/knitting-needles/best-needles-for-chunky-yarn) for where it belongs.
Specifications from Lion Brand product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
The size that two weights share
This is what makes US 5 unusual, and it is straight off the standard weight system rather than an opinion.
| Category | Names | Knit gauge, 4in | Needle range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Fine | Sport, baby | 23-26 sts | 3.25-3.75mm (US 3 to 5) |
| 3 Light | DK, light worsted | 21-24 sts | 3.75-4.5mm (US 5 to 7) |
Category 2 runs up to 3.75mm and category 3 starts at 3.75mm. No other needle size on the chart is named by two bands - everywhere else the ranges meet at a boundary that belongs to one side. That makes US 5 the natural needle for a sport yarn knitted loosely, a DK knitted tightly, and anything sold as somewhere between the two.
The quarter-millimeter neighborhood
Between US 4 and US 6 the scale steps in quarter millimeters rather than halves, which is finer resolution than anywhere else in common use. It also means three adjacent sizes look identical in the hand.
| US size | Metric | Usually used for |
|---|---|---|
| US 3 | 3.25mm | Socks, the standard sock size |
| US 4 | 3.5mm | Fine sport, tight sock gauge |
| US 5 | 3.75mm | Sport, and DK worked tightly |
| US 6 | 4mm | The standard DK size |
| US 7 | 4.5mm | Loose DK, light worsted |
- A quarter millimeter is roughly half a stitch over four inches at this gauge - small per inch, and a full size across a sweater.
- You cannot tell them apart by eye. A needle gauge settles it in seconds and is worth owning.
- Unmarked needles in this range are the worst offenders, because the three sizes are so close.
- Buy on the millimeter figure, not the US number - the letters and numbers vary slightly between brands.
The full conversions are on the needle size chart, and the weight bands on the yarn weight chart.
What people knit on US 5
- Sport-weight garments, which is the size's home territory.
- DK worked tighter than the band says, for a firmer fabric in a cardigan or a bag.
- Baby garments, where sport and DK dominate and a denser fabric wears better.
- Sleeves and cuffs on a 4mm sweater, worked a size down so the ribbing grips.
- Hat brims, for the same reason.
- Not socks. Most sock patterns want US 1 to 3 - see best US size 3 knitting needles.
Going down a size on purpose
A large share of US 5 purchases are not sport knitters at all. They are DK knitters whose swatch came out too loose.
If a DK pattern calls for 4mm and your gauge is a stitch or two short over four inches, 3.75mm is the correction. That is the ordinary use of this size and the reason it sells: it is the needle you reach for when the recommended one was wrong for your hands.
The rule underneath it is that you match the fabric, not the tool. Knitting gauge and swatching covers the method, and it matters more at this end of the scale than at chunky weights where a whole size makes less relative difference.
Which format to buy
| Format | Good for | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed circular, 24in | Almost everything | One size, one length |
| Fixed circular, 32in | Magic loop, sweater bodies | Slightly unwieldy on small flat pieces |
| Double points | Sleeves, cuffs, mittens | Five needles to keep track of |
| Straights | Flat pieces, if you prefer them | Cannot knit in the round |
| Interchangeable set | Owning the whole range | Joins, and a higher up-front cost |
If you are buying one thing, make it the 24in circular - it knits flat, knits in the round and holds a sweater body. Circular vs straight knitting needles covers that choice, and fixed vs interchangeable circular needles the set question.
Material, at this gauge
- Bamboo grips, which helps with slippery superwash sport yarn and with uneven beginner tension.
- Steel is faster and will not break. At 3.75mm bamboo is genuinely snappable; steel is not.
- Sharp points help with textured stitches and can split a softly plied sport yarn.
- There is no wrong answer here, unlike at 2mm where wood starts to fail - see bamboo vs metal knitting needles.
How we picked
Every needle on this page is a listing for US 5 (3.75mm) specifically, not a product line that happens to include the size. Needle listings are one size per pack, so a link to the right product in the wrong size sends you a needle you cannot use. The set ranges quoted are the manufacturers' published tip ranges, and the yarn bands come from the standard weight system. We have not knitted with any of these; this site does not test products.
What we would buy
- One needle: a 24in bamboo circular.
- Sleeves and cuffs: five stainless double points.
- The whole range at once: the set that also reaches sock sizes.
- Cheapest, if you knit flat: aluminum straights.
- Not on a US 5: super bulky yarn.
Questions people actually ask
What size is a US 5 knitting needle in mm?
3.75mm. It sits between US 4 (3.5mm) and US 6 (4mm) - the scale steps in quarter millimeters through this range, so the three sizes are indistinguishable by eye and a needle gauge is worth owning.
What weight yarn uses US 5 needles?
Both sport and DK. Category 2 fine is published for 3.25-3.75mm and category 3 light for 3.75-4.5mm, so 3.75mm is the one needle size that appears in two bands - the top of sport and the bottom of DK.
Is US 5 the same as 3.75mm?
Yes, on the standard US scale. Letters and numbers vary slightly between brands at some sizes, so buy on the millimeter figure whenever the two are printed together.
Does my interchangeable set include US 5?
Almost certainly. The addi Click Turbo and Knitter's Pride Dreamz Deluxe both start at US 4 (3.5mm) and the ChiaoGoo TWIST reaches US 2 (2.75mm), so US 5 is inside all three - unlike the sock sizes, which two of them cannot make.
When would I use US 5 instead of US 6?
When a DK pattern's recommended 4mm gives you a gauge that is too loose, or when the yarn is sport rather than DK. Going down a quarter millimeter is the standard correction, because you match the fabric rather than the tool.
Sources
- Craft Yarn Council - Standard Yarn Weight System
- Clover USA - Takumi bamboo circular needles
- ChiaoGoo 6in stainless double point needles - retail specification
- ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace set specification
- addiClick Turbo interchangeable needle set - retail specification
- KnitPro / Knitter's Pride Dreamz Deluxe interchangeable set - retail specification
- Susan Bates Silvalume single point needles - retail specification
- Lion Brand - Wool-Ease Thick & Quick specification
- Susan Bates Knit-Chek 14099 - retail specification