Understand Aspect Ratio

If you are going to do chainmaille, you must understand aspect ratio - the relationship between the inner diameter of your rings and the thickness (or gauge) of your wire. It does require math, but if you're like me and have no head for math, buy yourself a cheap calculator and you'll be off and running.

The easy way boils down to this formula:

ID (inner diameter) of your ring divided by WD (wire diameter) equals AR (aspect ratio).

It's sort of confusing at first, but it comes with just a little bit of practice.

Let's say that you have pattern directions for Jens Pind in 20 gauge wire and you'd like to do it in 18 gauge wire (all wire gauge measurements are in AWG unless otherwise noted). You know that the directions say 20 gauge rings with an inner diameter of 2.5mm. If you take 2.5mm and divide by .813 (mm decimal equivalent) you get 3.075 as your aspect ratio. To find the inner diameter for 18 gauge wire take this number (3.075) and multiply it by your new wire diameter (18g AWG is 1.02). You come up with an ID of 3.14mm. So the new ID of your new 18 gauge rings should be as close to 3.14 as possible (I usually round up, but you should always wind just a few and test them first - sometimes rounding down works better).

If you've seen charts for aspect ratios for common chainmaille weaves, you'll notice that there usually isn't just a set aspect ratio. There's usually an aspect ratio range. The low end of the range gives a tighter weave and the higher end a looser one: you can decide which you do according to your preference. For instance, the preferred AR for Jens Pind is 2.9, but you can go slightly looser but not too loose (too loose and this weave falls apart). Most weaves will lose the pattern if too loose and if too tight may make an inflexible chain or not be able to be woven at all. That's why you should always wind and cut just a few rings and test them before commiting yourself to winding up all your wire ;-). You can get a list of common weaves and their ID's for various gauge wire here. Just pick the metal you'll be using. Or get a chart of common chainmaille weave AR ranges here.


Common AWG Wire Gauge diameters:
(Note: the larger the number the thinner the wire)

22 gauge: .643mm or .0253 inches
20 gauge: .813mm or .0320 inches
18 gauge: 1.02mm or .0403 inches
16 gauge: 1.29mm or .0508 inches
14 gauge: 1.63mm or .0641 inches


If you know the diameter of the wire in decimal inch, take that number times 25.4 to get the mm diameter.

One more tip: if you find an ID for a certain pattern and wire diameter that you like, jot it down for later use.


"Edited September 24, 2008 - in response to Kelly's comment:

Kelly from Creative Catalyst Productions posted a comment about SmartFlix (be sure to read it). While I'm a fan of CCP (I own at least one of their DVD's) and because I'm sympathetic to what she's saying, I just wanted to make my own point. I mentioned that I rented Weaving Silver 1 & 2 by Spider. I actually DO plan to buy them now that I've seen them - it's always great to have something like that for reference. However, I would never buy then not having seen them first. Instructional DVD's are expensive and I've bought more than a few that I was utterly disappointed with and never watch. Bad camera angles, no closeups...all that together has either been a make or break for me as far as some DVD's go. To be able to see it FIRST is something that I appreciate. Kind of like using a software demo in a "try before you buy" deal. Before I invest that much money (some sets are well over $100) I'd like to see if it's worth it to me before I plunk down the cash. I do however understand where Kelly is coming from - I used to freelance in 3D graphics and it's a real dog-eat-dog business, but you take the good with the bad. Good thing is that it's mostly good :-).

Kelly has posted a link to the CCP website. I suggest you visit and take a look around. There are some very talented artists there. And if you are sure about what you are buying, by all means, give them your business. I, for one, am the more cautious type. 90% of the time I ultimately end up buying a dvd that I rent. But I'd like to know that I actually WANT it first.