Are my 1/2" Plugs 12mm or 13mm?
Jan 10, 2020 / by Alex Peace
One of the most common topics from our customers is "What size are 1/2" Plugs in millimeters? 12mm or 13mm?"
My answer to everyone is to know the size of your stretched ears in millimeters. You cannot go wrong with this. Most manufacturers of plugs including Two Feather measure the finished plugs in millimeters and convert them over to either gauge or inches.
The biggest confusion is 12mm versus 13mm
Customers contact me saying they have 1/2" what size should I get? The problem is every website has answered this question in a different way. So if you get a "1/2 inch" plug from one website it does not match the "1/2 inch" size of another. Every website has its own definition. Some state 12mm as 1/2" and some state 13mm as 1/2".
Again the answer is to just know your plug size in millimeters.
Listen. I understand we live in the USA and we measure things in inches, but the standard for plugs has always been both gauge and then millimeters for the larger sizes. The issue has been what different websites and manufacturers are calling 1/2".
The actual answer is 1/2" is = 12.7mm.
The truth is 1/2" is equal to 12.7mm. Most manufacturers make either 12mm or 13mm. Some do actually make the true 12.7mm, but this has even caused more issues when you switch websites.
- 12.0mm = 0.472 inches
- 12.7mm = 0.5 inches = 1/2"
- 13mm = 0.51 inches = 33/64" (FYI: 1/2" = 32/64")
Our conversion for 1/2" is 13mm = 1/2". 13mm is closest to 1/2". This is the size we have found customers who say they have 1/2" plugs are happy when they purchase 13mm. At one point we actually called them 33/64", but so many customers contacted us wondering why we did not make 1/2". It is a really difficult situation for us as no matter what we call 1/2" someone will tell us we are wrong :)
So how do you figure out the millimeters of your plugs?
Get yourself a digital caliper (as pictured). These are pretty easy to use and you can get yourself one for about $10 on Amazon. You can use these to measure a pair of plugs that already fit in your ears. That way you will know the exact millimeter of your plugs. You can then order plugs from any website knowing that it is the correct millimeter.
Single Flare Obsidian Plugs (Pair)
T-Rex Stainless Steel Tunnels (Pair)
Black Obsidian Coffin Plugs
What other millimeter plug sizes are problems?
When customers get up to 1 inch there is typically the same problem with what size should I use 25mm or 26mm? What it really comes down to is these are big stopping points for people who stretch their ears. When someone gets to one inch they typically tell people that they are sized to 1 inch and not 25mm or 26mm. This makes sense for both half inch and one inch. After all, we live in the USA where inches are the norm. However, the same issue happens where manufacturers make 25mm and 26mm. Here is the breakdown of how these convert...
- 25mm = 0.98 inches
- 25.4mm = 1 inch
- 26mm = 1.02 inches
So 1-inch plugs are actually 25.4 millimeters. Two Feather Plugs actually have both 25mm and 26mm as 1 inch. We leave it up to the customers to know what their defined "1 inch" actually is in millimeters. So bottom line. Know what size your stretched ears are in millimeters.