Q crochet hook: Q is 16 mm

A US size Q crochet hook is 16 mm at most brands. Turned around: a hook stamped 16 mm is usually sold as a Q.

The letter and the number are one hook, not two — “Q” is a single size. Older hooks often print only one of the pair, which is most of the confusion. The millimeter is stamped on the hook itself, so when a pattern and a label disagree, trust the mm.

What yarn this hook is for

16 mm falls in the hook range the Craft Yarn Council suggests for one yarn weight — guidelines, in their own words, not rules:

• Jumbo (7) — also sold as Jumbo, Roving. Expect 6 single crochet or fewer to 4 inches.

Before you trust the letter

The Craft Yarn Council puts it plainly: “Because letter and number sizing vary from company to company, rely on the package millimeter (mm) sizing, which is an accurate measurement.” Only E (3.5 mm) and H (5 mm) mean the same thing at every brand — a hook stamped G is 4 mm from Susan Bates or Clover and 4.25 mm from Boye, and from L upward the letters drift far enough that the Council stops printing single ones.

This size in particular: Susan Bates puts Q at 16 mm, Boye at 15.75 mm. Close enough to crochet with, far enough apart to notice on a chart.

The sizes either side

• One size down: Q — 15.75 mm
• One size up: S — 19 mm

Half a millimeter is enough to change how a finished piece comes out. If your gauge is off, this is the dial to turn before you change anything in the pattern — the gauge calculator says which way to go.

See every hook size in one chart →