How to read a yarn label (ball band)
The paper band around a skein tells you almost everything you need to choose, substitute and care for a yarn. Here's what each part means.
What's on a typical label
- Brand and yarn name
- Use both when you search. Many brands make several versions of the same line, like "Toucan" and "Toucan Fine."
- Fiber content
- For example, "100% polyester." Fiber affects drape, warmth, stretch and care.
- Weight category
- The skein symbol numbered 0–7 from the Craft Yarn Council system.
- Net weight and length
- Grams/ounces and yards/meters. Length is what you need for your pattern, and it's what we use to work out price per yard.
- Recommended hook and needle
- A starting point. Your gauge decides the final size.
- Gauge
- Stitches and rows in a 4 in (10 cm) square, for example "14 sc × 16 rows = 4 in."
- Care symbols
- Washing, drying, ironing and bleach instructions. Keep one label from every project.
- Color name/number and dye lot
- Skeins from different dye lots can look slightly different. Buy enough from one lot for the whole project when you can.
Kimberly's tip: Tape a label into your project notebook with a snip of yarn. When you want more, you'll have the exact color, dye lot and care info.
Example: reading a real label
Bernat Future Hope's listing reads "170 g/6 oz, 305 meters/333 yards," "#4 Worsted (Medium)," "100% recycled polyester," and a crochet gauge of "14 sc x 16 r with 5 mm (US H/8)." That tells you it's a medium yarn, you'll get 333 yd per skein, and you should start with a 5 mm hook.
Source: Yarnspirations product page, checked Oct 22, 2026.