The Birmingham gauge,Page 400 in: officially the Birmingham Wire Gauge and often abbreviated as G or ga, is a unit of wire gauge used to measure the thickness or diameter of wires and tubing, including hypodermic needles and other medical tube products.
Terminology The Birmingham gauge is also known as the Stubs Iron Wire Gauge or Birmingham Wire Gauge and is distinct from the Stubs Steel Wire Gauge and the British Standard Wire Gauge. It is commonly referred to simply as gauge (abbreviated as G), but this should not be confused with the French gauge, a separate system used for measuring the outer diameter of catheters.
Its name derives from the English city of Birmingham, which was a major copper wire manufacturing hub in the 19th century. Birmingham wire factories were the first in Britain to standardize a set of gauges known as the Old British Wire-Gauge. In 1857, the U.S.-based Association of Brass Wire and Sheet Manufacturers commissioned the Brown & Sharpe firm to reconfigure the dimensions of the Old British Wire-Gauge. This modified version was then marketed as the Birmingham gauge throughout the United States, leading to the term’s widespread global adoption.
System The Birmingham gauge ranges from 5/0 or 00000, the lowest gauge number corresponding to the largest size of , to 36, the highest gauge number corresponding to the smallest size of . The increments between gauge sizes are not linear and vary. At higher gauge numbers, the increment between the two highest gauges is , while at lower gauge numbers, the increment between the two lowest gauges is . This progression does not follow a mathematical formula; instead, it reflects historical manufacturing practices in the wire drawing industry, where the size increments were determined by practical tooling, such as a draw plate, and production constraints. In applications involving wires and fine tubing, the gauge number refers to the product's outside diameter. For larger mechanical tubing, however, the gauge number indicates the wall thickness, independent of the tube's overall size.
In medicine, the Birmingham gauge is widely used to specify the outer diameter of hypodermic needles, catheters, cannulae, and suture wires. However, catheters are more commonly defined using the French catheter gauge. The Birmingham gauge was originally developed in early 19th-century England for wire manufacturing and became common in medical settings in the early 20th century.
The Birmingham gauge system is also recognized in international medical standards, such as ISO 6009:2016, which includes a color-coding system for hypodermic needles. This standardization helps ensure accurate identification and compatibility of medical equipment.
Sizes of hypodermic needles
Hypodermic needles are available in a wide variety of outer diameters described by gauge numbers. Smaller gauge numbers indicate larger outer diameters. Inner diameter depends on both gauge and wall thickness. The following chart shows nominal inner diameter and wall thickness for regular-wall needles. Thin-wall needles (not shown) have identical outer diameters but larger inner diameters for a given gauge.
Gauge, G Nominal outer diameter Nominal inner diameter Nominal wall thickness ISO6009 color Publication date: 2016-08 (inch) (mm) (inch) (mm) (inch) (mm) 7 0.180 ± 0.001 4.572 ± 0.025 0.150 ± 0.003 3.810 ± 0.076 0.015 ± 0.001 0.381 ± 0.025 (undefined) 8 0.165 ± 0.001 4.191 ± 0.025 0.135 ± 0.003 3.429 ± 0.076 0.015 ± 0.001 0.381 ± 0.025 (undefined) 9 0.148 ± 0.001 3.759 ± 0.025 0.118 ± 0.003 2.997 ± 0.076 0.015 ± 0.001 0.381 ± 0.025 (undefined) 10 0.134 ± 0.001 3.404 ± 0.025 0.106 ± 0.003 2.692 ± 0.076 0.014 ± 0.001 0.356 ± 0.025 Olive brown 11 0.120 ± 0.001 3.048 ± 0.025 0.094 ± 0.003 2.388 ± 0.076 0.013 ± 0.001 0.330 ± 0.025 Green-yellow 12 0.109 ± 0.001 2.769 ± 0.025 0.085 ± 0.003 2.159 ± 0.076 0.012 ± 0.001 0.305 ± 0.025 Pale blue 13 0.095 ± 0.001 2.413 ± 0.025 0.071 ± 0.003 1.803 ± 0.076 0.012 ± 0.001 0.305 ± 0.025 Purple 14 0.083 ± 0.001 2.108 ± 0.025 0.063 ± 0.003 1.600 ± 0.076 0.010 ± 0.001 0.254 ± 0.025 Pale green 15 0.0720 ± 0.0005 1.829 ± 0.013 0.0540 ± 0.0015 1.372 ± 0.038 0.0090 ± 0.0005 0.229 ± 0.013 Blue-grey 16 0.0650 ± 0.0005 1.651 ± 0.013 0.0470 ± 0.0015 1.194 ± 0.038 0.0090 ± 0.0005 0.229 ± 0.013 White 17 0.0580 ± 0.0005 1.473 ± 0.013 0.0420 ± 0.0015 1.067 ± 0.038 0.0080 ± 0.0005 0.203 ± 0.013 Red-violet 18 0.0500 ± 0.0005 1.270 ± 0.013 0.0330 ± 0.0015 0.838 ± 0.038 0.0085 ± 0.0005 0.216 ± 0.013 Pink 19 0.0420 ± 0.0005 1.067 ± 0.013 0.0270 ± 0.0015 0.686 ± 0.038 0.0075 ± 0.0005 0.191 ± 0.013 Cream 20 0.03575 ± 0.00025 0.9081 ± 0.0064 0.02375 ± 0.00075 0.603 ± 0.019 0.00600 ± 0.00025 0.1524 ± 0.0064 Yellow 21 0.03225 ± 0.00025 0.8192 ± 0.0064 0.02025 ± 0.00075 0.514 ± 0.019 0.00600 ± 0.00025 0.1524 ± 0.0064 Deep green 22 0.02825 ± 0.00025 0.7176 ± 0.0064 0.01625 ± 0.00075 0.413 ± 0.019 0.00600 ± 0.00025 0.1524 ± 0.0064 Black 22s 0.02825 ± 0.00025 0.7176 ± 0.0064 0.00600 ± 0.00075 0.152 ± 0.019 0.01110 ± 0.00025 0.2826 ± 0.0064 (undefined) 23 0.02525 ± 0.00025 0.6414 ± 0.0064 0.01325 ± 0.00075 0.337 ± 0.019 0.00600 ± 0.00025 0.1524 ± 0.0064 Deep blue 24 0.02225 ± 0.00025 0.5652 ± 0.0064 0.01225 ± 0.00075 0.311 ± 0.019 0.00500 ± 0.00025 0.1270 ± 0.0064 Medium purple 25 0.02025 ± 0.00025 0.5144 ± 0.0064 0.01025 ± 0.00075 0.260 ± 0.019 0.00500 ± 0.00025 0.1270 ± 0.0064 Orange 26 0.01825 ± 0.00025 0.4636 ± 0.0064 0.01025 ± 0.00075 0.260 ± 0.019 0.00400 ± 0.00025 0.1016 ± 0.0064 Brown 26s 0.01865 ± 0.00025 0.4737 ± 0.0064 0.00500 ± 0.00075 0.127 ± 0.019 0.00680 ± 0.00025 0.1734 ± 0.0064 (undefined) 27 0.01625 ± 0.00025 0.4128 ± 0.0064 0.00825 ± 0.00075 0.210 ± 0.019 0.00400 ± 0.00025 0.1016 ± 0.0064 Medium grey 28 0.01425 ± 0.00025 0.3620 ± 0.0064 0.00725 ± 0.00075 0.184 ± 0.019 0.00350 ± 0.00025 0.0889 ± 0.0064 Blue-green 29 0.01325 ± 0.00025 0.3366 ± 0.0064 0.00725 ± 0.00075 0.184 ± 0.019 0.00300 ± 0.00025 0.0762 ± 0.0064 Red 30 0.01225 ± 0.00025 0.3112 ± 0.0064 0.00625 ± 0.00075 0.159 ± 0.019 0.00300 ± 0.00025 0.0762 ± 0.0064 Yellow 31 0.01025 ± 0.00025 0.2604 ± 0.0064 0.00525 ± 0.00075 0.133 ± 0.019 0.00250 ± 0.00025 0.0635 ± 0.0064 White 32 0.00925 ± 0.00025 0.2350 ± 0.0064 0.00425 ± 0.00075 0.108 ± 0.019 0.00250 ± 0.00025 0.0635 ± 0.0064 Deep green 33 0.00825 ± 0.00025 0.2096 ± 0.0064 0.00425 ± 0.00075 0.108 ± 0.019 0.00200 ± 0.00025 0.0508 ± 0.0064 Black 34 0.00725 ± 0.00025 0.1842 ± 0.0064 0.00325 ± 0.00075 0.0826 ± 0.019 0.00200 ± 0.00025 0.0508 ± 0.0064 Orange
Rapid blood transfusion through 23G or smaller needles can cause hemolysis (rupturing of red blood cells).
Sizes of catheters This includes peripheral venous catheters. The gauge compared to outer diameter is the same as for needles, but the color coding is different.
Gauge Outer diameter (mm) Maximum flow rate (mL/min) Color 14 2.0 250–300 Orange 16 1.7 180 Grey 18 1.3 75–120 Green 20 1.1 40–80 Pink 22 0.9 42-55 Blue 24 0.7 20-35 Yellow 26 0.6 10-13Page 110 in: Black
See also Wire gauge, including other systems French gauge, mainly for catheters American Wire Gauge
References
Further reading ISO 9626: Stainless steel needle tubing for the manufacture of medical devices, 1st ed. Geneva: International Organization for Standardization, 1991: 1–2. ISO 9626: Stainless steel needle tubing for the manufacture of medical devices, Amendment 1. Geneva: International Organization for Standardization, 2001: 1–2.
External links
American Wire Gauge (AWG) & Metric Gauge Wire Sizes – University of Illinois Physics Department guide on gauge formulas and historical standards. Understanding Wire Gauge Systems and Conversions – Technical guide on gauge history and modern equivalents.