Piercing is the most common and popular body modificationOpens a new window in the world, but despite its popularity there’s plenty of confusion surrounding the tools of the piercing trade. By far the most important tools in any piercer's kit are their piercing needles. Here is a breakdown of the most common piercing needles and some frequently asked piercing needle questions.

Most Common Types of Piercing Needles

Depending on the location of a piercing on the body, it may be necessary to use a particular piercing needle or piercing technique. Here are the most common types of body piercing needles and their uses.

Straight Piercing Needles

Straight piercing needlesOpens a new window are the most basic and versatile piercing needle you'll encounter. These piercing needles are used for everything from ears and tongues to eyebrows and nipples. Straight needles come in a wide selection of lengths and gauges to accommodate any piercing. You can also find straight coated piercing needlesOpens a new window, which reduce the need for additional lubrication during piercing, and straight threaded piercing needlesOpens a new window, which allow for much easier jewelry installation after piercing.

Cannula Piercing Needles

Cannula piercing needlesOpens a new window are also straight, but they are enclosed in a plastic sheath. After piercing, the needle itself can be pulled through the sheath, which stays in place inside the fistula, allowing for much easier installation of body jewelryOpens a new window through the sheath, which is then removed.

Curved Piercing Needles

Curved piercing needlesOpens a new window are used for piercings in tight, hard-to-reach areas. Inner ear piercings like rook, daith, and tragus piercings are usually performed with curved needles. We also offer hooked piercing needlesOpens a new window that can make some especially tricky or tight locations easier to pierce.

Body Piercing Needle Gauges

In piercing, gauge refers to the diameter of the needle and therefore the size of jewelry that a piercing performed with a specific needle will require. The higher the gauge number, the smaller the diameter of the needle; for example, 18g needlesOpens a new window have a diameter of about 1mm, while 8g needlesOpens a new window have a diameter of about 3.25mm. Our store allows you to shop for piercing needles by gaugeOpens a new window, so you can quickly find the size and style of needles you need.

While some piercings can be performed with a number of different needle gauges, some should only be performed with needles of a specific size. If you are interested in larger-gauge jewelry, be sure to talk to your piercer first. While it is often possible to stretch piercings to a larger gauge, they may need to be pierced at a smaller size first.

Piercing Needle Sets & Accessories

We offer a variety of piercing needle and jewelry sets, piercing needle sample kits, and needle accessories like receiving corksOpens a new window, needle pushers, needle sleeves, and more. Our body jewelry and piercing needle sets come with piercing needles in your choice of gauge and length, while our sample piercing kits include a pre-set selection of piercing needles and other piercing suppliesOpens a new window.