SearchChain width chart: millimeters to inches, and what each width looks like
Chain width is measured across one link, in millimeters. For inches, divide by 25.4: a 3 mm chain is about 1/8 inch, a 5 mm about 3/16, an 8 mm about 5/16, and a 12 mm just under 1/2. Width sets the look and, with the length, the grams: a 14K solid Miami Cuban at 24 inches is about 46 grams at 5 mm and 129 at 8 mm. Most buyers go narrow: about two in three of the gold Cubans we sold in the 90 days to September 26, 2026 were under 5 mm.
The chart: millimeters to inches
| Width | Inches | Nearest fraction | 14K solid Cuban, 24 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mm | 0.039 in | about 1/32 in | — |
| 1.2 mm | 0.047 in | about 1/16 in | — |
| 1.5 mm | 0.059 in | about 1/16 in | — |
| 1.9 mm | 0.075 in | about 1/16 in | — |
| 2 mm | 0.079 in | about 3/32 in | — |
| 2.5 mm | 0.098 in | about 3/32 in | about 12 g |
| 2.6 mm | 0.102 in | about 3/32 in | — |
| 3 mm | 0.118 in | about 1/8 in | about 20 g |
| 3.2 mm | 0.126 in | about 1/8 in | — |
| 3.5 mm | 0.138 in | about 1/8 in | — |
| 4 mm | 0.157 in | about 5/32 in | about 30 g |
| 4.5 mm | 0.177 in | about 3/16 in | — |
| 4.6 mm | 0.181 in | about 3/16 in | — |
| 4.8 mm | 0.189 in | about 3/16 in | — |
| 5 mm | 0.197 in | about 3/16 in | about 46 g |
| 5.5 mm | 0.217 in | about 7/32 in | — |
| 6 mm | 0.236 in | about 1/4 in | about 66 g |
| 6.5 mm | 0.256 in | about 1/4 in | — |
| 7 mm | 0.276 in | about 9/32 in | about 88 g |
| 7.5 mm | 0.295 in | about 9/32 in | — |
| 8 mm | 0.315 in | about 5/16 in | about 129 g |
| 9 mm | 0.354 in | about 11/32 in | about 159 g |
| 10 mm | 0.394 in | about 13/32 in | about 201 g |
| 11 mm | 0.433 in | about 7/16 in | — |
| 12 mm | 0.472 in | about 15/32 in | — |
| 14 mm | 0.551 in | about 9/16 in | — |
| 16 mm | 0.630 in | about 5/8 in | — |
| 18 mm | 0.709 in | about 23/32 in | — |
| 20 mm | 0.787 in | about 25/32 in | — |
Inches: the width divided by 25.4. Grams: the median of our 14K solid Miami Cuban listings at that width, at 24 inches, from how much a gold chain weighs; a dash where we have too few listings for a fair number.
What each width looks like on a neck
The same 14K yellow gold Miami Cuban at 22 inches, from 3.2 mm to 12 mm. Width and length go together: the same man who wears a 3 mm rope at 20 inches wears a 6 mm Cuban at 22 or 24 and a 10 mm at 24 to 26.
These are AI pictures made for sizing, not photos of a customer. Every listing shows its own photos.
What buyers pick
| Width | Share of gold Miami Cubans sold |
|---|---|
| Under 3 mm | 25.3% |
| 3 to 3.9 mm | 15.3% |
| 4 to 4.9 mm | 27.3% |
| 5 to 5.9 mm | 14.0% |
| 6 to 6.9 mm | 12.7% |
| 7 to 7.9 mm | 2.7% |
| 8 to 9.9 mm | 0.7% |
| 10 mm and up | 2.0% |
TraxNYC sales, 90 days to September 26, 2026; width read from the listing title, else its width field.
About two in three buyers chose a Cuban under 5 mm, one in four 5 to 6.9 mm, and one in twenty 7 mm or wider. Our best-selling gold Cuban in those 90 days, by money and by count, was our 10K Cuban at 4.6 mm. Width, weight and the lock are in our Miami Cuban guide.
Width and weight
Double the width of a link and you do not double the weight; you roughly triple or quadruple it, because the link gets thicker as it gets wider. That is why the jump from a 5 mm Cuban to an 8 mm Cuban feels like a different object on the neck. A hollow chain at the same width carries a third to a half as much gold. Every width and style is in how much a gold chain weighs, and solid against hollow in hollow vs solid gold chains.
How to measure a chain's width
Measure straight across one link, edge to edge, not along the chain, with a ruler that reads millimeters. Our listings put the width in the title. For length, see the men's gold chain length guide.
Chains by width, in our case now Live
Questions
How many inches is a 5 mm chain?
About 0.2 inch, close to 3/16.
What is 4.5 mm in inches?
About 0.18 inch, close to 3/16.
What is 3.2 mm in inches?
About 0.13 inch, close to 1/8.
What width chain do most men buy?
A narrow one. About two in three of the gold Cubans we sold in the 90 days to September 26, 2026 were under 5 mm, and our best seller in that time was our 10K Cuban at 4.6 mm.
Does a wider chain cost more?
A wider chain of the same build carries more gold, and a gold chain is mostly its gold, bought and sold by weight. How we price one is in how a gold chain is priced.
Ask a jeweler about a chain width
Chat with a jeweler now, or call or text 212-872-9692. Our team texts back 10 AM to 10 PM ET; later texts are answered the next day. Or see it in person at 64 W 47th Street.
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