About tattoo needles (2024)

Tattoo needles explained

Each of our stick and poke tattoo kits contains needles. They vary in size and all have their specific uses. This page explains all types of needles, what they are for and how they are used.

Types of needles

Round Liner (RL): Round liner needles are for lining and contouring designs. These are needles grouped closely together, organized in a circular shape.

Round Shader (RS): Round shader needles are for shading. These are needle points organized in a circular shape, but not as tightly grouped as a round liner.

Magnum Shader (MS): Magnum shaders are intended for shading large surfaces. These are needle points usually grouped into two even rows.

Flat (F): Flat needles are for hatching geometric designs.

Sizes and what they mean

The total number of needle points is indicated by the number in front of the needle type. For example, a 3RL would be 3 needle points and a 9MS would be 9 needle points.

The smaller the number, the smaller the mark. A 1rl is the smallest needle available, but can be difficult to work with. In our set, 3rl is the smallest needle in our set. 5RL is the second largest after 3RL and the size of the line will increase to 20RL.

Needle conical

This is how much the needles taper towards the end. A standard taper for a tattoo needle is 1.5 mm. A taper can be up to 8 mm. The longer the taper, the more likely it is to be used for a lot of shading as it causes less trauma to the skin.

Needle size

The standard thickness of a tattoo needle is 0.35 mm. This is rated as '12' on a pack. The reason tattoo needles have different diameters is that the ink will flow through a larger diameter needle more quickly, but not as accurately.