Tattoo Needle Sizes Explained: RL, RS, Magnum and Cartridge Codes

Tattoo needle labels can look more standardized than they really are.

A code such as 1207RL often appears to contain everything you need: a gauge number, a pin count, and a grouping. In some manufacturer systems, that is exactly how the label is structured. But the useful lesson is not to memorize one string parser and apply it to every box.

The useful lesson is to separate the fields that are physically comparable from the fields that remain manufacturer-specific.

For most configuration comparisons, start with four questions:

1. What is the grouping family: RL, RS, Flat, straight Magnum, curved or Soft Edge Magnum, or a specialty construction?
2. What is the literal pin count?
3. What is the physical pin diameter in millimetres?
4. What does the manufacturer actually call the taper and product variant?

That order prevents a common mistake: treating a short printed code as if it were a universal technical specification.

The interactive code lab above uses reviewed examples to show how a common label pattern is assembled. For an actual product, use the manufacturer's specification first and the Tattoo Needle and Cartridge Finder to keep the fields separate.

The shortest useful tattoo needle size chart

The table below is a family map, not a recommendation chart.

| Family | Common abbreviation examples | Broad geometry | What to compare next | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Round Liner | RL | Tight round grouping | count, physical diameter, exact maker spacing, taper | | Round Shader | RS | More open round grouping | count, physical diameter, spacing, taper | | Flat | F / Flat | Single flat row | count, physical diameter, maker construction | | Straight Magnum | M / M1 / MG | Broad staggered rows with a comparatively straight edge | count, physical diameter, row spacing, taper | | Curved / Soft Edge Magnum | CM / RM / SE / SEM | Broad rows with a curved or softened leading edge | count, physical diameter, amount of curvature, taper | | Specialty | maker-specific | Product-specific construction | exact manufacturer terminology and specification |

The abbreviations in the middle column are intentionally written as examples, not as a universal dictionary.

FK Irons documents RL, RS, Flat, Magnum, curved or Soft Edge Magnum, stacked Magnum and other abbreviations in its current terminology material. Cheyenne uses its own family vocabulary, including Liner, Shader, Magnum and Magnum Soft Edge. Peak documents its own label anatomy explicitly. These sources overlap, but they are not evidence that every manufacturer encodes every property in the same way.

How a code like 1207RL is commonly structured

A common three-part pattern is:

12 + 07 + RL

In the reviewed Peak labeling system, the fields represent:

• the first number: needle thickness or gauge mark;
• the second number: number of pins in the grouping;
• the final letters: how the pins are arranged.

In that system, #12 corresponds to 0.35 mm, 07 means 7 pins, and RL means Round Liner.

FK Irons also publishes a common diameter mapping in its glossary, including #8 = 0.25 mm, #10 = 0.30 mm, #12 = 0.35 mm and #13 = 0.40 mm.

That makes the pattern useful to learn.

It still does not justify blindly decoding every brand's product string. Product lines can add suffixes, use different family aliases, publish specialty constructions, or expose the physical diameter directly without depending on the same shorthand.

The Peak labeling guide is a good example of a manufacturer explaining its own scheme. The FK Irons terminology glossary is useful for broader configuration terminology.

Gauge number vs physical needle diameter

If you remember one rule from this guide, use this one:

When comparing products across manufacturers, prefer the stated physical pin diameter in millimetres over an unsourced gauge alias.

Why?

Because 0.30 mm is a physical measurement. A printed #10, 10, 00, or another shorthand is a naming convention that needs a source.

In the reviewed current sources, common mappings include:

| Gauge mark seen in reviewed manufacturer material | Physical pin diameter | | --- | ---: | | #8 | 0.25 mm | | #10 | 0.30 mm | | #12 | 0.35 mm | | #13 / #14 in some maker systems | maker-specific context matters |

The final row is deliberately cautious. Even when two manufacturers publish familiar gauge numbers, the safe comparison field is still the physical diameter they state for that actual product.

Do not turn a remembered gauge table into an automatic cross-brand conversion when the maker already gives you millimetres.

Pin count is literal, but it is not the whole footprint

A 7RL contains a count clue: seven pins in a Round Liner grouping.

What it does not tell you by itself is the exact physical mark width or exact tightness of that group.

Two seven-pin Round Liners can differ because of:

• individual pin diameter;
• spacing within the group;
• tight, extra-tight, open, hollow, power, or other product-specific construction;
• taper;
• cartridge or solder geometry;
• manufacturer tolerances and design choices.

This is why the StencilStudio Finder never calculates a universal final line width from only count plus diameter. The label narrows the family. The actual product specification finishes the comparison.

RL: Round Liner

RL is the broad Round Liner family.

The defining idea is geometry: pins are grouped into a compact round, line-oriented arrangement.

FK Irons describes Round Liner as one or more needles in a tight grouping. Current manufacturer catalogs then subdivide that broad family in different ways, including tight and specialty liner constructions.

When reading an RL product, compare:

• literal pin count;
• physical pin diameter in mm;
• whether the maker calls it standard, tight, extra tight, hollow, power, open, or another variant;
• taper label and, when supplied, taper length;
• the manufacturer's own grouping description.

Do not reduce all of those fields to "3RL is fine, 9RL is bold." Count can change the footprint, but count alone does not define the complete construction.

RL vs a specialty liner

A specialty liner is not automatically a new universal family.

For example, a manufacturer may sell a Hollow Liner or another named construction. That suffix can describe real geometry, but its meaning belongs to that manufacturer's product definition unless there is strong cross-brand evidence for a shared standard.

The safe workflow is:

1. preserve the exact specialty name;
2. record the physical diameter;
3. record the count;
4. compare it inside that manufacturer's line;
5. only normalize it to RL when the manufacturer itself makes that relationship clear.

RS: Round Shader

RS means Round Shader in the reviewed terminology sources.

It is still a round grouping, but the pins are generally arranged more openly than a Round Liner.

Cheyenne's current cartridge information describes shader needles as packed less tightly than liners. That gives the family a different physical grouping, not merely a different marketing name.

This distinction matters when comparing RL and RS:

| Question | RL | RS | | --- | --- | --- | | Overall grouping | compact round | more open round | | Family intent in manufacturer terminology | line-oriented | shader-oriented | | Can equal pin counts have the same footprint? | not guaranteed | not guaranteed | | Should you infer machine settings from the family? | no | no |

The last row is important. Needle configuration does not prescribe voltage, stroke, needle depth, hand speed, or a healed result.

Use the label to understand the hardware geometry. Keep execution decisions separate.

RL vs RS: what actually changes

The most useful RL vs RS comparison is not "which one is better?"

It is:

What changed in the physical arrangement of the pins?

Both are round families. The difference is the grouping geometry.

A tighter arrangement concentrates the pins into a more compact footprint. A more open round arrangement spreads that grouping differently. But the exact result is still affected by count, diameter, spacing, taper and the maker's construction.

That is why a generic chart should stop at the family-level distinction instead of promising an exact mark width or telling every artist which configuration to use for a specific tattoo.

Straight Magnum: M, M1, MG and related labels

Magnum terminology is one of the places where code memorization can become misleading quickly.

The broad straight-Magnum idea is a wide grouping in staggered rows with a comparatively straight leading edge.

Peak uses M1 in its labeling documentation for a Magnum arrangement. FK material uses M for Magnums and also documents additional Magnum abbreviations. Other makers can use different labels.

So when you see M1, ask:

• Which manufacturer uses this code?
• What does that manufacturer mean by M1?
• What is the count?
• What is the physical pin diameter?
• Is the row arrangement and taper published?

The goal is not to translate every M1 into one universal setup. The goal is to identify the broad geometry and then read the exact product specification.

Curved Magnum, Round Magnum and Soft Edge Magnum

Current manufacturer terminology overlaps here.

You may encounter:

• CM: Curved Magnum;
• RM: Round Magnum;
• SE: Soft Edge;
• SEM: Soft Edge Magnum;
• manufacturer-specific variants of the same broad idea.

Cheyenne explicitly describes Soft Edge as also called curved or round Magnum, with a slightly rounded front. FK similarly describes Curved or Soft Edge Magnum as having center needles that protrude slightly more, producing a curved leading edge.

That supports a broad shared geometry family.

It does not prove that every CM, RM and SE cartridge has the same curve, spacing, count range, taper or behavior.

The correct normalization is therefore:

Curved / Soft Edge Magnum family -> preserve the maker's exact label underneath it.

This is exactly how the Needle and Cartridge Finder handles the category.

Straight Magnum vs curved Magnum

The easiest visual distinction is the leading edge.

Straight Magnum: comparatively straight edge across a broad staggered grouping.

Curved / Soft Edge Magnum: the leading edge forms an arc or softened curve.

That geometry difference is real. The amount of curvature is not universal.

When comparing two products, keep these dimensions separate:

1. family: straight or curved;
2. count;
3. physical pin diameter;
4. taper;
5. exact manufacturer construction.

Do not substitute a family label for the other four fields.

Flat needles

Flat needles place pins in a single row with a flat leading edge.

The broad family is easy to understand visually, but the same caution applies: F or Flat does not tell you every product dimension.

Read the manufacturer's:

• count;
• physical diameter;
• taper;
• system;
• product-line notes.

A Flat grouping should remain its own family rather than being silently treated as a one-row Magnum.

What taper means

Taper describes the length over which the individual needle narrows toward its point.

Manufacturer labels commonly include terms such as short, medium, long and extra long, but the physical lengths attached to those labels can vary by product line.

Peak provides a useful concrete example. In its Triton and Quartz needle documentation it lists:

• Short Taper: 2.5 mm;
• Medium Taper: 3.5 mm;
• Long Taper: 5.5 mm;
• Extra Long Taper: 7.5 mm.

The same Peak page lists different taper lengths for another line.

That is direct evidence for why StencilStudio stores both:

• the manufacturer's printed taper label;
• a physical taper length when the maker actually supplies it.

It does not convert every "Long Taper" label on the market into 5.5 mm.

Cartridge vs traditional needle does not change the grouping vocabulary

A Round Liner can exist as a traditional needle-on-bar construction or inside a cartridge system.

The grouping family and the delivery system are separate fields.

Record both when they matter:

• family: RL, RS, Flat, Magnum, curved Magnum, specialty;
• system: cartridge, traditional, or unknown.

This is another reason a single compact product code should not be expected to carry every relevant property.

A better way to decode an actual box

When you have a real cartridge box in front of you, use this order.

1. Find the manufacturer and product line

Do this before interpreting a suffix.

A code only has meaning inside a naming system.

2. Find the physical pin diameter

If the maker publishes 0.30 mm, record 0.30 mm.

Do not replace it with a remembered gauge alias.

3. Record the literal count

Seven pins means seven pins. Keep that separate from any prediction about final footprint.

4. Identify the broad family

RL, RS, Flat, straight Magnum and curved or Soft Edge Magnum are useful broad buckets when the manufacturer terminology supports them.

5. Preserve specialty names

Do not delete Tight, Hollow, Power, Textured, or another meaningful product suffix just to make the database cleaner.

6. Record taper exactly as published

If you have only Long Taper, preserve that label.

If the maker also supplies a physical taper length, store that separately.

7. Stop before you invent performance

Do not infer:

• exact final line width;
• voltage;
• machine stroke;
• hand speed;
• needle depth or hang;
• skin response;
• healing outcome;
• a universal "best" configuration.

Those are different decisions from reading a hardware specification.

Common code-reading mistakes

Mistake 1: assuming every gauge number is universal

Better: use the manufacturer's physical millimetre specification when available.

Mistake 2: assuming pin count equals exact mark width

Better: count is one field. Diameter, spacing and grouping construction also matter.

Mistake 3: treating RL and RS as the same round needle at different sizes

Better: they are different broad grouping geometries.

Mistake 4: treating CM, RM and Soft Edge as perfectly identical products

Better: normalize them only to the broad curved-Magnum family while preserving the exact maker terminology.

Mistake 5: turning specialty suffixes into global standards

Better: attach the suffix to the manufacturer and product line that defines it.

Mistake 6: using a needle chart as a tattoo prescription

Better: use a chart to understand configuration fields. Technique and setup decisions belong to the artist, product documentation and professional training context.

How the StencilStudio Needle Finder uses these fields

The Tattoo Needle and Cartridge Finder deliberately has two paths.

Decode my configuration is for a product you already have. You enter the broad family, count, physical diameter, printed gauge or code, taper, system and manufacturer context. The tool keeps cross-brand comparable fields separate from manufacturer-specific fields.

Explore by job is different. It shows a small set of plausible geometry families to investigate and explains tradeoffs. It does not rank one family as universally correct.

That division is intentional. A decoder should not become a prescription engine, and a job explorer should not pretend to maintain a live database of every cartridge SKU.

Current manufacturer source basis

This guide was checked against current manufacturer material on August 14, 2026.

Primary references used for terminology and code structure include:

• FK Irons tattoo terminology glossary: grouping families, common abbreviations, diameter/gauge examples and taper terminology;
• Cheyenne glossary: Cheyenne cartridge families and Soft Edge terminology;
• Cheyenne shader cartridge information: manufacturer explanation of liner vs shader packing;
• Peak needle labeling guide: explicit manufacturer label anatomy and taper lengths;
• Peak Quartz cartridge catalog: current configuration, count, diameter and taper examples.

Each source is authoritative for its own products and terminology. None of them is treated as proof that every manufacturer uses one universal code grammar.

FAQ

What does RL mean on a tattoo needle?

RL commonly means Round Liner. It describes a compact round, line-oriented grouping family. The code alone does not define exact mark width, spacing, diameter or taper.

What does RS mean on a tattoo needle?

RS commonly means Round Shader. It is a round grouping with a more open arrangement than a typical Round Liner family. Exact spacing and construction remain manufacturer-specific.

What does 1207RL mean?

In a common manufacturer label pattern, 12 is a gauge or diameter mark, 07 is seven pins, and RL is Round Liner. In the reviewed Peak and FK examples, #12 corresponds to 0.35 mm. Confirm the actual manufacturer specification before applying that parser to another brand.

Is #10 always a 0.30 mm tattoo needle?

Do not assume a gauge alias is universal without a source. Several reviewed manufacturer materials use #10 for 0.30 mm, but the safer cross-brand field is the physical diameter stated in millimetres on the actual product specification.

What is M1 on a tattoo needle?

M1 is used by some manufacturers for a straight Magnum-style arrangement. Other manufacturers use M, MG, Magnum or different labels. Preserve the maker and product line when decoding it.

What is the difference between RM, CM and Soft Edge Magnum?

They are overlapping terms for a broad curved or softened Magnum geometry in current manufacturer material. They should not be treated as proof of identical construction across brands. Keep the exact manufacturer label, count, physical diameter, taper and product line.

Does a higher pin count always make a thicker tattoo line?

Pin count can change the grouping footprint, but count alone does not define exact line width. Individual pin diameter, spacing, grouping construction and manufacturer design also matter.

Can a needle code tell me what voltage or depth to use?

No. A needle or cartridge label describes hardware configuration. It does not define voltage, machine stroke, hand speed, depth, hang, skin response or healed outcome.