According to the Craft Yarn Council's Standards & Guidelines (2018), US and UK crochet terms give different names to the same stitches: a US single crochet is a UK double crochet, a US half double crochet is a UK half treble, a US double crochet is a UK treble and a US treble is a UK double treble.
US and UK crochet terms — US and UK crochet terms are the two naming systems used in English-language crochet patterns; they describe identical stitches, but each UK stitch name is one step taller than its US equivalent.
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The most confusing fact in crochet is also the simplest: American and British patterns use the same words for different stitches. A UK pattern that says “dc” asks for the stitch an American calls single crochet; an American pattern that says “dc” means a stitch about twice as tall. Mix them up and a hat comes out twice the size, or a blanket refuses to lie flat. This page gives the full conversion and the quickest ways to tell which system a pattern uses.
At a glance
| Topic | US | UK | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shortest basic stitch after the slip stitch | single crochet (sc) | double crochet (dc) | Craft Yarn Council (2018) |
| Measured stitches per 4 inches | gauge | tension | Craft Yarn Council (2018) |
| Passing over a stitch | skip | miss | KnitPro (2024) |
| A 5 mm hook | H-8 | 6 on old British hooks | Craft Yarn Council; Antique Pattern Library (2006) |
| Medium (4) yarn | worsted | Aran is in the same Craft Yarn Council category | Craft Yarn Council (2018) |
The conversion chart
The stitch names below come from the Craft Yarn Council’s table of term differences between the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
| US term (abbreviation) | UK term (abbreviation) |
|---|---|
| chain (ch) | chain (ch) |
| slip stitch (sl st) | slip stitch (ss) |
| single crochet (sc) | double crochet (dc) |
| half double crochet (hdc) | half treble (htr) |
| double crochet (dc) | treble (tr) |
| treble (tr) | double treble (dtr) |
| double treble (dtr) | triple treble (trtr) |
| gauge | tension |
| yarn over (yo) | yarn over hook (yoh) |
| skip (sk) | miss |
The last row, skip and miss, comes from KnitPro’s guide to terminology rather than the council’s table. The same shift applies to decreases and post stitches: a US sc2tog is a UK dc2tog, and a US dc2tog is a UK tr2tog.
Why the names are shifted
The stitches themselves are identical. What differs is the label. As June Gilbank of PlanetJune puts it, UK stitches are always named one step higher than their US counterparts, so every name after the slip stitch moves up by one. Learn one correspondence, US single crochet equals UK double crochet, and the rest follows: each taller stitch takes the next name up.
The practical consequence is that “dc” and “tr” are ambiguous. Seen alone, “dc” can mean either a US double crochet or a UK double crochet (which is a US single crochet), and the two differ by about one stitch height. That is why you always check the system before you start, not after the first few rows.
How to tell which system a pattern uses
Go through these checks in order:
- Read the notes. Most designers state “US terms” or “UK terms” near the top, and many give a table of abbreviations.
- Look for single crochet. PlanetJune points out that no stitch is called single crochet anywhere in UK terminology. If the pattern uses “sc”, it is written in US terms.
- Look for half treble or tension. KnitPro notes that “htr” only exists in UK terminology, and that UK patterns say tension where US patterns say gauge.
- Check where it comes from. A pattern in a book or magazine almost always follows its country of publication, and KnitPro adds that designers based in the UK, Australia and New Zealand typically write in UK terms. Canadian patterns usually use the US stitch names.
- Look at the photo. If the pattern only uses “dc” and “tr”, compare the finished fabric with your knowledge of stitch heights: a dense, short-stitched fabric worked in “dc” is likely UK terms.
- Ask the designer when the pattern gives no clue at all.
Converting a pattern
If you are more comfortable in one system, convert the pattern before you start rather than as you go:
- Print it or copy it into a document.
- Replace each abbreviation using the chart above, in an order that never converts the same stitch twice. From UK to US, start with the shortest stitch: dc to sc, then tr to dc, then dtr to tr. From US to UK, start with the tallest: tr to dtr, then dc to tr, then sc to dc.
- Change “tension” to “gauge”, “miss” to “skip” and “yoh” to “yo”.
- Note at the top which system your copy now uses.
How to catch a mix-up early
Even with careful checking, a mix-up can slip through, especially with patterns that use only “dc” and “tr”. A few signs show it within the first rows:
- The piece is much taller or shorter than expected. Compare your first few rows with the pattern photo or the stated gauge. If your fabric is about twice as tall, you are probably reading UK “dc” as a US double crochet.
- Stitch counts work, but the shape does not. A circle that ruffles or cups, or a square whose corners will not lie flat, can mean every stitch is one height off.
- The gauge swatch is far off. A difference of one hook size is normal; a difference of several sizes usually means the wrong stitch, not the wrong hook.
When you notice it, stop, unravel to the first row and convert the pattern before going on: fixing it later costs far more time.
Hook sizes: the other naming difference
Hook sizes have their own naming systems. US hooks carry a letter and often a number, H-8 for 5 mm for example, alongside the metric size. The Craft Yarn Council recommends relying on the millimeter size, because letter and number sizing vary from company to company.
Older British hooks used a separate numbering in which the numbers went down as the hooks got bigger. The Antique Pattern Library’s vintage chart gives, for example, a UK 12 for 2.25 mm and a UK 6 for 5 mm, while warning that each early maker had its own sizing system. If a vintage British pattern gives an old hook number, convert it to millimeters with such a chart and treat the result as approximate; then check your gauge.
Our convention on Crochetwiz
Every page on Crochetwiz uses US terms, as the Craft Yarn Council’s master list does, and gives the UK name when it helps. Our guide to basic crochet stitches shows each stitch with both names, and how to read a crochet pattern covers the rest of a pattern’s vocabulary. If you are just starting, the beginner’s guide to crochet teaches the first stitches in US terms from the start.
Key facts
- The Craft Yarn Council's 2018 term table maps US single crochet (sc) to UK double crochet (dc), half double crochet (hdc) to half treble (htr), double crochet (dc) to treble (tr), treble (tr) to double treble (dtr) and double treble (dtr) to triple treble (trtr).Craft Yarn Council, Standards & Guidelines for Crochet and Knitting, 2018
- The same 2018 Craft Yarn Council table lists the US term gauge as tension in the UK and Canada, and US yarn over (yo) as yarn over hook (yoh).Craft Yarn Council, Standards & Guidelines for Crochet and Knitting, 2018
- June Gilbank of PlanetJune notes that no stitch is called single crochet anywhere in UK terminology, so a pattern that uses sc is written in US terms, and that UK stitches are always named one step higher than their US counterparts.PlanetJune, Crochet Terminology (June Gilbank), 2015
- KnitPro points out that UK patterns write miss a stitch where US patterns write skip a stitch, and that designers based in the UK, Australia and New Zealand typically write in UK terminology.KnitPro, UK vs US Crochet Terminology, 2024
FAQ
Is UK double crochet the same as US single crochet?
Yes. The stitch is identical: insert the hook, pull up a loop, then yarn over and pull through both loops. US patterns call it single crochet (sc) and UK patterns call it double crochet (dc), which is why the abbreviation dc means a different stitch depending on the pattern.
How can I tell if a crochet pattern is in US or UK terms?
Check the pattern notes first. If there are none, look for single crochet (sc), which only exists in US terms, or for half treble (htr) and the word tension, which point to UK terms. A pattern from a UK, Australian or New Zealand designer or publication is usually in UK terms.
Does Canada use US or UK crochet terms?
The Craft Yarn Council's table groups Canada with the US for stitch names, so Canadian patterns usually say single crochet and double crochet like US patterns. The same table lists tension as the UK and Canadian word for gauge, so check the pattern notes when in doubt.
Do UK and US crochet hooks use different sizes?
The metric size in millimeters is the same everywhere and is the one to trust. US hooks also carry a letter and number, such as H-8 for 5 mm. Older British hooks used a different numbering in which larger numbers meant smaller hooks, and vintage charts show it varied between manufacturers.
Sources
- Craft Yarn Council: Standards & Guidelines for Crochet and Knitting (PDF, 2018)
- Craft Yarn Council: Crochet Abbreviations Master List (term differences)
- Craft Yarn Council: Hooks and Needles
- PlanetJune: Crochet Terminology (June Gilbank, 2015)
- KnitPro: UK vs US Crochet Terminology (2024)
- Jo to the World Creations: US to UK Crochet Terms Conversion Chart
- Antique Pattern Library: Vintage Crochet Hook Size Chart (Judith Combs, 2006)