In this guide, we explain about numbers of floristry wires and their most common uses.  It's a bit of an anorak topic, and no-one will be tested on it afterwards (!) but it will give a guide to the thickness of wires that you see listed and how they will work in practice.

 SWG

The initials SWG stand for Standard Wire Gauge. This is an imperial numbering system that relates to the diameter thickness of the wire.

In the SWG system, the important thing to remember is the higher the gauge number, the THINNER the wire. So for example 34 SWG wire is fine enough to use like thread, while 16 SWG wire is really thick and only just bendable by hand.

Specifically, the numbers relate to the following diameter thicknesses:

16SWG = 1.63mm

18 SWG = 1.22mm

20 SWG = 0.91mm

22 SWG = 0.71mm

24 SWG = 0.56mm

26 SWG = 0.46mm

28 SWG = 0.38mm

30 SWG = 0.32mm

32 SWG = 0.27mm

34 SWG = 0.23mm

Formats: Most of the thicker wires are sold as stub wires, that is to say they are sold precut into short bundles of between 7" - 12". It's possible to get stub wires up to as fine as 26swg, but these are quite hard to come by, most suppliers sell stubs up to 22swg.

The thinner wires tend to come on small reels. They have the advantage that you can reel out and cut only the amount that you need to use so there's no wastage and you can use longer lengths without joining. Don't be tempted to work with too long a length though, it can get awfully messy and tangled!

In use, the most important thing is to choose the right strength of wire for the job. Here are some guidelines.

Wiring heavy flowers (roses, lilies, etc) - choose thick, heavy wires that will support the weight of the flower head. Stub wires usually range between 7 and 12 inches in length, and you should choose wires between 16 - 22 swg. The choice of wire can also depend on how long a stem you need to create, with the longer stems needing heavier wires. Remember that you can always double mount a very large bloom, twisting two wires together and wrapping with stem tape down the 'leg'.

Wiring medium and lightweight flowers - choose wires in the range of 22swg to 28swg. If the flower is adequately supported you get the added advantage of having a more elegant, slimmer stem, so do try not to overdo the strength of wire wherever possible. In corsage and buttonhole work for example, it's surprising how thick your combined wires and tape can quickly become when you assemble the whole piece.

Wiring very fine material or binding bunches of material onto a prepared base - the very finest 'rose' wires (also known as 'silver wire') usually comes on a reel. These tend to be in the range 26swg up to 34swg. At their finest, they are perfect for leaf stitching, a technique where you use the wire like a sewing thread and 'stitch' it through the veins on the back of a leaf. You can then bend or place the leaf perfectly in very detailed precise arrangements where perfection really matters.

A final note on tools for working with wire. You may eventually wish to invest in some specialist 'florists' tools, but initially you can be inventive. You basically need something to cut the wire, and for the thicker wires sometimes something to twist it with. Cutting even the finest wires is instant death to your good scissors, so please don't - it will notch the blades with the first cut. However, the multipurpose kitchen scissors with serrated blades are perfect for the job, as are a decent pair of pliers with a sharp cutting blade. To start with, try to get hold of a set of standard pliers and a pair of long nosed pliers - most pound shops and market stalls sell ones which are easily good enough for this type of job. If you can, buy them in the most revoltingly bright colour you can get, it stops them getting lost in the debris and scooped up with the rubbish (most of our florists tools are bright yellow for this very reason!)

Practice, experiment and above all have fun! If you have any queries or comments about this guide, or you would like any specific advice about your project, you are welcome to visit our shop, FlowerHour or ask us any questions. We will do our best to help.

Flower Hour

Kind regards,

FlowerHour