Syringe & Pen Needle Sizes

Needle size refers to both the length and gauge (thickness) of the needle.

Needle Length

BD syringes are available with 6mm, 8mm and 12.7mm needles.

New clinical recommendations support the use of shorter needles.  Therefore, BD recommends the BD Insulin Syringe with the BD Ultra-Fine 6mm Needle to people injecting with a syringe.

BD Pen Needles are available in 4mm (5/32"), 5mm (3/16"), 8mm (5/16") and 12.7mm (1/2").

New clinical recommendations support the use of shorter needles.  Therefore, BD recommends the 4mm x 32G BD Nano to people injecting with a pen needle.

Needle Gauge (thickness)

The word 'gauge' rhymes with 'cage' and tells how thick a needle is. The higher the gauge, the thinner the needle. For example, a 31 gauge needle is thinner than a 28 gauge needle.

• BD syringes are available with 28 gauge, 30 gauge, or 31 gauge needles. 31G Needles are available with 6mm and 8mm needle lengths.
• BD pen needles are available in 29 gauge, (BD Ultra-Fine™ Original), and 31 gauge, (BD Ultra-Fine™ Short and BD Ultra-Fine™ Mini) the BD Ultra-Fine™ Nano 32G. The BD Nano is the thinnest pen needle available.

To learn more about recommended injection technique with different needle sizes, please click here.