What Size Are Miyuki Tila Beads? A Quick Reference Guide
What Size Is a Standard Miyuki Tila Bead?
A standard Miyuki Tila bead measures 5mm by 5mm and sits about 1.9mm thick, with two parallel holes running through the flat face at roughly 0.8mm in diameter each. That's the whole spec sheet. It's a flat glass square, not a round seed bead, and the two side-by-side holes are what let it sit flush against its neighbors instead of rolling.
Miyuki is the Japanese glass bead company behind the shape, and "Tila" is Miyuki's own trademarked name for it. Mack & Rex sells genuine Miyuki Tila beads as a retailer, in loose mixes, bracelet kits, and finished pieces, but the beads themselves come from Miyuki.
What About Half Tila and Quarter Tila Sizes?
Same length, different widths. Half Tila and Quarter Tila are the same 5mm Tila bead cut down, not separate bead families with their own specs.
| Bead | Dimensions | Thickness | Hole size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tila (full) | 5mm x 5mm | ~1.9mm | ~0.8mm, two parallel holes |
| Half Tila | 5mm x 2.3mm | ~1.9mm | ~0.8mm, two parallel holes |
| Quarter Tila | 5mm x 1.2mm | ~1.9mm | ~0.8mm, two parallel holes |
Line up two Half Tilas and they take up almost the same length as one full Tila. Four Quarter Tilas do the same. That shared 5mm length, plus matching thickness and hole spacing, is why a pattern built around full Tilas can swap in Half or Quarter sizes for narrower rows without throwing off the alignment. Bead Inspirations' rundown of the Tila bead family covers the same flat, two-hole design that makes this size-swapping possible in the first place.
What Size Cord Fits Through a Tila Bead's Holes?
0.5mm. That's the number to remember.
Tila holes run about 0.8mm across, so 0.5mm elastic beading cord threads through with room to spare and still holds enough tension to keep a stretch bracelet snug on the wrist. Go up to 1mm cord and it gets tight fast. It may force through once, but it stresses the glass around the hole and makes the finishing knot bulky and hard to hide. Crystal-style elastic (a spandex core wrapped in a woven sheath) is the better match over plain latex cord, since it grips inside that narrower hole rather than slipping.
One detail worth knowing before you buy loose beads: specialty retailers like Lima Beads carry Miyuki's seed bead lines across several shapes, and hole sizes can shift slightly between shapes even within the same brand. Always check the cord diameter against the specific bead you're buying rather than assuming every Miyuki shape takes the same cord.
How Many Tila Beads Do You Need for One Bracelet?
Roughly 28 to 38 full-size Tila beads for one adult stretch bracelet, strung edge to edge in a single row. Since each full Tila is 5mm wide, the quick math is simple: take your finished bracelet length in millimeters and divide by 5, then round down a bead or two to leave room for the knot.
- Smaller wrist (around 6 inches finished): roughly 29 to 30 beads
- Medium wrist (around 6.5 to 7 inches finished): roughly 32 to 36 beads
- Larger wrist (7.5 inches or more finished): roughly 37 to 40 beads
Swap in Half or Quarter Tilas for an accent section and the count climbs fast, since two Half Tilas or four Quarter Tilas fill the same length as one full Tila. If you're stringing your own and want a safety margin, order a few extra beads past your estimate. It's a lot easier than coming up two beads short with the knot half-tied.
How Does Bead Size Change the Look of a Finished Bracelet?
Size changes the whole character of the piece, not just the bead count.
A bracelet strung entirely in full 5mm Tilas reads bold and graphic, with each tile visible as its own square. Drop to Half Tila and the same bracelet gets narrower and busier, since more beads fit in the same length and the eye reads texture, not individual tiles. Quarter Tila almost disappears as a standalone bead; it works best as a thin accent line between larger beads or inside a woven pattern, where its narrow profile adds a fine stripe of color rather than a focal point. Mixing all three sizes in one piece, a row of full Tilas bordered by Quarter Tila trim, for example, creates contrast without changing the color palette at all.
Is Miyuki the Only Company That Makes Beads This Size?
For genuine Tila, yes. Other manufacturers sell flat, two-hole "Tila-style" beads that look similar on a shelf, and sizing between those and real Miyuki Tila can be close enough to pass or just different enough to throw off a pattern.1 Hole spacing in particular is where lookalikes tend to drift, which matters if you're mixing brands in the same project and expecting everything to line up.
Mack & Rex sources genuine Miyuki Tila, Half Tila, and Quarter Tila beads rather than a generic lookalike, so the measurements in this guide match what's actually in the bag. "Tila" and "Miyuki" are Miyuki's trademarks; Mack & Rex resells the beads and builds its own bracelets and kits from them, not the other way around.
Where Can You Buy Genuine Miyuki Tila Beads Sized Right?
One collection, all three sizes. The Mack & Rex Tila beads collection carries genuine Miyuki Tila, Half Tila, and Quarter Tila in named colorways, sold loose by the mix so you can size a project before committing to a full bracelet's worth. Every listing states the real size and approximate piece count on the product page.
If stringing your own sounds like more measuring than you want tonight, the DIY bracelet kits pair the right-size Miyuki Tila beads with pre-matched elastic cord, so the hole-to-cord math above is already handled. For a ready-to-wear option that skips stringing altogether, Mack & Rex's finished bracelets come in sizes XXS to 5XL.
A quick safety note if kids are part of the project: Tila beads, in every size on this page, are small glass pieces and a choking hazard. Keep loose beads away from young children who still mouth small objects, and have an adult at the table for the entire craft session, not just a quick check-in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size is a standard Miyuki Tila bead?
A standard Miyuki Tila bead measures 5mm by 5mm and sits about 1.9mm thick, with two parallel holes running through the flat face at roughly 0.8mm in diameter. That flat square shape, not a sphere, is the entire reason Tila bracelets look like a tiled mosaic rather than a string of round beads.
What is the size difference between Tila, Half Tila, and Quarter Tila?
Full Tila is 5mm x 5mm. Half Tila is 5mm x 2.3mm, roughly half the width. Quarter Tila is 5mm x 1.2mm, about a quarter of the width. All three share the same 1.9mm thickness and 0.8mm two-hole spacing, so they combine cleanly in one design without any size mismatch at the edges.
What size cord do you need for Miyuki Tila beads?
0.5mm elastic beading cord is the standard fit. Tila holes run about 0.8mm across, so 0.5mm cord threads through cleanly and still holds tension once it's doubled or run through both holes.
Does Mack & Rex manufacture Tila beads?
No. Miyuki, a Japanese glass bead company, makes Tila, Half Tila, and Quarter Tila beads and owns the Tila and Miyuki trademarks. Mack & Rex sells genuine Miyuki Tila beads as a retailer and uses them in its own bracelets and kits, but doesn't produce the glass.
Ready to size up your next bracelet? Shop genuine Miyuki Tila, Half Tila, and Quarter Tila beads in the Mack & Rex Tila beads collection. Mack & Rex ships internationally, with shipping and any customs or duties calculated at checkout, and free shipping on US orders over $100.