Scales & Scalemail

Before you buy

How many scales you need

Scales overlap, so a pack of 100 does not cover 100 scales’ worth of area. These are the real figures for the scales we stock, measured from the manufacturer’s dimensions and the same spine that drives our scalemail calculator. Every scale takes two rings.

Ring counts already carry a 10% buffer, which covers a flat panel. Anything with a finished edge needs about 30% — a dice bag, a pauldron, a bracer, a halter. Weights are aluminum, scales and rings together; stainless runs roughly three times heavier.

For a specific project rather than a square foot, the calculator has presets for dice bags, pouches, bracers, pauldrons and halter tops. A 4″ × 5″ drawstring dice bag, for example, is about 94 large scales and 240 rings, 203 medium scales and 530 rings, or 312 small scales and 810 rings.

Which ring fits which scale

This is the mis-order we see most, and it is expensive because the rings arrive separately from the scales. Large scales take a 16 SWG 5/16″ ID ring. An 18 SWG 1/4″ ring — the correct ring for medium scales — will not carry a large scale properly, and a listing that says only “scale rings” is telling you nothing.

Wire gauge is the other trap: 16 SWG is 1.63 mm, 16 AWG is 1.29 mm, and plenty of sellers use the two words interchangeably. Our 16 gauge SWG vs AWG guide shows the difference against real rings. Every ring we sell is quoted in SWG; the matching sizes live on the jump rings shelf.

Small, medium or large

Large covers ground fastest — three packs to the square foot — and reads as dragon scale from across a room. It is the size for pauldrons, panels, capes and anything meant to be seen at distance.

Medium is the garment size. It drapes better than large over a curve, comes in the widest colour range, and is what most scale tops, skirts and bags are built from.

Small is for detail: jewellery, scale flowers, cuffs, tight curves and fine colour gradients. It is ten packs to the square foot, so it is the slowest and priciest way to cover area — use it where the detail earns it.

Anodized, bright, polished or stainless

Anodized aluminum is where the colour comes from: the dye is sealed into the oxide layer, so it does not chip like paint. It is light, it never rusts, and it is the standard for scalemail costume work.

Bright and polished aluminum are the undyed silvers — the same metal and weight, the classic armour look, and usually the cheapest way to buy scales by the pack.

Stainless steel is rustproof, roughly three times the weight of aluminum for the same coverage, and costs more per pack. It photographs beautifully and it is heavy to wear all day. Choose it for a display piece or a short shoot, not for an eight-hour faire.

What scalemail scales cost

Across Amazon, Etsy, the maille suppliers and the mills (checked September 2026), 100 large aluminum scales retail for roughly $6–$20. That is a wide band for one product, and four things move it: plain aluminum is cheaper than anodized colour; scales sold by weight are cheaper than scales counted into a pack; single colour is cheaper than a mixed set; and anything shipping across a border carries the freight. Bulk bags of 1,000 anodized large scales run about $85–$100, and true mill pricing per thousand only appears at order sizes no costumer needs.

Work it out per square foot before you compare listings. Three packs of large is a square foot; ten packs of small is the same square foot. A cheaper pack of small scales is usually the more expensive project.

Looking for finished scale mail?

Everything on this shelf is loose scales — the raw material, not a garment. If you want mail you can put on rather than build, the chainmail armor shelf carries shirts, coifs and sets. If you want a project with the scales, rings and count already worked out, start with a kit or bundle.

Caring for scales

Aluminum scales need almost nothing: warm soapy water, rinse, dry flat. They will not rust and the anodized colour will not fade in sunlight. New aluminum can grey a light-coloured garment underneath until the pieces are worn in — wash the piece once before a shoot. Stainless scales wipe clean and keep their shine indefinitely.

Questions people ask before buying

How many scales do I need for a square foot?

About 300 large scales, 650 medium, or 1,000 small — three, six and a half, or ten 100-packs. Every scale takes two rings, so add roughly 660, 1,430 or 2,200 rings, and about 30% more rings than that on any piece with a finished edge.

How many scales are in a dice bag?

A 4in x 5in drawstring dice bag is about 94 large scales and 240 rings, 203 medium scales and 530 rings, or 312 small scales and 810 rings. The scalemail calculator has the preset, plus pouches, bracers, pauldrons and halter tops.

What size rings do scalemail scales use?

Large scales take 16 SWG 5/16in ID rings, medium take 18 SWG 1/4in ID, and small take 18 SWG 3/16in ID. Two rings per scale. Check that a seller quotes SWG and not AWG — 16 SWG is 1.63 mm, 16 AWG is only 1.29 mm.

How much does scale mail weigh?

In aluminum, scales and rings together, roughly 1.07 lb per square foot in large scales, 1.37 lb in medium and 1.35 lb in small. Stainless steel scales run about three times that.

What do scalemail scales cost?

Roughly $6 to $20 for 100 large aluminum scales at retail, depending on finish and whether they are counted or sold by weight; about $85 to $100 for a bulk bag of 1,000 anodized. Compare by the square foot, not by the pack.

Are aluminum scales strong enough to wear?

For costume, LARP, cosplay, photography and display, yes — that is what scalemail scales are made for. They are decorative armour, not protective armour: nothing built from butted rings and loose scales is rated to take a hit.