How Many Crystal Pieces Are in Bulk Rhinestone Packages?

Consumers like buying in large quantities because it saves money. Manufacturers like to sell in bulk because they sell larger quantities at one time and use less packaging. Furthermore, many crystalline product manufacturers sell in large quantities. Yet, do all companies sell the same amount of crystal embellishments in bulk rhinestone packages?

The Number of Pieces in Bulk Rhinestone Packaging
Usually, crystal bulk packaging depends on the rhinestone's size, shape, and manufacturer. Hence, bulk rhinestone packaging can mean very different amounts. For example, the original rhinestone manufacturers emerged from the European glassmaking industry. Thus, many use the common European standard unit of measurement, the gross.

Usually, European manufacturers will sell round rhinestones by the gross or in these crystal bulk package amounts:

• 3ss-20ss sizes are available in a 10 gross (1440 pieces per package)
• 30ss is available in a 2 gross (288 pieces per package)
• 34ss-40ss is available in a 1 gross (144 pieces per package)
• 48ss is available in an 8 dozen (96 pieces per package)

In the past few years, Asian (Korean and Chinese) and Indian companies have begun manufacturing rhinestones as well. Often, these are lower quality than their European counterparts and designated as DMC (diamante machine cut) or MC (machine cut). These manufacturers sell rhinestones by weight or in 100 gross or larger bags.

Typically, manufacturers offer rhinestone shapes in smaller sized packaging, usually by the dozen.  When ordering, the retailer will specify the packaging profile and price.

Rhinestone Sizes and Your Bling Project Will Decide Quantities
When trying to determine your quantity, you need to consider the rhinestone size. Typically, manufacturers designate rhinestone sizes by the stone size (ss). This unit of measurement goes back to the days when “rhine stones” were a natural resource.

When buying rhinestones, you’ll see a number accompanying the ss designation. The larger the number, the bigger the rhinestone. Usually, most retailers will also give a millimeter measurement for comparison. Most rulers will have inches on one side and millimeters on the other for comparison.

Sometimes, different rhinestone manufacturers may vary slightly in size. For your convenience, here is an ss-to-mm conversion rhinestone size chart:
ss           mm                      ss            mm                                      ss            mm
5             1.7-1.8                 10          2.7-2.85                             34           7.0 -7.17
6             1.9-2                    12          3.0-3.1                                40           8.35-8.54
7             2.1-2.15               16          3.8-3.9                                48          10.95-11.11
8             2.3-2.35               20          4.6-4.7                               50           12
9             2.5-2.65               30          6.3-6.41   
  
Calculating the Amount of Rhinestones for Your Bling Project
Some bling projects, like covering a tumbler with crystals, require a lot of rhinestones. However, your choice of rhinestone size will also affect how many crystals you’ll need. Since larger crystals cover a bigger area than smaller ones, you’ll need fewer embellishments.  

Below are the steps to figuring the amount you’ll need:

1. Find the length and width of the area you’ll be embellishing
2. Multiply the length in inches by 25.4 (the number of millimeters in 1 inch)
3. Divide by the rhinestone size in millimeters
4. Repeat for the width
5. Then, multiply the length by the width

For example, let’s say you want to cover an area 5 inches by 6 inches with size 16ss rhinestones.  Taking the length of 5 inches, multiply by 25.4 to get 127. Then, divide this by 3.9, the millimeter size of a 16ss rhinestone to get 32.56. Repeat this process for the width of 6 inches to get 39.06. Now, multiply 32.56 by 39.06 and you’ll need about 1271.79 rhinestones to cover a 5 by 6 inches area. If you divide this number by 144 (the number of pieces in a gross) you’ll get the number of gross. In this case, you’ll need 8.83 or almost 9 gross.

Of course, you’ll end up with decimals when converting inches to millimeters leaving some gaps in your coverage. To compensate, you can leave some space between the rhinestones or fill in the gaps with smaller crystals. Moreover, if you have any questions, you can contact us here.

Where To Buy Bulk Rhinestones Online
Buying in bulk usually means you don’t have to worry about running out of crystals during a project. Ordering once also saves you on shipping costs later on if you need more crystals. When looking for a great purchase experience for wholesale rhinestones online, choose Rhinestones Etc.

Since 2011, we have been selling quality embellishments at competitive prices with a great customer service experience. We have a large inventory of Preciosa and PriceLess crystals available for same-day shipping. Browse our online rhinestone store to find your color and size.