Quick Answer: Almost every navel piercing is 14g (1.6mm). The standard belly bar is a curved barbell with a 10mm bar, a 5mm ball on top and a larger decorative end at the bottom. You are pierced with 10mm or 12mm to allow for swelling, and most people settle at 10mm once healed; 8mm suits a shallow navel and 12mm a deep one. Healing takes 6 to 12 months, so the first change should wait until at least 6 months and ideally be done by your piercer. Once healed, a hinged belly clicker in 8mm to 12mm inner diameter is the easiest alternative to a bar.
Informational only, not medical advice. If a piercing is hot, swollen, weeping or increasingly painful, see your piercer or GP.
Belly bars are the piercing jewellery people change most often and understand least. The gauge is nearly always right because there is only one. The length is where it goes wrong: a bar that is too long swings, catches on waistbands and drifts the piercing; one that is too short digs the balls into the skin. And the timing is where it goes wrong most of all, because a navel looks healed months before it is.
This guide covers gauge, bar length, how to measure, when it is safe to change, bar versus clicker, and the practical stuff: sport, sleeping, waistbands and pregnancy.
What gauge is a belly bar?
14g (1.6mm). Navel piercings are done at 14g in virtually every UK studio, and belly bars are made almost exclusively in that size. The only exception is a stretched navel, which is rare.
14g is thicker than most ear jewellery because the navel is a surface-adjacent piercing through a fold of skin with no cartilage to hold it. A thicker bar spreads the load, resists migration and rejection better, and supports the weight of a decorative bottom end. A 16g bar in a navel puts more pressure on less tissue and is more likely to cut through over time.
If you are ever offered a belly bar in 16g, it is either a mistake or a fashion piece not intended for a real piercing. For the full gauge chart see the Body Jewellery Size Chart.
What size belly bar do I need?
10mm is the standard bar length and fits the majority of healed navels. 12mm is fitted during healing and suits deep or fleshy navels afterward. 8mm suits a shallow navel or a piercing placed close to the rim. The length is the curved bar between the two ends, not including the balls.
| Stage or anatomy | Bar length | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh, first 2 to 3 months | 10mm to 12mm | Allows for swelling; 12mm if the piercer expects a lot |
| Healed, average navel | 10mm | The standard; balls sit just clear of the skin top and bottom |
| Healed, shallow navel or piercing near the rim | 8mm | A 10mm bar would stand off the skin and swing |
| Healed, deep or fleshy navel | 12mm | A 10mm bar would pinch |
| After weight gain, pregnancy or muscle change | Re-measure | Navel depth changes with the body |
The rule of thumb: the top ball should sit flat on the skin above the navel and the bottom end should sit just inside or at the rim, with no pinching and no visible gap of bar on either side. If you can see 2mm or more of bare bar at the top, it is too long. If the top ball leaves a dent, it is too short.
Ball sizes are standard too: a 5mm ball on top and a larger decorative end, usually 8mm, on the bottom. A design like the Oval Cut Prong Set CZ Belly Bar in Silver is the standard 14g, 10mm spec in titanium.
How do I measure my belly bar?
Take the bar out, lay it on a ruler, and measure the curved bar from the inside of the top ball to the inside of the bottom end, following the curve. Do not include either end. If you cannot take it out, measure the visible bar on your body and compare it with the table above.
- Unscrew the top ball (on most belly bars the bottom end is fixed and the top ball is the removable one).
- Lay the bar on a ruler with millimetre markings, curved side following the ruler as best you can.
- Measure from the point where the bar meets the bottom end to the far end of the bar where the top ball screws on. That is the bar length.
- Measure the bar thickness across its width: 1.6mm is 14g.
- If the bar you measured sits well, buy that length. If it stands off the skin at the top, buy 2mm shorter. If the top ball digs in, buy 2mm longer.
The changing guide covers how to get the bar out and back in safely, including the tip that the ball goes on last with the bar already in place.
When can I change my belly bar?
Not before 6 months, and ideally not before the piercing has been free of tenderness, swelling, crust and redness for at least a month. A navel takes 6 to 12 months to heal fully. The first change is best done by your piercer. Changing too early is the most common cause of a navel that never quite settles.
The navel is a surface-adjacent piercing in an area that folds, stretches and rubs against clothing all day, and it heals slowly because of that. It also looks healed early. The skin closes over the holes within weeks and the piercing stops hurting within a month or two, but the channel inside is still forming for most of the first year. Change the jewellery at 3 months and you tear that channel.
| Time since piercing | Status | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 8 weeks | Fresh, swelling | Nothing. Clean with saline. |
| 2 to 3 months | Settled, looks healed, is not | Piercer can downsize a 12mm bar to 10mm if needed. Do not change it yourself. |
| 3 to 6 months | Healing inside | Leave it. If the bar is uncomfortable, see the piercer. |
| 6 to 9 months | Healed for many people | First change, ideally by the piercer. Like-for-like curved bar. |
| 9 to 12 months | Healed for almost everyone | Change at home. Bars, clickers, anything 14g. |
| 12 months onward | Fully healed | Free choice. Re-measure if your body has changed. |
If you have changed the bar early and the piercing has flared up, put the original bar back in if you still have it, clean with saline twice a day, and leave it alone. Do not keep swapping.
Belly bar or belly clicker: which should I wear?
A curved belly bar is the standard and the only option while healing. A hinged belly clicker is a ring that hangs through the navel and clicks shut, and is the easiest alternative once healed because it opens on a hinge rather than needing a ball unscrewed. Both are 14g. They give a different look and suit different navels.
| Curved belly bar | Hinged belly clicker | |
|---|---|---|
| Safe while healing | Yes | No |
| Sized by | Bar length (8mm, 10mm, 12mm) | Inner diameter (8mm, 10mm, 12mm) |
| Look | Ball on top, decorative drop at the bottom | Ring or half-ring hanging through the navel |
| Changing it | Unscrew the top ball | Open the hinge, feed through, click |
| Movement | Sits still | Rotates slightly with movement |
| Catches on waistbands | Occasionally, at the bottom end | More often, the ring sits proud |
| Sport and exercise | Fine | Fine once healed; a bar is more secure for contact sport |
| Suits | Everyone; the default | Deeper navels with a defined rim |
A plain Hinged Belly Clicker in Gold is a good first clicker: 14g, in 8mm, 10mm and 12mm, and simple enough that you can judge the fit before buying a decorated one.
What size belly clicker?
10mm inner diameter for most navels, 8mm for a shallow navel or a piercing close to the rim, 12mm for a deep navel. If a 10mm bar fits you, a 10mm clicker usually will too. The clicker hangs from the top hole, so the inner diameter decides how far the ring drops into the navel.
The measurement on a clicker is the gap inside the ring, the same as any hinged ring. A clicker that is too small pinches the fold at the top; one that is too large hangs loose and rotates. Because a clicker is worn through a healed piercing only, you can afford to buy one, try it and adjust; the Single Paved CZ Hinged Belly Clicker in Silver comes in 10mm and 12mm, which covers the standard and deep fits.
Top-down, reverse and floating navel jewellery
A standard belly bar has the decorative end at the bottom. A top-down or reverse belly bar puts the decoration at the top ball instead, so it shows above the navel. A floating navel is a different piercing, placed to suit a navel with no defined rim, and wears a curved bar with a small flat disc at the bottom. All three are 14g.
Top-down bars are the same curved barbell worn the other way up, with the larger decorated end at the top. They suit navels where the bottom of the piercing sits inside the fold and would hide a decorative drop. The floating navel is worn by people whose navel closes when they sit; the bottom end is a small flat disc so nothing catches when the fold closes. If you have a floating navel, ask your piercer before buying a standard bar, because a large bottom end will be uncomfortable.
Sport, sleeping and waistbands
Once healed, a belly bar is fine for most sport. While healing, avoid anything that presses on it, keep waistbands below or above the piercing, and sleep on your back or side rather than your front. Friction and pressure are what slow a navel down, far more than water or sweat.
High-waisted jeans and leggings that sit across the navel are the main daily irritant, especially while healing. Wear the waistband above the piercing or well below it. For sport, a plain bar with a small bottom end is safer than a decorated drop; for contact sport during healing, a flexible retainer from your piercer is the answer. Sweat is not a problem if you rinse afterward. Swimming pools are best avoided for the first two to three months.
Sleeping on your front presses the bar into the fold for hours. Back or side while healing, and once healed it stops mattering.
Can I wear a belly bar during pregnancy?
Many people do, in the early months. As the abdomen stretches, a rigid titanium bar becomes uncomfortable and can migrate, and most piercers suggest switching to a flexible plastic retainer from the second trimester. Ask your piercer and your midwife. A healed navel piercing itself is not a problem in pregnancy; it is the jewellery that needs to change.
The retainer keeps the hole open without a rigid bar pulling on stretching skin. Once the abdomen has returned to its usual shape, a titanium bar can go back in, but re-measure first: navel depth often changes, and the bar that fitted before may not fit after. This is general guidance, not medical advice, and anyone with concerns about a piercing during pregnancy should speak to their midwife.
Common belly bar mistakes
Changing it at 3 months. The most common mistake. The navel looks healed and is not. Wait until at least 6 months and let a piercer do the first swap.
Buying 16g. Navel piercings are 14g. A 16g bar puts more pressure on less tissue and is more likely to migrate.
Buying by the look, not the length. A 10mm bar and a 12mm bar with the same drop look identical online. Measure your current bar.
Wearing the 12mm healing bar forever. If the top ball stands off the skin, downsize to 10mm. An overlong bar swings and drifts the angle.
High-waisted jeans across a healing navel. Friction is the main reason navels stay sore. Waistband above or below.
A clicker in a healing navel. Bars only until healed. A clicker rotates and catches.
Not re-measuring after the body changes. Weight change, pregnancy and training all change navel depth. The bar that fitted last year may not now.
How Oxies does it
Every belly piece we sell is ASTM F136 implant-grade titanium at 14g, which is what your navel was pierced with and the material least likely to irritate a piercing that rubs against clothing all day. Curved belly bars are 10mm with a 5mm top ball and a decorated bottom end; hinged belly clickers come in 8mm, 10mm and 12mm inner diameters. Every order is sterilised before it is posted. Belly jewellery starts at £10, UK delivery is free over £25, and two pieces save 25% while three or more save 40%. Browse belly bars and clickers.
Frequently asked questions
Is a belly bar 14g or 16g?
14g (1.6mm). Navel piercings are done at 14g in virtually every UK studio, and belly bars are made in that size. A 16g bar in a navel is the wrong gauge: it puts more pressure on less tissue and is more likely to migrate over time.
Is 10mm or 12mm the normal belly bar size?
10mm is the standard healed size. 12mm is often fitted at the piercing to allow for swelling, and suits deep or fleshy navels afterward. If the top ball of your current bar stands off the skin, you are wearing a 12mm that should be a 10mm. If the ball digs in, go up.
How long until I can change my belly button ring?
At least 6 months, and only once it has been free of soreness, swelling and crust for a month. Many people need 9 to 12 months. Have your piercer do the first change. A navel looks healed within weeks but the channel inside takes most of a year.
What is the difference between a belly bar and a belly clicker?
A belly bar is a curved barbell with a ball on top and a decorative end at the bottom. A belly clicker is a hinged ring that hangs through the navel and clicks shut. Bars are the standard and the only option while healing. Clickers are an alternative once healed and are sized by inner diameter rather than bar length.
Can I sleep with a belly bar in?
Yes, at any stage. Do not take it out at night, especially while healing, as the hole tightens quickly. Sleep on your back or side while healing so the bar is not pressed into the fold for hours. Once healed, sleeping position stops mattering for most people.
Why does my belly bar stick out at the top?
The bar is too long. Most people are pierced with 12mm and settle at 10mm; if you never downsized, the top ball stands off the skin. Measure the bar and buy 2mm shorter. A bar that stands off swings, catches waistbands and slowly changes the angle of the piercing.
Can I wear a belly bar to the gym?
Once healed, yes. While healing, avoid anything that presses on it, and choose a plain bar with a small bottom end rather than a decorated drop. Sweat is fine if you rinse afterward. For contact sport during healing, ask your piercer for a flexible retainer.
Can I wear a titanium belly bar while pregnant?
Early on, usually. As the abdomen stretches, a rigid bar becomes uncomfortable and most piercers recommend switching to a flexible plastic retainer from the second trimester. Re-measure before putting a titanium bar back afterward, as navel depth often changes. Speak to your midwife if you have any concerns.
Key takeaways
- Belly bars are 14g (1.6mm). There is no other gauge for a standard navel piercing.
- 10mm is the standard healed bar length. 12mm is the healing length and suits deep navels. 8mm suits shallow ones.
- Measure the curved bar between the ends, not including the balls. 2mm makes a visible difference.
- Healing takes 6 to 12 months. Do not change the bar before 6 months, and let a piercer do the first swap.
- Bars only while healing. Hinged belly clickers, 8mm to 12mm inner diameter, are the easiest alternative once healed.
- Waistband friction and sleeping on your front are the main things that slow a navel down.
- Re-measure after weight change, pregnancy or training. Navel depth changes.
- Switch to a flexible retainer if pregnant, and ask your piercer and midwife.
Found your length? Browse 14g titanium belly bars and clickers from £10, sterilised and posted free in the UK on orders over £25.
