Quick Answer: An industrial is two helix piercings joined by one straight bar, almost always 14g (1.6mm), sometimes 16g. Bar length is measured between the two balls and most adults take 35mm to 38mm, with 38mm the most common. To find yours, measure the distance between the centres of your two piercing holes and add 1mm to 2mm. Healing takes 9 to 12 months and often longer because two cartilage piercings have to heal at once, so the first change should be at 6 months at the earliest and done by a piercer. Once healed, changing the bar at home is a matter of unscrewing one ball, sliding the old bar out and feeding the new one through both holes in a straight line.
Informational only, not medical advice. If a piercing is hot, swollen, weeping or increasingly painful, see your piercer or GP.
The industrial is the one piercing where the jewellery is measured against your anatomy rather than a standard. A helix takes an 8mm hoop because most helixes are roughly the same. An industrial takes whatever length spans the gap between two holes that were placed to suit your ear, and that gap is different on everyone. Buy the wrong length and the bar either pulls both piercings toward each other or swings loose and catches on everything.
This guide covers gauge, how to measure your own bar, what length to buy, when it is safe to change, how to do it, and how decorated bars differ from plain ones.
What gauge is an industrial piercing?
14g (1.6mm) in almost every UK studio. A minority of piercers use 16g (1.2mm), usually on smaller ears. Check with your studio or measure the bar you were pierced with, because 14g and 16g industrial bars are not interchangeable.
The industrial is thicker than most ear jewellery for the same reason a navel is: the bar is long, it carries its own weight across an open span, and it transmits every knock to two piercings at once. 14g resists bending, holds decorative centre pieces without flexing, and spreads the load. A 16g bar of the same length is noticeably more flexible and more prone to a slight bow under a chain or a centre gem.
If you were pierced at 16g, buy 16g. A 14g bar will not fit. If you were pierced at 14g and want to wear 16g, it will go in but it will move more and sit less true. For the full gauge chart see the Body Jewellery Size Chart.
What length industrial bar do I need?
35mm to 38mm for most adults, with 38mm the most common single size. Small ears take 32mm; large ears or widely spaced piercings take 40mm or above. The length is the straight bar between the two balls, not including them.
| Ear or placement | Bar length | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small ear, piercings placed close together | 30mm to 32mm | Less common; ask your piercer |
| Average ear, standard placement | 35mm to 36mm | A common healed length |
| Average to large ear, standard placement | 38mm | The most common size sold |
| Large ear, or piercings placed wide apart | 40mm to 42mm | Usually special order |
| Fresh piercing, any ear | 2mm longer than healed | Allows for swelling; downsized later |
The bar should span both holes with about 1mm of clearance at each end, so the balls sit just off the skin rather than pressing on it. If the balls dent the skin, the bar is too short and is pulling the two piercings toward each other. If you can see 3mm or more of bare bar outside either hole, the bar is too long and will swing.
Unlike most piercing jewellery, there is no safe default. 38mm fits the majority, but "majority" is not "you". Measure.
How do I measure my industrial bar?
Take the bar out and measure it between the balls, or measure on the ear from the centre of one piercing hole to the centre of the other and add 1mm to 2mm. Do both if you can; they should agree. A millimetre ruler is enough, and a pair of digital calipers is better.
- If you can remove the bar, unscrew one ball, slide the bar out, and lay it on a ruler with millimetre markings.
- Measure from the point where the bar meets the fixed ball to the far end where the removable ball screws on. That is the bar length. Ignore the balls.
- Measure the bar's thickness: 1.6mm is 14g, 1.2mm is 16g.
- If you cannot remove the bar, measure on the ear instead. Hold the ruler along the line of the bar and read the distance from the centre of the upper hole to the centre of the lower hole.
- Add 1mm to 2mm to the hole-to-hole distance. That is the bar length to buy.
- Note whether your current bar sits right. If it fits well, buy the same length. If the balls dent the skin, buy 2mm longer. If there is visible bar outside the holes, buy 2mm shorter.
Write the number down. An industrial is the one piece of jewellery where you will need it every time you shop.
When can I change my industrial bar?
Not before 6 months, and realistically 9 to 12 months. An industrial is two cartilage piercings healing at the same time, joined by a bar that transmits every movement to both, so it is among the slowest-healing ear piercings. The first change should be done by a piercer. Changing it early is how industrials end up with a bump at one end and a drift at the other.
The bar makes healing harder, not easier. Every time it is caught, slept on or knocked, both piercings move together. Some piercers fit two separate labret studs for the first few months and join them with the bar only once each hole has settled; if yours did, the bar itself is your first change and the piercer will do it.
| Time since piercing | Status | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 months | Fresh, swelling at both holes | Nothing. Saline twice a day. |
| 3 to 6 months | Settled on the surface, not inside | Piercer can downsize a long healing bar. Do not change it yourself. |
| 6 to 9 months | Healed for some people | First change, by the piercer, like-for-like plain bar. |
| 9 to 12 months | Healed for most people | Change at home if it has been calm for a month. Plain bars first. |
| 12 months onward | Fully healed | Decorated bars, chains and centre pieces. |
A healed industrial has no tenderness at either hole, no swelling, no crust, no redness, and the bar slides freely without catching at either end. If one hole is fine and the other is not, the piercing is not ready.
How do I change an industrial barbell?
Unscrew one ball, slide the old bar out through both holes, then feed the new bar through the upper hole, across the ear and out through the lower hole in one straight line, and screw the ball back on. The trick is keeping the bar in line with both holes; it will not bend to help you.
- Wash your hands or put on gloves. Saline both holes and wait a minute if there is any crust.
- Hold the fixed ball of the old bar and unscrew the other ball anticlockwise.
- Slide the bar out through both holes. It should come straight; if it resists, adjust the angle until it does.
- Take the new bar and remove its loose ball.
- Feed the bar into the upper hole, keeping it in line with the direction the old bar came out. Push it gently across until the tip reaches the lower hole.
- Find the lower hole with the tip. This is the step that takes patience; a hand mirror behind the ear helps, and a drop of saline on the bar helps more.
- Once the tip is through the lower hole, push the bar all the way so the fixed ball sits at the upper hole.
- Screw the loose ball onto the lower end. Check both balls with a gentle pull.
If the tip will not find the lower hole after a few calm minutes, put the old bar back in and try again later, or let the piercer do it. An insertion taper matched to your gauge makes this far easier and is worth owning if you change industrials often. The changing guide has the general method for all barbells.
A plain bar like the Barbell with Spike End Industrial Barbell in Silver is the sensible first swap: 14g, 38mm, and nothing along the pole to catch on the holes as it goes through.
Plain bar or decorated bar: which should I wear?
A plain bar while healing and for the first change. Decorated bars, with gems along the pole, a chain hanging beneath, or a centre piece, are for a fully healed industrial. Decoration adds weight and adds things that catch, and both matter on a bar spanning two piercings.
| Plain bar | Paved pole | Centre piece or chain | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safe while healing | Yes | No | No |
| Weight | Lightest | Slightly heavier | Heaviest; a chain swings |
| Catches on hair and hats | Rarely | Sometimes on the stones | Often on the chain |
| Sleeping on it | Tolerable once healed | Stones press | Uncomfortable |
| Changing it | Easiest; smooth pole | Stones can snag the holes going through | Centre piece must be threaded past both holes |
| Look | Two balls, clean line | Sparkle along the whole bar | A focal point mid-ear |
Paved poles like the CZ Paved Pole Industrial Barbell in Silver run stones along the visible bar and come in 36mm and 38mm, which suits most people. The stones sit on the exposed section only, so the parts inside the holes are smooth.
Chain designs like the White Opal Centre Butterfly Chain Industrial Barbell in Silver hang a drop below the bar. They are 35mm, a touch shorter than the standard, so check your measurement before assuming it matches a 38mm bar you already own.
For a centre piece in PVD gold, the Crescent CZ Paved Pole Industrial Barbell in Gold is 38mm with the detail mid-bar.
Titanium matters more on an industrial than on almost any other piercing, because it is roughly half the weight of steel and the bar is the heaviest piece of jewellery most people wear on the ear. See Titanium vs Surgical Steel for the comparison.
Sleeping, hair, hats and headphones with an industrial
Sleep on the other side or use a travel pillow with the ear in the gap, tie hair back, wear hats loose, and use over-ear headphones with a wide band or none at all while healing. Everything that touches the top of the ear touches an industrial, and the bar turns a small knock into pressure on two piercings.
Sleeping is the biggest risk, because the bar levers against both holes for hours. A travel pillow with the ear in the hole solves it. Hair is next: a strand caught around the bar pulls both piercings when you turn your head, so keep it tied back at night and off the ear in the day. Beanies and headbands that press the top of the ear flatten the bar against the head; wear them loose or off that ear. Over-ear headphones with a band that sits across the top of the ear press directly on the upper hole; look for a band that clears it, or use earbuds on that side.
Cleaning is sterile saline twice a day at both holes while healing, and nothing else. Do not slide the bar back and forth to clean it. Once healed, a rinse in the shower is enough, plus a monthly check that both balls are tight; a loose ball on an industrial means losing the whole bar.
Why does my industrial hurt on one side?
Usually because the bar is the wrong length or the two piercings are not quite in line, so one hole takes more pressure than the other. Less often, one hole was caught or slept on and is irritated while the other is fine. The fix is the same in both cases: remove the pressure.
A bar that is too short pulls both holes inward and one of them, usually the lower, takes the strain. A bar that is too long swings and levers against the upper hole. If the piercings are slightly out of line, which is common, the rigid bar pushes against the edge of one hole constantly. A piercer can check the alignment, adjust the length, or fit two separate labrets for a while to let the sore hole settle.
Do not push through pain with an industrial. A persistent sore hole on one end is how the piercing migrates, and a migrated industrial cannot be fixed by changing the bar.
Common industrial mistakes
Guessing 38mm. It fits most people. It does not fit everyone. Measure between your holes.
Assuming 14g. Some studios pierce at 16g. Check before buying, because the wrong gauge either will not fit or will sit loose.
Changing it before 6 months. Two cartilage piercings and a bar between them. Wait, and let the piercer do the first one.
A chain or centre piece in a healing industrial. Weight and swing are the enemy. Plain bar until fully healed.
Sleeping on it. The bar levers both piercings for hours. Other side, or a travel pillow.
Pushing the bar through at an angle. It will not bend. Line it up with the direction the old bar came out.
Not checking the balls. A loose ball loses the whole bar. Check monthly.
How Oxies does it
Every industrial we sell is ASTM F136 implant-grade titanium at 14g, which is what most industrials are pierced with and, at roughly half the weight of steel, the material that puts the least strain on two cartilage piercings. Plain and paved bars come in 36mm and 38mm; chain and centre-piece designs are 35mm and 38mm. Every order is sterilised before it is posted. Industrial bars start at £11, UK delivery is free over £25, and two pieces save 25% while three or more save 40%. Browse industrial barbells.
Frequently asked questions
What is the standard industrial barbell length?
38mm is the most common size, and 35mm to 38mm covers most adults. Small ears take 32mm and large ears 40mm or more. There is no universal standard because the length depends on where your two piercings were placed. Measure between them and add 1mm to 2mm.
Is an industrial piercing 14g or 16g?
14g (1.6mm) in almost every UK studio. Some piercers use 16g on smaller ears. The two are not interchangeable: a 14g bar will not fit a 16g piercing, and a 16g bar in a 14g piercing sits loose and flexes. Check with your studio or measure your current bar.
How do I measure my industrial piercing for a new bar?
Measure from the centre of the upper hole to the centre of the lower hole in millimetres and add 1mm to 2mm. Or take the bar out and measure it between the balls. Both methods should give the same answer. Buy that length, not the nearest size you assume is standard.
How long does an industrial take to heal?
9 to 12 months for most people, and up to 18 months is not unusual. It is two cartilage piercings healing at once, joined by a bar that moves both whenever either is touched. Judge healing by the absence of tenderness, swelling, crust and redness at both holes, not by time alone.
Can I change my industrial bar myself?
Once healed, yes. Unscrew one ball, slide the old bar out, feed the new one through both holes in a straight line, and screw the ball back on. The first change is best done by a piercer, and an insertion taper makes home changes much easier. If the bar will not find the second hole, do not force it.
Why does my industrial bar stick out?
It is too long for your ear. Most people are pierced with a bar 2mm longer than they need, to allow for swelling, and it should be downsized once the swelling has gone. If there is 3mm or more of bare bar visible outside either hole, measure between your holes and buy a shorter bar.
Can I wear a chain industrial bar while healing?
No. A chain adds weight and swings with every movement, and both are transmitted to two healing piercings. Plain bars only until the industrial is fully healed, usually a year. Chain and centre-piece bars are for after that.
Can I wear two separate studs instead of an industrial bar?
Yes. Two 14g or 16g flat-back labrets in the two holes is a normal alternative, and some piercers heal industrials that way before fitting the bar. It removes the bar's leverage entirely, which helps a sore or migrating industrial. You can go back to a bar once both holes have settled.
Key takeaways
- An industrial is two helix piercings joined by one straight bar, almost always 14g (1.6mm).
- Bar length is measured between the balls. 35mm to 38mm suits most adults; 38mm is the most common size, but measure.
- Measure from the centre of one hole to the centre of the other and add 1mm to 2mm.
- Healing takes 9 to 12 months and often longer. Do not change the bar before 6 months, and let a piercer do the first swap.
- Plain bars while healing and for the first change. Paved, chain and centre-piece bars once fully healed.
- To change it, unscrew one ball, slide the old bar out, and feed the new one through both holes in a straight line. A taper helps.
- Sleep on the other side, tie hair back, wear hats loose, and choose headphones that clear the top of the ear.
- Pain on one side means the length or alignment is wrong. See the piercer rather than pushing through it.
Measured your bar? Browse 14g titanium industrial barbells in 35mm to 38mm from £11, sterilised and posted free in the UK on orders over £25.
