I hope the following is helpful for those who get confused with 'X' ratings and tippet sizes?
Stroft Tippet & Leader Diameter Table
| Tippet Size | Tippet Diameter | Approximate breaking strength in Stroft GTM/ABR (kilos/pounds) | Balances with fly sizes: | ||
| Inches | Millimetre | Kg | lb | ||
| 9x | .0025" | 0.06 | 0.70 | 1.50 | |
| 8X | .0035" | 0.08 | 1.00 | 2.20 | 22 - 28 |
| 7X | .0040" | 0.10 | 1.40 | 3.10 | 18 - 24 |
| 6X | .0050" | 0.12 | 1.80 | 4.00 | 16 - 22 |
| 5X | .0060" | 0.15 | 2.40 | 5.30 | 14 - 18 |
| 4X | .0075" | 0.18 | 3.00 | 6.60 | 12 - 16 |
| 3X | .0080" | 0.20 | 4.20 | 9.20 | 6 - 8 |
| 2X | .0090" | 0.23 | 5.10 | 11.20 | 4 - 6 |
| 1X | .0100" | 0.25 | 6.40 | 14.10 | 2 - 6 |
| 0X | .0110" | 0.28 | 7.30 | 16.00 | 1/0 - 4 |
Although it refers to Stroft it can be used to substitute equivalent diameter tippets. The key thing is always think of the diameter and not the breaking strain. For a given tippet diameter there can be a huge variation in lb/kg breaking strain. Ideally for tippets use the highest breaking strain for the required diameter. That's where Stroft comes into it's own....strong and thin and why it's used by most of the "top" fly anglers in the world. A great tip (excuse the pun!!) is to use at least 3 feet for your tippet so the inherent stretch provides maximum resilience especially when using finer diameters i.e. 0.10, 0.08 & 0.06. Hopefully this is of interest however more than happy to pick up on any questions. Happy fishing Stuart The Durham Fly Fishing Company
