{"id":36694,"date":"2026-10-14T21:42:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T13:42:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jxper.com\/tattoo-needle-cartridge-codes-explained\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T21:42:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T13:42:06","slug":"tattoo-needle-cartridge-codes-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jxper.com\/en\/tattoo-needle-cartridge-codes-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Read Tattoo Needle Codes: RL, RS, M1, RM and 08\/10\/12 Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Codes like <strong>1003RL<\/strong>, <strong>1205RS<\/strong> or <strong>1215RM<\/strong> can look confusing at first. They follow one simple pattern, though. Once you can read it, you can choose cartridges and needles from any brand with confidence.<\/p>\n<h2>The pattern: diameter + count + configuration<\/h2>\n<p>Take <strong>1205RM<\/strong> as an example:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Part<\/th>\n<th>Example<\/th>\n<th>Meaning<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>First two digits<\/td>\n<td><strong>12<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Needle diameter (see the table below)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Next digits<\/td>\n<td><strong>05<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Number of needles in the grouping<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Letters<\/td>\n<td><strong>RM<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Configuration (how the needles are arranged)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>So 1205RM means <strong>five 0.35 mm needles in a curved magnum<\/strong> arrangement.<\/p>\n<h2>Needle diameter: 08, 10, 12, 14, 16<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Code<\/th>\n<th>Diameter<\/th>\n<th>Typical use<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>08<\/td>\n<td>0.25 mm<\/td>\n<td>Very fine lines, delicate detail, smooth soft shading<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<td>0.30 mm<\/td>\n<td>Fine lines and detail; a popular all-round choice<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>12<\/td>\n<td>0.35 mm<\/td>\n<td>Standard lining, shading and colour packing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>14<\/td>\n<td>0.40 mm<\/td>\n<td>Bold lines and solid fill<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>16<\/td>\n<td>0.45 mm<\/td>\n<td>Extra-bold traditional lines<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Thinner needles release ink more slowly, which gives softer results and more control. Thicker needles put down more ink with each pass.<\/p>\n<h2>Configurations: RL, RS, M1, RM<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>RL \u2013 Round Liner:<\/strong> needles are tightly grouped in a circle and come to a fine point. Used for outlines and crisp linework. Single needles such as 1001RL are used for fine-line and micro work.<\/li>\n<li><strong>RS \u2013 Round Shader:<\/strong> a round grouping like RL, but looser. Used for small shading areas, thicker lines and colour work.<\/li>\n<li><strong>M1 \u2013 Magnum (flat or weaved):<\/strong> needles are arranged in a flat row. Covers large areas quickly for shading and colour packing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>RM \u2013 Curved Magnum (round magnum):<\/strong> a magnum whose row is slightly curved, so the edges are softer. This is the favourite for smooth black-and-grey shading and blends.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Cartridges vs traditional needles<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Cartridges<\/strong> are single-use modules that click into a pen-style or rotary machine. Our cartridges come <strong>20 pcs per box<\/strong>. <strong>Traditional needles<\/strong> are soldered on a bar and used with a tube and tip. Our traditional needles come <strong>50 pcs per box<\/strong>. Both use the same code system.<\/p>\n<h2>Matching tips for traditional needles<\/h2>\n<p>If you use traditional needles, match the tip shape to the configuration:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/product\/open-round-tattoo-tips\/\">Open Round tips (R)<\/a> and <a href=\"\/en\/product\/closed-round-tattoo-tips\/\">Closed Round tips (RT)<\/a>: for round liners and shaders<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/product\/open-flat-tattoo-tips\/\">Open Flat tips (M)<\/a> and <a href=\"\/en\/product\/closed-flat-tattoo-tips\/\">Closed Flat tips (FT)<\/a>: for magnums<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/product\/diamond-tattoo-tips\/\">Diamond tips (DT)<\/a>: for liners, giving a stable guide for line work<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Shop by brand<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Brand<\/th>\n<th>Round Liner &amp; Shader<\/th>\n<th>Magnum &amp; Curved Magnum<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>BLACK DIRK<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"\/en\/product\/black-dirk-round-liner-round-shader-tattoo-cartridges\/\">RL \/ RS<\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"\/en\/product\/black-dirk-magnum-curved-magnum-tattoo-cartridges\/\">M1 \/ RM<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>UFO<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"\/en\/product\/ufo-round-liner-round-shader-tattoo-cartridges\/\">RL \/ RS<\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"\/en\/product\/ufo-magnum-curved-magnum-tattoo-cartridges\/\">M1 \/ RM<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>JZ<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"\/en\/product\/jz-round-liner-round-shader-tattoo-cartridges\/\">RL \/ RS<\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"\/en\/product\/jz-magnum-curved-magnum-tattoo-cartridges\/\">M1 \/ RM<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Purple<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"\/en\/product\/purple-round-liner-round-shader-tattoo-cartridges\/\">RL \/ RS<\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"\/en\/product\/purple-magnum-curved-magnum-tattoo-cartridges\/\">M1 \/ RM<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Traditional needles: <a href=\"\/en\/product\/standard-tattoo-needles\/\">Standard Tattoo Needles<\/a>, <a href=\"\/en\/product\/dirk-traditional-tattoo-needles-round-liner-round-shader\/\">DIRK Round Liner &amp; Shader<\/a>, <a href=\"\/en\/product\/dirk-traditional-tattoo-needles-magnum-curved-magnum\/\">DIRK Magnum &amp; Curved Magnum<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Ordering for a studio? <a href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/8613248330583\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Message us on WhatsApp<\/a> for mixed-box wholesale pricing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What do 1003RL, 1205RS or 1215RM mean? Learn how to read tattoo cartridge and needle codes: diameter, needle count, and RL\/RS\/M1\/RM configurations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_front_end_style_editor":"no","ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[307],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tattoo-guides","entry","has-media","owp-thumbs-layout-horizontal","owp-btn-normal","owp-tabs-layout-horizontal","has-no-thumbnails","has-product-nav"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jxper.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jxper.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jxper.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jxper.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jxper.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jxper.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36694\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jxper.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jxper.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jxper.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jxper.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}