Fuse beads
Perler bead sizes, pegboards and how to iron them
Fuse beads come in three sizes, and the beads, pegboards and ironing times all change with them. This guide compares Perler and Hama sizes, explains the boards, and walks through ironing a piece so it comes out flat.
Updated October 6, 2026
Three sizes, two sets of names
Fuse beads are small plastic tubes that you set on a pegboard and melt together with an iron. Perler and Hama, two of the best-known brands, each make three sizes, and the names don't line up neatly.
| Size | Perler | Hama | Maker's age guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Mini, 2.61 mm wide | Mini, 2.5 mm | Perler 12+, Hama 10+ |
| Medium | Standard (classic), 4.77 mm wide | Midi, 5.0 mm | Perler 6+, Hama 5+ |
| Large | Biggie, about 10 mm | Maxi, 10 mm | Perler 4+, Hama 3+ |
Perler gives two measurements for its mini and standard beads: a mini is 2.8 mm high and 2.61 mm wide, a standard bead 5.07 mm high and 4.77 mm wide. Perler doesn't print a diameter for Biggie beads, so the 10 mm there is the commonly quoted figure.
The medium size is the one most people mean by "Perler beads", and it has the widest color range. Hama, for example, lists 86 midi colors, 79 mini and 31 maxi. Perler standard and Hama midi beads are both about 5 mm, so a pattern drawn for one works for the other, bead for bead.
What you can't do is mix sizes. Each size has its own pegboards with the pegs spaced to fit, and Perler's mini pegboards are labeled as not for standard beads.
How big a design comes out
On a pegboard, each bead takes up roughly its own width, so finished size is close to bead count times bead size. A design 50 beads across comes out about:
- 13 cm (5 in) in mini beads
- 25 cm (10 in) in 5 mm beads
- 50 cm (20 in) in Biggie or maxi beads
Minis give you far more detail in the same space, and they're also slow and finicky to place. Biggies are mainly for small children, who can pick them up easily.
Pegboards
The workhorse is the large square pegboard for 5 mm beads, 29 pegs by 29, which is 841 beads when it's full. Hama lists its large square midi board at 841 pegs, and Perler's large square board measures 5.7 inches (about 14.5 cm), which is 29 beads at 5 mm.
A 1,000-bead bag fills one board with 159 beads to spare.
Large square boards connect to each other along the edges. A design 58 beads square fits on four boards in a 2 by 2 block. Join them before you start placing beads, because pushing boards together under a half-finished design knocks beads off.
Shaped boards exist too. Perler's range includes circles, hexagons, hearts and stars, which are handy for coasters and ornaments. Check a shaped board's peg layout against your pattern before you plan around it.
Clear boards are worth having if you work from printed patterns. Print the pattern at the same scale as the pegs, slide it underneath, and place each bead on its matching square.
Before you iron
Ironing is the one step you can't take back, so set up properly first. Both Perler and Hama say an adult should do the fusing.
- Work on a flat, heat-safe surface, not a soft ironing board, so the pegboard stays level.
- Turn the steam off. You want a dry iron.
- Cover every bead with ironing paper. The sheets that come with pegboards are made for this, and parchment paper is a common substitute. It stops melted plastic from sticking to your iron.
- Check the design one last time for gaps and stray beads. Fixing a bead before ironing takes seconds; after, it's much harder.
Ironing step by step
- Lay the paper over the whole design, with a little overlap past the edges.
- Set the iron. Perler says medium. Hama gives a setting by size: wool for mini, cotton for midi, linen for maxi. Irons differ a lot, so test on a small scrap design first.
- Iron in slow circles over the paper. Keep the iron moving and don't press down.
- Watch the time. Perler's guides give about 10 seconds per side for minis, 10 to 20 seconds for standard beads, and 20 to 30 seconds for Biggies. Bigger designs take longer.
- Lift a corner of the paper to check. When the beads have joined but still have open holes, that side is done. Some colors melt faster than others, so look at the whole design, not one spot.
- Let it cool for a few minutes. Then peel off the paper, lift the design off the board, flip it over, and iron the second side the same way.
- Cool it flat under something heavy, like a big book, until it's completely cold.
Perler's instructions fuse both sides. Hama's only describe ironing the top. Ironing both sides fuses the piece all the way through, so it's less likely to shed beads.
How melted is melted enough
A properly ironed bead still has an open center. Iron longer and the holes shrink and close, which gives a smoother, more solid look that some people prefer. The downside is that heavily fused pieces are harder to join together, so Perler warns against over-ironing anything you plan to assemble.
Under-ironed beads are the opposite problem: pieces flex, beads pop off at the edges, and the design can split along a row. If that happens, put it back under paper and give it a few more seconds.
Whatever look you like, keep it consistent across pieces that will sit next to each other. Two coasters ironed to different levels look like they came from different sets.
Keeping it flat
Fuse bead pieces want to curl as they cool. Weight keeps them flat. Hama's instructions say to put the design under a book until it's fully cool, and the same works for any brand. Leave it longer than you think you need to.
Look after the pegboard too. Hama warns against touching the board with the iron, and boards can warp if they get too hot. A warped board leans its beads, and your next design starts out crooked.
Quick fixes
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Beads come loose at the edges | Not ironed long enough | Cover with paper and iron a few seconds more |
| Holes closed up completely | Ironed too long or too hot | Shorten the time or lower the setting next time |
| Piece curled or domed | Cooled without weight | Many people re-warm it briefly under paper, then cool it under a book |
| Paper hard to peel off | Still warm | Let it cool completely first, as Perler's instructions say |
| Some colors melted more than others | Colors fuse at different rates | Check several spots as you iron |
Planning a design
Fuse bead patterns are simple grids, one square per bead, and the squares really are square, so pixel art translates directly. Before you start, count how many beads of each color you need and how many boards the design covers.
Craft Studio's photo to Perler beads converter does that counting for you: it turns a picture into a bead pattern with a count for every color and the number of 29 by 29 boards it fills. It's free, needs no account, and your photo never leaves the browser. Bold shapes with a few flat colors read best at bead scale. Game sprites work far better than faces.
For drawing your own, the fuse beads editor (free, with an account) works on the same square grid, and pixel art patterns translate bead for bead. For ideas, browse the community patterns on explore.
Frequently asked
- What size are Perler beads?
- Perler standard beads are about 5 mm; Perler gives 5.07 mm high and 4.77 mm wide. Mini beads are about 2.6 mm and Biggie beads about 10 mm. Each size needs its own pegboards.
- Are Perler and Hama beads the same size?
- Perler standard and Hama midi beads are both about 5 mm, so patterns work for either. Hama minis are 2.5 mm against Perler's 2.61 mm, and Hama maxi and Perler Biggie beads are both around 10 mm.
- How many pegs are on a large square pegboard?
- The large square board for 5 mm beads is 29 by 29 pegs, which is 841 beads. Once ironed, a full board comes out about 14.5 cm (5.7 in) across.
- What iron setting should I use for fuse beads?
- Perler says a medium setting with the steam off. Hama suggests wool for mini beads, cotton for midi and linen for maxi. Irons vary, so test on a small piece first.
- Why did my Perler beads curl?
- Melted plastic shrinks and bends as it cools. Let the piece cool for a few minutes, then put it under a heavy book until it's completely cold.
- Do you iron both sides of Perler beads?
- Perler's instructions do: iron one side, let it cool, lift it off the board, flip it, and iron the other. Hama's instructions only cover the top. Fusing both sides makes the piece less likely to lose beads.