For making a pattern, the brand barely matters. A fuse-bead pattern is a grid of colored cells, and the pattern maker gives you that grid plus a color count no matter which brand you buy. What actually differs between Perler, Hama and Artkal is bead size and each brand’s own color names — and those change exactly two things about your project.
The grid is the shared part
Whatever the brand on the bag, fuse beads sit on a peg grid, one bead per hole. A pattern is just an instruction for which color goes in each hole. That instruction — the grid, the per-color counts, the board sections — is what BeadDraft produces, and it is completely independent of who manufactured the beads. You can design once and build it in any brand you can get hold of.
Size changes the finished dimensions, not the grid
A 29-wide grid is 29 beads wide in every brand. Bead size only decides how big those 29 beads are once they are placed. Most “midi” beads — the common Perler and Hama size — are usually cited at about 5 mm, which puts a 29-wide grid at roughly 14–15 cm across. Artkal also sells a smaller “mini” line around 2.6 mm, which makes the same grid finish about half that size in the same number of beads. Sizes vary by product line and change over time, so the pack in your hand is the real source — treat these as ballpark figures.
| Bead size (typical) | 29-wide grid | 58-wide grid |
|---|---|---|
| ~5 mm (common midi) | ~14–15 cm | ~29 cm |
| ~2.6 mm (mini) | ~7–8 cm | ~15 cm |
This is why the size guide talks in beads first and centimeters second: the bead count is fixed by your grid, and only the last step depends on your brand.
Color names and compatibility references
Each brand has its own names and references, which do not line up one-to-one. the pattern maker uses Perler-compatible colors from the community-maintained maxcleme/beadcolors dataset under the MIT License. The matcher, materials list and PDF share the same color snapshot, with names, reference codes and HEX values. See color data and attribution for the source and full license.
How to match the references to your kit
Use the confirmed materials list to prepare the beads you own:
- Finish and apply your grid, so the color list is final.
- Export the CSV — it lists each color name, reference, HEX value and exact bead count.
- Check each referenced shade against your physical beads. If using another brand, choose its closest shade.
- Confirm availability before shopping. Merge shades with manual replace if you cannot source them, then export again.
What is the same everywhere
Board sections, bead counts and every editing step are brand-agnostic. The 29×29 board-section math in the size guide holds regardless of who made the beads, and the color-reduction tools work the same way. Pick a brand for size, availability and price; let the pattern itself stay independent of that choice.
Bottom line
Choose the bead size for the finished dimensions you want, and expect to translate colors yourself. The grid you build in the pattern maker travels between brands unchanged — start it by turning a photo into a pattern, then map the colors to your kit when you shop.