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An Informative Guide on How to Measure For Your Water Pipe's Parts

Three rulers of varying colors side by side

Have you ever cracked — even shattered completely — the bowl or banger to your favorite water bong or dab rig? Thankfully your water pipe is still totally intact, but now you’re without backup parts and you have no way of using it. 💔 Well, worry not, dear canna fam! KING's Pipe is here to save the day!

Joint Sizes and Types

The three basic downstem sizes are 10mm, 14mm, and 18.8mm/19mm. The genders are male or female. To find out which bowl or nail you need for your water pipe, you must measure the inner diameter of the bong joint size with a ruler like this:

Measuring a joint size with a ruler

For gender, always remember that you’ll need to get any accessories with the opposite gender as your water pipe! For example, a glass bong with a 14mm female joint needs accessories that are 14mm MALE. If you have a 10mm male dab rig, you need a nail that's 10mm FEMALE to fit over your rig's joint.

If you need slider glass bowls or banger nails, our prices are competitive and reasonable!

Downstem Sizes

Detachable downstems are another commonly dropped or broken bong piece. These are your bong's default percolator, and they have a tendency to stay stuck to the bowl, which can result in that dreadful shattering sound when you take a rip! We've all been through it, and it never gets any less annoying. Here’s how to measure a downstem, including finding out what length, size, and gender your replacement downstem needs to be:

Steps to measure a downstem

Step 1: Figure out the Bong Joint Size

Insert a pencil or other long object into the opening of the female ground joint until it’s about ½” from the bottom. Then, measure from the tip of the pencil to where the pencil protruded from your joint. Downstem measurements usually don’t include the length of the joint, so subtract about 1” from the measurement you’ve taken to find your downstem size!

Step 2: Confirm Your Joint Size

Confirm the gender and joint size of your downstem. Now you’re ready to choose the piece to fix your bong and get back to smoking! Use this guide anytime you forget and need to know how to measure a downstem!

Shop KING’s Pipe for All Your Replacement Parts

We hope this helped any and all of you late-night stoners out there, scrambling through websites trying to figure out which freaking part to get for your trusty daily driver! Enjoy correct downstem sizes, bong joint sizes, and more with this handy guide!

If you need extra or backup downstems, check out our downstem category. Our prices are always affordable, plus you get free domestic shipping!

Don't hesitate to shoot us an email or drop a line in our comment section for any additional help! 👌

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