Fuse beads

Fuse beads · 2.6 mm

Fuse beads

Place, arrange, fix. A precision that quiets the mind.

Discover

Create gently, at your pace

Learn more

The craft

What are fuse beads?

Fuse beads are small beads you place one by one on a pegboard, following a pattern. Our 2.6 mm beads give a fine, detailed result, far from the chunky beads of childhood.

Once the design is composed, a touch of the iron fuses the beads together. The motion is slow, repetitive and surprisingly calming.

No experience needed: pick a pattern, follow the colours, and let yourself go. A quiet break away from screens, just for you.

What you need

2.6 mm beads

221 colours, by refill or single colour.

The pegboard

The board where you place the beads.

The pattern

Your guide, colour by colour.

Iron and paper

To fuse the beads with heat.

Tweezers

For small, precise moves.

The converter

Turn any image into a pattern, free.

At the studio
In Bagnolet YCS Craft Studio

Come try it at the studio

In Bagnolet, our studio welcomes you to make your very first piece. All materials provided, just show up.

Book a seat

Learn

Three steps to begin

  1. 1

    Pick a pattern

    Start from a ready pattern or make your own with the converter.

  2. 2

    Place the beads

    Follow the colours, cell by cell, on the board.

  3. 3

    Fuse with the iron

    A sheet of baking paper, a touch of iron, and it is done.

See the tutorials

FAQ

Frequently asked

What are fuse beads and how do they work?

Fuse beads are small plastic tubes placed on a pegboard in a pattern. You heat them with an iron through ironing paper; the edges melt and fuse, and once cool you get one solid flat (or 3D) piece.

What's the difference between mini (2.6mm) and standard (5mm) beads?

Beads come mainly in 2.6mm (mini) and 5mm (standard). 5mm is large, easy and fast, good for big pieces. 2.6mm gives far more detail, ideal for faces, gradients and jewelry. Same design, 2.6mm looks finer but takes longer.

Is it worth switching to mini beads for more detail?

In the same area, 2.6mm fits more beads, so higher resolution: smoother curves, finer gradients, better facial detail. The trade-off is it's fiddlier and slower. For realistic or complex characters, switching is worth it.

Are fuse beads just a kids' craft?

Often seen as a kids' toy, they were actually first made as a therapeutic tool for the elderly, and now draw many adult pixel-art hobbyists. In 2.6mm for detailed work, it's fully an adult craft.

Which brand of fuse beads is best? (Perler vs Hama vs Artkal)

All three work; the difference is melt point and origin. Perler (US) fuses hotter, Hama (EU) lower and faster, Artkal (Asia) also fast. More important than brand: choose genuine quality fusible beads.

Should I buy a full set or refill by color?

Mixed tubs are cheap but sorting takes forever and common colors run out fast. Better to buy refills by color as your project needs (extra black and white).

How many beads / colors do I need to start?

Start with a base palette (often around 48 colors), enough for most beginner designs. Then top up by color as your patterns need, with refills (1000-2000 beads), extra black and white.

Are different bead brands compatible with each other?

Generally not recommended. It's technically possible to mix them, but keep a few things in mind, in order of importance:

  1. Color differences matter most — even with the same color name, shades vary between brands, and the difference shows within a single piece.
  2. Different melting points — each brand melts at a different temperature, so during ironing the beads don't fuse at the same moment, giving an uneven result.
  3. Slight size differences — in practice, diameter differences between brands at the same size are usually minimal and rarely an issue; pay more attention to small variations that can occur between batches, even within the same brand.

Tip: for the most reliable color and ironing results, stick to one brand and one batch within a single piece.

How do I turn an image into a bead pattern?

An online converter turns your photo into a grid: it matches each pixel to the closest bead color and automatically generates the pattern and a quantity list.

A few tips:

  • clean, high-contrast images work best;
  • gradients and shadows get simplified into flat blocks, often needing manual touch-ups;
  • color-match accuracy is the biggest difference between tools.

We recommend the free pattern generator built by Yaya's Creative Studio: color matching is based on the MARD 221 color chart, and the pattern maps directly to bead codes:
👉 https://tools.yayascreativestudio.com/