This post contains affiliate links.
There are many different ways to size a balloon. Between automatic sizers which blow an exact amount of air or helium into a balloon, balloon sizer boxes which the balloon must be inflated and then passed through a hole cut to a specific size, and a good old trusty balloon hand pump which is a manual pump that inflates a balloon with each pump. Each method of sizing a balloon has its pros and cons. This post isn’t to discuss each of those, only to give an accurate picture of how many pumps equal specific size. In this post, I am using the green and pink hand pump by Qualatex. You can find it here on Amazon.
What Is A Balloon Hand Pump (aka Balloon Hand Inflator)
A balloon hand pump is a handheld pump used to inflate balloons with air. Balloon hand pumps can be purchased at just about any store that sells balloons. Balloon hand pumps are used among professionals and beginners alike. Most balloon twisters will utilize a balloon hand pump in order to help save their lungs. They can be a real lifesaver.
Check out my post about Electric Balloon Pumps / Inflators here.
How To Size A Balloons With A Hand Pump
- Gather All Your Ingredients
- Put Lip Of Balloon On The Tip Of The Pump
- Extend Pump Nozzle
- Retract Pump Nozzle
- Repeat
- Enjoy!
1. Gather All Your Ingredients
- balloon(s)
- balloon hand pump, my favorite can be found on Amazon here
2. Put Lip Of Balloon On The Tip Of The Pump
3. Extend Pump Nozzle
4. Retract Pump Nozzle
Retract the nozzle of the balloon hand pump and count one.
5. Repeat
Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you reach the desired count and/or size.
6. Enjoy!
How Many Pumps To Size A Balloon
Sizes are approximate and rounded to the nearest fraction or tenth of a centimeter. Some sizes vaired based on the brand of balloon used, an average size was used.
| Pumps | *Size Inches | *Size Centimeter |
| .5 | 2-3/4″ | 7 cm |
| 1 | 3-1/2″ | 9 cm |
| 1.5 | 4-1/4″ | 10.8 cm |
| 2 | 4-7/8″ | 12.3 cm |
| 2.5 | 5-1/4″ | 13.4 cm |
| 3 | 5-1/2″ | 14 cm |
| 3.5 | 5-3/4″ | 14.6 cm |
| 4 | 6″ | 15.4 cm |
| 4.5 | 6-3/8″ | 16 cm |
| 5 | 6-1/2″ | 16.5 cm |
| 5.5 | 6-5/8″ | 16.8 cm |
| 6 | 7″ | 17.5 cm |
| 6.5 | 7-1/8″ | 18 cm |
| 7 | 7-3/8″ | 18.8 cm |
| 7.5 | 7-1/2″ | 19 cm |
| 8 | 7-5/8″ | 19.4 cm |
| 8.5 | 7-3/4″ | 19.8 cm |
| 9 | 8″ | 20.2 cm |
| 9.5 | 8-1/8″ | 20.6 cm |
| 10 | 8-1/4″ | 20.8 cm |
| 10.5 | 8-3/8″ | 21.2 cm |
| 11 | 8-1/2″ | 21.6 cm |
| 11.5 | 8-5/8″ | 21.8 cm |
| 12 | 8-3/4″ | 22.2 cm |
| 12.5 | 8-7/8″ | 22.6 cm |
| 13 | 9″ | 22.8 cm |
| 13.5 | 9-1/8″ | 23 cm |
| 14 | 9-1/4″ | 23.4 cm |
*I used the green and pink balloon hand pump by Qualatex, it can be found on Amazon here.
**I used an assortment of Qualatex, Betallatex, and Tuftex 11″ standard latex balloons.
I hope this post brought value to your day. If it did, please consider sharing it with a friend or on your favorite social media. Thanks For Reading Fun With Balloons!
