Scales & Scalemail

Scalemail is scales hung on jump rings: each scale is punched with holes, ringed to its neighbors, and the sheet overlaps like fish or dragon scale. It reads very differently from woven maille — flatter, glossier, and much faster to cover area with.

Two things decide a scalemail build: the scales themselves, and the rings that hang them. Scale size sets coverage and weight; ring size has to be open enough to take the scale and its neighbor without binding.

The usual mistake is buying scales without counting rings. Every scale needs two rings, and you want roughly ten percent spare for the ones you over-open. The scale maille calculator does that arithmetic for a dice bag, a gauntlet, a pauldron, or a halter top, and tells you the finished weight before you commit.