What the convention boils down to
A fixed-spool reel carries a size number: 1000, 2500, 3000, 4000, 5000, 5500, 6500, 8000, 10000 all appear in this corpus. The number describes the spool capacity — how much line of a stated diameter the spool holds.
It is not a quality ladder. The corpus makes that plain: one model appears as an LT1000 and an LT4000-C at almost the same price, which is a choice of capacity rather than of grade.
Makers add their own letter suffixes — FC, LT, FS, BR, FB — and each house defines its own. No body defines any of it.
What it does not promise
It does not promise a capacity on its own. A size without a diameter is half a figure, and the useful listings print both.
It does not promise a weight, which decides whether a reel balances a rod and which better listings state in grams.
It does not promise a drag force. That is a separate figure, given in kilos or pounds when it is given at all — the corpus shows it on baitcasters and rarely elsewhere.
And it says nothing about the gear ratio, the bearing count or the line lay, all of which are stated separately.
Where it shows up on this site
On all three fixed-spool reel shelves, as the first figure. On the line shelves, because a diameter is chosen against a spool. And on the rod shelves, because a rod and a reel are balanced by weight and by the line the pair will carry.
It is read alongside whether line is included — the corpus shows reels sold « ohne Schnur » and reels sold with braid already on — because that changes the comparison between two prices entirely.
How it is read here
A page prints the full designation as published, suffix letters included, and puts the maker’s stated capacity beside it where one is given. It does not equate two makers’ sizes, and it does not infer a capacity from a number.
Where a reel is sold with line, the page says which line, because a reel at one price with braid on it and a bare reel at a higher price are not the comparison they look like.
The questions that keep coming back
Is a 4000 better than a 2500?
It holds more line and weighs more. That is not better; it is a different reel for a different rod. A 1000 on a light lure rod and a 6500 on a beach rod are both correct, and swapping them is not an upgrade in either direction.
Do two makers number the same way?
No. There is no published method, and a 4000 from one house and a 4000 from another can hold different amounts of the same line. Where a maker states a capacity, the page prints the capacity.
How much line does a size hold?
It depends on the diameter, and that is the whole point of the figure. The corpus shows the pairing directly on one reel: a 2500 sold with 0,19 mm line. A 1000 filled with 0,30 mm carp line holds sixty metres, which is not a session.
What does the letter after the number mean?
It is the maker’s own suffix — C, FC, LT, FS, BR and others appear in this corpus — and each house defines its own. The pages print the full designation as published and do not decode letters the maker has not explained.
Last reviewed 22 September 2026