Daiwa model codes explained
A Daiwa spinning reel is named series – spool – body – handle. Once you know those four parts, any code on a Japanese listing tells you the spool size, how much line it holds, whether the body is a size smaller, how fast the gear is and which handle it has. Every meaning below comes from the maker's own code table — where the maker publishes nothing, we say so instead of guessing.
Read it as: a Finesse Custom model on the LT platform, size 2500 spool in the shallow version, on a body one size smaller, with an extra-high gear and a double handle.
Source: Daiwa official code table (checked 2026-09-19).
Series suffix — FC, PC, ST
These sit in front of the spool code and mark a variant of the series.
Spool platform and size
The number is the spool diameter class, not the line capacity. A 2500 spool measures 45 mm across on every LT reel.
Spool depth — S, SS, SSS, D
Same diameter, different groove depth. A shallow spool holds less line, which is what you want with thin braid.
Body size and gear ratio — C, P, H, XH
The letters after the hyphen describe the body, then the gear. They combine: CH = C + H, CXH = C + XH.
A higher gear ratio pulls in more line per turn of the handle; a power gear turns more easily under load. The retrieve per turn for each size is in the spec table on that model's page.
Handle — DH, QD
Sizes written as words
Surf and distance-casting reels sometimes name the spool in Japanese instead of using a code.
Which size for which fishing
The maker's own guideline, translated. A starting point, not a rule.
Not in the maker's table
These codes appear on some models but are not defined in the maker's published table, so we do not guess what they mean: PG.
Rod codes — read against Daiwa’s own length figures
We compared every rod code we list with the length Daiwa publishes for it. 1910 of 2673 sizes (71%) are explained by the readings below, to within 3 cm. The rest do not follow either pattern, and we leave them alone rather than invent a meaning.
The letter at the end
Daiwa does not publish what L, ML, M, MH or H stand for. What it does publish is the rating for each rod, so here is the range those letters actually carry across Daiwa’s own spec tables.
These are the ratings most often seen against each letter in this site’s data, not an official Daiwa definition. The same letter means something different on a trout rod and on a jigging rod, so always check the rating printed on the model page.
Specs for every size
Open a series page to see weight, gear ratio and line capacity for every size in both metric and imperial.