Sewing Needle Size Chart PDF

Last Updated on March 3, 2024

Sewing lovers understand the importance of selecting the right needle for various fabrics and projects. The needle size and type play a crucial role in achieving the desired results. Here, we present a comprehensive Sewing Needle Size Chart PDF that can be helpful for both beginners and experienced sewists.

Sewing Needle Size Chart PDF

Whether you’re a seasoned sewist or a beginner, understanding needle types and sizes is crucial for achieving impeccable results. Here, we’ll walk you through a comprehensive sewing needle size chart, offering simple descriptions to help you make informed choices and elevate your sewing experience.

Universal Needles

  • Sizes: 60/8, 65/9, 70/10, 75/11, 80/12, 90/14, 100/16, 110/18, 120/19
  • Description: The universal needle is a versatile, all-purpose needle with a slightly rounded point. This needle is suitable for general sewing on both woven and some knit fabrics. Its well-balanced design makes it a popular choice for various sewing projects.

Quick Threading Needles

  • Sizes: 75/11, 80/12, 90/14, 100/16, 110/18
  • Description: Quick threading needles are a variation of the universal needle featuring a slip-in threading slot. This unique design makes the threading process easier. Quick threading needles are commonly used for both woven and knit fabrics.

Double Eye Needles

  • Sizes: 80/12
  • Description: Double-eye needles are universal needles with two eyes. This design allows for the use of two threads, making them suitable for topstitching, shading, texturing effects, and embroidery on woven and knit fabrics.

Stretch Needles

  • Sizes: 75/11, 90/14
  • Description: Stretch needles have a medium ballpoint, special eye, and scarf specifically designed to prevent skipped stitches. These needles are ideal for use on elastic materials and highly elastic knitwear, ensuring smooth and even stitching.

Jersey Needles

  • Sizes: 70/10, 80/12, 90/14, 100/16
  • Description: Jersey needles feature a medium ballpoint designed for use on knits and stretch fabrics. These needles won’t break or damage knit fibers, making them a reliable choice for sewing various knitwear.

Jeans Needles

  • Sizes: 70/10, 80/12, 90/14, 100/16, 110/18
  • Description: Jeans needles have a modified medium ballpoint and a reinforced blade. This design suits heavy fabrics such as denim, canvas, upholstery fabrics, and similar weight materials.

Hemstitch/Wing Needles

  • Sizes: 100/16, 120/19
  • Description: Hemstitch or wing needles consist of a wing on each side, creating decorative stitches by opening fabric fibers. These needles are used on zigzag machines with the correct throat plate and presser foot, ideal for light or medium-weight loosely woven fabrics.

Double Hemstitch Needles

  • Sizes: 2.5mm/100
  • Description: The double hemstitch needle combines wing and universal needle features with a 2.5 mm separation on a combined shank. It is used for decorative stitching in dual rows on light or medium-weight loosely woven fabrics and decorative cutwork.

Leather Needles

  • Sizes: 70/10, 80/12, 90/14, 100/16, 110/18
  • Description: Leather needles have a wedge-shaped point with a tri-point knife edge, designed to penetrate leather, faux leather, and vinyl without ripping. These needles are essential for sewing on tough materials.

Industrial Machine Leather Needles

  • Sizes: 55/7, 60/8, 65/9, 70/10, 75/11, 80/12, 90/14, 100/16, 110/18, 120/19, 125/20, 130/21, 140/22, 160/23, 180/24, 200/25
  • Description: Industrial machine leather needles have a wedge-shaped point with a tri-point knife edge, specifically designed for penetrating leather, faux leather, and very heavy non-woven synthetics. These needles are suitable for industrial sewing machines.

Metallic Needles

  • Sizes: 80/12, 90/14
  • Description: Metallic needles are designed for use with metallic threads. They feature a long, elongated eye, a fine shaft, sharp point, and a deep scarf in front of the needle. This design helps eliminate skipped stitches and fraying of metallic threads.

Microtex Needles

  • Sizes: 60/8, 70/10, 80/12, 90/14, 100/16, 100/18
  • Description: Microtex needles are fine needles with a slim, very sharp point. They are suitable for delicate fabrics such as silk and microfibers, ensuring precise and clean stitches.

Quilting Needles

  • Sizes: 75/11, 90/14
  • Description: Quilting needles are tapered needles with a sharp point, making it easier to sew multiple seams and layers. The acute point also helps prevent “bearding” or migration of batting through the fabric.

Embroidery Needles

  • Sizes: 75/11, 90/14
  • Description: Embroidery needles feature a light ballpoint, a larger eye, and a deeper scarf in front of the needle. These characteristics prevent skipped stitches and guard against excess friction, protecting fragile threads during embroidery.

Embroidery Gold Needles (Titanium)

  • Sizes: 75/11, 90/14
  • Description: Embroidery gold needles have a nitride coating, a slightly rounded point, and an enlarged eye. The titanium coating resists adhesive residue on fabrics, making them perfect for coarse and densely woven fabrics and fragile specialty threads.

Embroidery Spring Needles

  • Sizes: 70/10, 75/11, 80/12, 90/14, 100/16
  • Description: Embroidery spring needles have a spring around the needle, ideal for free-motion and embroidery on lightweight fabrics. The spring’s function is to keep pressure on the fabric, preventing it from stretching while embroidering.

Twin Needles

  • Sizes: 1.6/70, 2.0/80, 2.5/75, 3.0/90, 6.0/100, 8.0/100
  • Description: Twin needles consist of two needles on a crossbar, suitable for use on zigzag machines. They are perfect for sewing pin tucks, decorative seams, hems, and heirloom sewing.

Stretch Twin Needles

  • Sizes: 2.5mm/75, 4.0mm/75
  • Description: Stretch twin needles have two stretch needles mounted on one shank, simultaneously creating two rows of stitches. These needles are ideal for sewing stretch fabrics.

Topstitch Needles

  • Sizes: 80/12, 90/14, 100/16
  • Description: Topstitch needles have an extra-long eye to accommodate heavy or multiple strands of thread for topstitching. The needle’s deep scarf prevents the thread from fraying while stitching.

Triple Needles

  • Sizes: 2.5/80, 3.0/80, 4.0/100
  • Description: Triple needles consist of three needles on a crossbar, allowing for stitching three rows at once. These needles are suitable for machine embroidery and heirloom sewing.

5 HLx5 High-Speed Needles

  • Sizes: 75/11, 90/14, 100/16
  • Description: 5 HLx5 high-speed needles are chrome-plated, short, flat shank needles designed specifically for high-speed professional quilting machines, such as the Janome 1600P Series. They can be used on jerseys, denim, and fake fur.

Home Serger Needles

  • Sizes: 65/9, 70/10, 75/11, 80/12, 90/14, 100/16, 110/18, 125/20
  • Description: Home serger needles are designed exclusively for use on home sergers. They are not suitable for domestic or industrial lockstitch machines or embroidery machines. Available in various sizes for fine to heavy woven and knit fabrics.

Industrial Overlock Straight Needles

  • Sizes: 55/7, 60/8, 65/9, 70/10, 75/11, 80/12, 85/13, 90/14, 100/16, 110/18, 120/19, 125/20, 130/21, 140/22, 160/23, 180/24
  • Description: Industrial overlock straight needles are straight needles in various shank lengths and shapes used for finishing edges and seaming. They are suitable for fine to heavy woven and knit fabrics.

Industrial Overlock Curved Needles

  • Sizes: 55/7, 60/8, 65/9, 70/10, 75/11, 80/12, 85/13, 90/14, 100/16, 110/18, 120/19, 125/20, 130/21, 140/22
  • Description: Industrial overlock curved needles are curved needles in various shank lengths and shapes used for finishing edges and seaming. They are suitable for fine to heavy woven and knit fabrics.

Industrial Blindstitch Needles

  • Sizes: 60/8, 65/9, 70/10, 75/11, 80/12, 85/13, 90/14, 100/16, 110/18, 120/19, 125/20, 130/21, 140/22
  • Description: Industrial blindstitch needles are curved needles specifically designed for blind stitching. The lower the number, the lighter the fabric weight; the higher the number, the heavier the fabric weight.

Twin & Triple needle sizing includes the mm distance between the 2 or 3 needles and the NM needle size ex. Twin Embroidery Needle 3.0mm/75

Conclusion

With our sewing needle size chart pdf and guide, you can confidently choose the perfect needle for your next project. Remember, the right needle can make all the difference, ensuring smooth stitches and professional-looking results.

Whether quilting, working with stretch fabrics, or diving into intricate embroidery, selecting the appropriate needle type and size is key to sewing success.