Optimum stitching of a wide variety of textile materials requires needles, which avoid damage to the material by having a displacement point (round point).
Types of Material
Ø Woven fabrics
Ø Knitwear
Ø Elastic materials
Ø Composite materials
Ø Laminated materials
Ø Films
Ø Material combinations
Ø Fields of application
Field of Use
Ø Manufacture of ready to wear clothing
Ø Accessories / Bags / Belts
Ø Upholstery industry
Ø Home furnishing textiles
Ø Interior design
Ø Shoe manufacture
Ø Manufacturer of vehicle interiors(cars, aero-planes, etc
Ø Leisure industry ( e.g. parachutes,paragliders,tents)
Advantage of round points.
Ø Widen the needle hole in the material by means of displacement
Ø Choosing the right point form (acute round points or ball points) is guaranted to avoid damage to the material.
Choosing the right needle
Ø Timely consideration of the right needle ensures optimum manufacturing and the desired quality of the end product.
Ø Material, material properties, stitching technique ( stitch type, number of layers of material, seam structure ) and thread are the criteria which already decide the right point form and needle size at the design stage.
Choosing the point form and needle size.
Ø The different point forms permit damage-free stitching of the various materials by different displacement of the individual fibres during piercing
Ø The material & material properties determine the right point form and needle size|
Tips
Thin needle sizes require a more rounded needlepoint than thick needle sizes (cf.knitwear)
Material |
Needle Size |
Point form | |
|
NM |
SIZE |
||
Woven fabric
Light (Shirt/blouse material) Medium (Suit material) Heavy (Coat material, covering material) Denim Light Medium Heavy Very denselywoven material Light e.g.microfibres,silk,artificial silk Medium e.g. tarpaulins Heavy |
65-75
80-90 100-110 70-901 100-110 110-140 65-70 65-70 100-180 200-330 |
9-11
12-14 16-18 0-14 16-18 18-22 9-10 9-10 16-24 25-30 |
R
SES SES SES SUK SES SES to prevent material damage. SPI to prevent seam puckering. SPI SPI |
Knitwear
Fine Medium Coarse Very coarse |
60
65-75 75-90 75-90 |
8
9-11 11-14 11-14 |
SUK
SES SUK SKF |
Elastic material
e.g. highly elastic knitted fabrics and knitted fabrics with Covered electrometric threads (Elastan, Lycra, etc) Fine Medium (Particularly bandages) Coarse Non-covered elastomeric threads e.g elastic for waistbands |
65-70
80-90 80-90 65-90 |
9-10
12-14 12-14 9-14 |
SKF
SKL SKL SPI to prevent the elastomeric threads being pushed out |
Composite materials
Woven fabrics/Knitwear Combined with an inlay, e.g.shirt manufacture (Seams for cuffs, collars) Coated materials Combined with Woven fabrics/knitwear, e.g.Goretex,Sympatex,Helsapor Fine Medium Coarse |
65-80
65-70 80-90 80-90 |
9-12
9-10 12-14 12-14 |
SPI
SPI SPI SPI |
Material |
Needle Size |
Point form |
|
NM |
SIZE |
||
Laminated materials
Textile/textile e.g.car seat covers wetsuits and diving suits Textile/cardboard Textile/plastic Very rigid plastic/plastic Coated materials e.g.tarpaulins Medium Heavy |
80-110
100-140 100-140 80-130 100-180 200-330 200-330 |
12-18
16-22 16-22 12-21 16-24 25-30 25-30 |
SES
R SDI for safety and reliable locking DH for an attractive seam SPI SPI SDI |
Films
Material combinations Leather with textile |
65-90
80-100 |
9-14
12-16 |
R
R |
Manufacture of
Furs and skins |
80-100 | 12-16 | R |
Choosing the right needle size
In addition to material and material properties, the choice of thread also determines the right needle size:
Continuous filament |
Polyamide 6.6 (Nylon) Polyester
Thread Type |
Yarn Size No* Tex* |
Needle Size NM SIZE |
Yarn Size No* Tex* |
Needle Size NM SIZE |
||||
Coarse | 13
15 20 30 |
231
200 150 100 |
160-200
160-180 120-160 100-140 |
23-25
23-24 19-23 16-22 |
13
14 15 18 20 24/25 30 35/36 |
231
214 200 167 150 125/120 100 86/83 |
130-160
130-140 120-140 120-130 110-130 110-130 110-120 100-110 |
21-23
21-22 19-22 19-21 18-21 18-21 18-19 16-18 |
Medium | 40
60/70 80 90 |
75
50/43 38 33 |
90-120
80/100 70-90 65-90 |
14-19
12-16 10-14 9-14 |
40
50 60/70 80 90 |
75
60 50/43 38 33 |
90-100
80-90 70-80 60-80 60-80 |
14-16
12-14 10-12 10-12 8-12 |
Thread
Type |
Yarn Size No* Tex* |
Needle Size NM SIZE |
Yarn Size No* Tex* |
Needle Size NM SIZE |
||||
Fine | 120
180 |
25
17 |
70-80
70-80 |
10-12
10-12 |
100
120 180 200 250 360 |
30
25 17 15 12 8 |
60-80
65-70 60-65 55-60 50-55 |
8-12
9-10 8-9 6-9 5-6 |
*No=Label number ; tex=Unit of size 1g/1000m (e.g.75 tex=1000m yarn weights 75 g)
Tip:
These tables only include the most common threads.Cotton threads,sewing silk and embroidery yarn have been omitted for the sake of clarity.
Core-spun |
Polyester / Cotton Polyester / Polyester
Thread Type |
Yarn Size No* Tex* |
Needle Size NM SIZE |
Yarn Size No* Tex* |
Needle Size NM SIZE |
||||
Coarse | 15
20 24 25 28 30 35/36 |
200
150 125 120 107 100 86/83 |
140-160
130-160 130-160 130-160 130-160 120-140 110-130 |
22-23
21-23 21-23 21-23 21-23 19-22 18-21 |
20
25 30 35/36 |
150
120 100 86/83 |
120-140
110-130 110-130 110-120 |
19-22
18-21 18-21 18-19 |
Medium | 40
50 60 75 80/90 |
75
60 50 40 38/33 |
100-120
100-120 100-110 90-100 80-90 |
16-19
16-19 16-18 14-16 12-14 |
40
50 60 75 80 |
75
60 50 40 38/33 |
90-110
90-100 90-100 70-90 65-80 |
14-18
14-16 14-16 10-14 9-12 |
Fine | 100
120 150/160 180 |
30
25 20/19 17 |
70-90
70-80 65-70 50-65 |
10-14
10-12 9-10 5-9 |
100
120 140 150/160 180 |
30
25 21 20/19 17 |
70-80
70-80 60-70 50-60 50-60 |
10-12
10-12 8-10 5-8 5-8 |
*No=Label number ; tex=Unit of size 1g/1000m (e.g.75 tex=1000m yarn weights 75 g)
The coordination of material and needle described particularly applies to the following stitch types: Double lockstitch including bartack,double chainstitch,zigzag,overlock and flatlock stitch.