Zen Backpack Sewing Thread Size

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Backpack Sewing Thread Size

Needle Size to Thread Size Charts

Determining the size of thread and ciphering through the various sizing systems may seem difficult and confusing because it is. Some sizing systems use an inversely proportionate scale, where larger numbered sizes correlate to finer thread, while other systems use directly proportionate scales where larger numbered sizes correlate larger thread, while other systems use a completely arbitrary scheme.  To complicated maters worse, not only do different manufactures use different sizing systems, many will use different systems for each of their own kinds of threads.

Thread can be measured by its linear density (mass), diameter or strength of a given thread. 

The most common way of sizing tread is by it linear density.  This measures the weight of a particular length of strand or yarn.  The most common systems are Weight, Cotton Count, Denier and Tex.

 

Some common systems include:

Tex	The ISO standard
Nm	Metric
NeC	Cotton (English)
NeW	Worsted
Ny	Woolen (Yorkshire)
NeL	Linen
NeS	Silk
Td	International Denier
dTex	equals 0.1 tex
Run	American woolen unit
Cut	American Wool

 

Estimated Comparison of Various Yarn Sizes

denier	worsted	cotton	woolen (run)	linen (lea)	tex	metric
50	160	106	56	298	5.6	180
75	106	71	37	198	8.3	120
100	80	53	28	149	11.1	90
150	53	35	19	99	16.6	60
200	40	27	14	74	22.2	45
300	27	18	9.3	50	33.4	30
400	20	13	7.0	37	44.4	22.5
500	16	11	5.6	30	55.5	18
700	11.4	7.6	4.0	21	77.7	12.9
1000	8.0	5.3	2.8	15	111	9
1500	5.3	3.5	1.9	10	166	6
2000	4.0	2.7	1.4	7	222	4.5

 

 

Weight Systems

There are two major types of weight systems, the fixed weight systems and and fixed length systems.  The sizes of fixed weight systems become larger as the thread and/or yarn becomes finer, while fixed length systems become larger as the thread and/or yarn becomes larger.

 

Fixed Weight Systems
These systems use the length of yarn that make up a given weight.  Therefore, the larger weight, the lighter the thread. 

 

Number Metrical (Nm)

Metric count is number of meters per gram of yarn.  This number is followed by a slash and the number of threads of this weight that make up the strand.

 

A thread labeled 50/3 describes a yarn composed of 3 strands that would each span 50 meter and weigh 1 gram or 0.02gms per meter each.  A single gram of this triple ply yarn would span 16.67 meters.

 

Cotton Count (NeC or cc)

The cotton count is the US accepted industry standard utilized in sizing spun threads.  It is the number of 840 yard hanks of yarn it takes to equal 1 pound.  Written as a fraction the numerator (top/first number) is the count per strand and the denominator (bottom/second number) is the number of plies.

 

size 1/1 is a tread constructed of 1 strand weighing 1 pound per 840 yards

size 1/2 is a tread constructed of 2 strands each weighing 1 pound per 840 yards

size 2/1 is a tread constructed of 1 strand weighing 1 pound per 1680 (840x2) yards

 

The term Yarn Size is often used interchangeably with Cotton Count, but can also be used to describe any number of sizing systems.

 

Equivalent Size

With the cotton count system, similar sized threads can be constructed with differing numbers of plies and thread diameters.  An equivalent size for a thread can be determined by dividing the yarn count by the of plies.  For example - each of the following size 15 threads are about the same density:

 

30/2

45/3

60/4

 

Thread Weight

Thread weight is a popular US size measurement system, particularly for embroidery thread. It was a poor conversion from the Japanese Gunze Count standard that originally discounted the strand count.  A 30/2 and 30/3, meaning size 30 with two strand and size 30 with three strands respectively, would both be resized as 30wt.  This sizing system is therefore often inconstant and confusing since it isn't always clear what the US weight really means.

 

The weight often represents the strand weight of a yarn if it were composed of only 2 plies.

 

Cut (Nac)

In the cut system, the yarn number is the number of 300 yard hanks needed to make up a pound.  It is a US system for sizing wool and was used in and around the state of Philadelphia.

 

5-7 cut are generally coarse yarns

18-21 cut are medium yarns

30-35 cut are find yarns

 

A fraction is used to describe the weight of multi-ply yarn. The numerator (top/first number) is the number of plies. The denominator (bottom/second number) is the cut or run number of the yarn as a whole, not of the plies separately.

 

2/5s cut yarn is made up of two plies, and the yarn 1500 yards long weighs a pound.  Each ply would be 10-cut each.

 

Run system (Nar)

The run system is another US wool measuring system that is/was used in other parts of the US.  It is the yarn number is the length in yards of one pound of the yarn, divided by 1600.

 

Numbers 1 through 3 runs are coarse

Numbers 3½ to 5 are medium

Numbers 6 to 8 runs are fine

 

Worsted Yarns (NeW or Count system)

Worsted yarns is another wool system with 1 count yarn having a length of 560 yards to the pound.

 

2-count yarn is 1120 yards per pound

 

Linen Count (NeL)

A sizing system for linen used in the UK and US.  The yarns are the number of leas (300 yards) in a pound.  Linen can be spun as fine as 400s and even 600s.

 

Fixed Length Systems
These systems use the weight of a given length.  The larger the size number, the heavier the thread. 

 

Titer Denier (Td aka metric yarn number)

Denier (a French coin, = 1/12 of a sou) is a US accepted standard for filament measuring where the weight in grams per 9,000 meters of thread (grams of a 450 meters of yarn divided by 0.05). 

 

A 200 denier thread weighs 200 grams per 9,000 meters or about 0.02gms per meter

 

Unlike cotton, the count in a fraction representing multi-ply yarn describes the finished yarn, not the plies.

 

150/3 is a three stranded yarn that is 150 grams per 9,000 meters with each strand being 50 grams per 9,000 meters.

 

Denier was originally used to measure silk strands that can vary in size.  A fraction was used to represent a range of sizes.

 

13/16 denier identifies thread that is between 13 and 16 deniers in wieght.

 

To complicate thing a bit more, there are several denier systems of old.

international” denier	mass in grams of a 500-meter length ÷ 0.05
Turin denier	mass in grams of a 474-meter length ÷ 0.05336
Milan denier	mass in grams of a 476-meter length ÷ 0.0511
Old Lyonese denier	mass in grams of a 476-meter length ÷ 0.5311
New Lyonese denier	mass in grams of a 500-meter length ÷ 0.05311

 

Tex Size

Tex is an international standard for industrial sewing thread where the number or grams per 1,000 meters of thread.  The larger the tex size, the heaver the thread.  A 20 tex thread weighs 20 grams per 1,000 meters or about 0.02gms per meter.  A decidex or dtex is mass in grams per 10,000 meters of thread.

 

Tex is often rounded off to the following relative sizes:

Light Weight Threads		Medium Weight Threads		Heavy Weight Threads
Tex# 10.0 to 11.9 = Tex 10		Tex# 27.0 to 34.9 = Tex 27		Tex# 40.0 to 49.9 = Tex 40
Tex# 12.0 to 15.9 = Tex 12		Tex# 35.0 to 39.9 = Tex 35		Tex# 50.0 to 59.9 = Tex 50
Tex# 16.0 to 17.9 = Tex 16				Tex# 60.0 to 79.9 = Tex 60
Tex# 18.0 to 20.9 = Tex 18				Tex# 80.0 to 89.9 = Tex 80
Tex# 21.0 to 23.9 = Tex 21				Tex# 90.0 to 104.9 = Tex 90
Tex# 24.0 to 26.9 = Tex 24

 

Manchester dram system

This was formerly used for thrown silk, where the yarn number is the number of drams for a 1000 yard skein of yarn.

 

Conversions

	Tex	Decitex (dTex)	Denier (den)	Metric (Nm)	Cotton Count (NeC)	Worsted (NeW)	Linen (NeL)
Tex		dTex/10	den/9	1000/Nm	590.54/NeC	885.8/NeW	1653.5/NeL
Decitex	tex x 10		den/0.9	10,000/Nm	5905.4/Nec	8858/NeW	16535/NeL
Denier	tex x 9	dTexx 0.9		9000/Nm	5314.9/NeC	7972.3/NeW	14882/NeL
Metric Count	1000/tex	10,000/dTex	9000/den		NeC x 1.6934	NeW x 1.13	NeL x 0.6048
Cotton Count	590.54/tex	5905.4/dTex	5314.9/den	Nm x 0.5905		NeW/1.5	NeL/2.8
Worsted	885.8/tex	8858/dTex	7972.3/den	Nm x 0.8858	NeC x 1.5		NeL/1.87
Linen	1653.5/tex	16535/dTex	14882/den	Nm x 1.6535	NeC x 2.8	NeW x x1.87

 

 

Thread Diameter

Another way to measure thread size is by determining the needle size needed for that thread.  You can then compare multiple sizing schemes to each other.

Here are some charts to cross compare thread size with appropriate needle size.

Chart 1

Chart 2

Chart 3

Chart 4

Chart 5

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