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Thread Size Measurements

Posted: 16 July 2010 at 6:43 a.m.
Thread size measurements can be extremely confusing and are often used incorrectly. For example, what does it mean when you read #30/3 on the thread label?

(NEW Brytes by Caryl Bryer Fallert. Bright and beautiful #30/3-ply polyester)
Dr. Bob is here to explain some terminology:
There are many standards of thread measurement. Some companies use the Tex standard. Others use the weight standard. Others use the Number standard. Some mix up the standards resulting in misleading information. One spool of thread may be stamped No. 50, another spool may be stamped Tex 50, another spool may be stamped 50 wt., and yet another spool of thread may be stamped 50/3. All four of these are measured using different standards and we must not assume they are similar in size. When comparing threads, make sure you use a consistent standard of measurement. The top five standards for thread measurement are:
1. Weight
2. Tex
3. Denier
4. Number
5. Composition
 
1. Weight
This is the most common method in the U.S. and is intended for natural fibers such as cotton and silk although synthetic fibers such as polyester and rayon have adopted this system. The higher the number, the finer the thread.
2. Tex
Weight in grams of 1,000 meters of thread. If 1,000 meters weighs 25 grams, it is a
Tex 25. Larger numbers indicate heavier thread.
3. Denier
This method is intended for synthetic fibers. Denier is the weight in grams of 9,000 meters of thread. If 9,000 meters weighs 120 grams, it is a 120-denier thread. Most embroidery threads are 120d/2, which means two strands of 120-denier thread twisted together making 240 denier total. Larger numbers indicate heavier thread.
4. Number
The Number standard is used on many threads and is written as No. 50 (or #50) or No. 100 (or #100). Some confuse this with a Weight measurement and incorrectly suppose a No. 100 thread is a 100 weight thread. The Number standard was developed in Japan and is known
as the Gunze Count system. The smaller the number, the heavier the thread.
5. Composition Standard
This standard was developed for cotton thread but has also been adopted for polyester threads. A cotton thread and a polyester thread with identical Composition numbers will be similar, but not exactly the same size. For exactness, it is always necessary to compare cotton to cotton and poly to poly. The Composition standard uses numbers like 30/3 and 50/2. The first number represents the same number used in the Number Standard. The second number represents the number of plies of thread twisted together. For example, a 30/3 means the thread is a 3-ply No. 30 thread.
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