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Modern Needle Systems

Today’s modern household sewing machines almost all use a single needle system:

• 705/130H
• HAx1
• 15×1

The above needle designations all refer to this common type. If you have a modern machine, you can probably stop here, breathe a sigh of relief and start shopping between a wide variety of needle options.

Vintage & Antique Household Machine Needle Systems

206×13

Singer’s “Swing Needle” Sewing Machines all use the 206×13 Needle system from the factory. If you have a Singer Model 206, 306, 319, & 320 then this is your system. The 206×13 differs from the 15×1 by a very small amount. The tip of this needle to the eye is very short which results in a lot of bobbin case damage if you try using the longer 15×1 needle in these machines as is. There are a lot of “upgrades” out there for these machines, but this isn’t the place to discuss that.

20×1

Staying with home sewing machines, but moving back a few decades you will find a lot of machines using the 20×1 system. The majority of these machines will be shuttle bobbin treadle machines. The 20×1 needle is around 4mm longer than the 15×1, so the simple answer here is to just not install the 15×1 needle into this machine all the way. There is a lot of info out there about doing this and even some tricks to easily get this right every time for those of you who want to use these machines on a regular basis.

24×1

The 24×1 is a very short needle in comparison to today’s standard 15×1 size. It is the go to for the Singer Model 24, the Sew Handy, and more. There really is no easy substitute for this machine that we are aware of.

38Y1

The last popular size we will cover here is the 38Y1 needle system. These are also known as 40F1& CC1221. Like the 206×13 these needles are shorter than the 15×1, but no they aren’t the same. We have heard of people grinding the 15×1 shank down on the butt side to shorten them to work in the Rotary sewing machines that originally used these needles, but we’ve not done it ourselves. We have a few NOS versions of this needle left if you need a size reference to try out this trick.

Serger & Coverstitch Machine Needle Systems

There was probably a time when Serger Needle Fitment made sense. If that was the case, then that time has come and gone. There really isn’t any easy way to trace who made which serger for who at this point so our best advice to finding the needle that you need is:

• Read the Serger. A larger number of sergers actually have a sticker on them telling you exactly which needle they take. This is by far the easiest and most accurate information you can find.
• Read the instruction book. This will be a close second to looking for the sticker on the machine. The only downside to this is if the machine was updated faster than the instruction book, or if the book doesn’t exactly match your machine which can happen to the second hand purchasers.
• Check our fitment guide below. We have done our best to list what machine uses which needle, but my friend Pinocchio taught me better than to promise that we have verified each and every one of these first hand.

Singer Needle Systems

Singer Machine Needles:

• Universal (Style 2020) needles are used for all woven fabrics. This needle will penetrate the fabric threads of woven fabrics.
• Ball Point (Style 2045) needles are used for sewing on knits; the rounded tip allows the needle to pass between the fabric threads by separating them. (Using a regular point needle on knit fabric will result in skipped stitches and fabric damage, causing it to curl.)
• Chromium Regular Point (Style 2000) needles are recommended for sewing woven fabrics on all SINGER® and QUANTUM® embroidery machines. This stronger needle is longer lasting and will tolerate the high stitching speed of embroidery machines.
• Chromium Ball Point (Style 2001) needles are recommended for sewing knit fabrics on all SINGER® and QUANTUM® embroidery machines. This stronger needle is longer lasting and will tolerate the high stitching speed of embroidery machines.
• Denim or Jeans (Style 2026) needles are recommended for sewing denim, jeans, and canvas.
• Twin Needle (Style 2025) is used for stitching two closely spaced parallel rows at a time – for decorative stitching.
• Hemstitch or Wing-Needle (Style 2040) creates a small hole in the fabric as is sews and is used in heirloom sewing. Use natural woven fibers like linen & cotton for best results.
• Leather (Style 2032) needles are used for leather and vinyl.

Serger/Overlock Machine Needles

• Universal (Style 2054-42) serger needles are used for all woven fabrics. This needle will penetrate the fabric threads of woven fabrics. For use on SINGER® model 14U serger/overlock machines.
• Ball Point (Style 2054-06) serger needles are used for sewing on knits; the rounded tip allows the needle to pass between the fabric threads by dividing the hem. (Using a regular point needle on knit fabric will result in skipped stitches and fabric damage, causing it to curl.) For use SINGER® model 14U serger/overlock machines.
• Chromium (Style 2022) serger needles are recommended for SINGER® model QUANTUMLOCK® 14T and ULTRALOCK® 14SH serger/overlock machines.

Industrial, Commercial, and Other Needle Systems

We are nowhere near the end of the needle types offered since the invention of the sewing machine but we are running out of the popular ones.

For Industrial and Commercial needle systems, our best advice is to check with the manufacturer of your machine to find the needle system.

If your machine isn’t listed or you aren’t having any luck, contact us and we will see what we can find. The least we can do is point you in the right direction. ISMACS Needle List is probably the best direction we can confidently send you in. Good luck in your search!

Deciding Needle Size

Household sewing machine needles are available in range of sizes. They are measured in one of two ways Metric or Imperial. Metric starts at size 55 and this is equal to an imperial 7. The metric size is derived by measuring the diameter of the needle in hundredths of a millimeter just above the scarf of the needle. The smaller the number, the smaller the needle.

The general rule of thumb is that your thread diameter should be about 40% of the needle size. The reason for this is so the thread fits properly into the long grove on the needle. If the needle is too small for your thread, the thread will not fit into this groove, and it will cause faulty stitches.

An easy home check is to perform a drop test. Thread your needle and drop it down a length of thread. If it drops straight down without resistance it is too large for the thread. If it doesn’t move it is too small. If it spirals down with a little bit of drag than it is just right.

It should go without saying, but the needle must also be in perfect condition. A lot of problems can occur from using a damaged needle.

Needle Size Reference Chart

Household sewing machine needles are available in range of sizes. They are measured in one of two ways Metric or Imperial. Metric starts at size 55 and this is equal to an imperial 7. The metric size is derived by measuring the diameter of the needle in hundredths of a millimeter just above the scarf of the needle. The smaller the number, the smaller the needle.

Needle Type Overview

Making the right choice when matching your needle and thread to the fabric you plan to use is one of the most important parts to having a great outcome. This overview provides the options available for certain machines and uses.

• Universal needles are used for most woven fabrics, some knit, and some synthetics.
• Ball Point needles are used for most knit fabrics.
• Jeans/Denim needles are used for denim, canvas, and other tightly woven fabrics.
• Embroidery needles are used when embroidering with rayon, polyester, cotton, or acrylic embroidery thread.
• Anti Glue/Non Stick needles are used when working with adhesive sprays and backings.
• Leather needles are used for leather and some difficult fabrics.
• Metallic needles are used when working with metallic threads.
• Quilting needles are used for piecing and quilting cotton fabric or batting.
• Sharps, Microtex, and Silk needles are used for silk, microfiber, and tightly woven fabric.
• Stretch needles are used for most two-way stretch knit fabrics.
• Top Stitch needles are used when working with thick topstitching thread.
• Hem Stitch needles are used for heirloom-style decorative hemstitches.
• Twin Needles are used for heirloom sewing and decorative topstitching.
• High Speed needles are used on high speed professional sewing machines.
• Double Eye needles are used when creating decorative shading and textured effects.
• Spring Needles are used for free hand machine embroidery.
• Serger and Coverstitch needles are used for serger and coverstitch machines.