Sewing Thread Construction

Which sewing thread construction is right for your specific thread requirements? Learn more about polyester textured yarn, polyester filament yarn and more.

Sewing threads can make or break a sewn item. The design and fabric of the item may be of great quality, but if the quality of the thread does not match up, the item will not be as durable as it could have been. It’s therefore important to understand which properties and qualities are right for your specific sewing requirements.

Sewing thread can be classified according to:

Substrate
Construction
Finish

Thread classification based on substrate

Threads are divided into two major classifications based on substrate:

1. Synthetic
2. Natural

And under these two categories several other classifications exist:

Sewing Thread
Synthetic				Natural
Staple spun		Filament yarn		Soft	Mercerised	Glazed
Pure/blended	Core Spun	Textured multi filament	Flat multi filament

Natural

The usage of thread made from natural substrates, like cotton, is now minimal in the industry, due to the fact that synthetic materials offer greater strength and abrasion resistance. Today cotton sewing threads are used mainly for over-dyed cotton apparel.

Many threads are a blend between synthetic materials like polyester, and cotton. A good example: Liberty PARKGATE core spun cotton polyester sewing thread, a heavy duty sewing thread made of a high tenacity polyester core with a cotton cover. It’s used in shoes, luggage, leather products, upholstery, military equipment, outdoor equipment, etc.

LIFECYCLE Cotton in the AMANN Embroidery Thread range is cotton spun yarn made from recycled cotton. It’s the ideal choice where sustainability is important. It’s also softer, making it ideal for children’s clothing and bedding.

H3: Synthetic

Threads made from synthetic fibres, like polyester textured yarn, or polyester filament yarn, have more desirable properties than cotton:

Exceptionally high tenacity
High resistance to abrasion
Good resistance to chemicals
Resistance to by moisture, rot, mildew, insects and bacteria

These qualities make synthetic threads ideal for heavy-duty industrial and outdoor uses. Our Specialised Sewing Thread, like AMANN techX Industrial Sewing Thread, and MADEIRA Specialised Embroidery Thread are great examples.

Thread classification based on construction

1. Spun thread
Corespun	Spun polyester
Corespun threads (“pcore” / “polycore” / “cottoncore”) are made by wrapping a staple polyester or cotton wrapper around a continuous filament bundle of polyester fibers during the spinning process. These yarns are then plied together into a sewing thread, which normally consists of more or less 60% of the continuous filament polyester core. Core threads have a fibrous surface giving them excellent lubricity characteristics.	Spun Polyester threads (“PP” / “PP Spun”) are made by spinning 100% polyester staple fibres into yarns and then plying them together into a sewing thread, normally in two or three ply constructions.
2.Monofilament thread Monofilament thread is made from a single continuous fibre with a specified thickness. Monofilament thread is strong, uniform and inexpensive. It’s ideal for stitching on hems, upholstered items or décor items, rather than clothing, due to it’s rough texture.
3.Smooth multifilament thread Smooth multifilament threads, like A&E ANEFIL® , are usually manufactured from nylon or polyester. Thishigh tenacity yarn is constructed from two or more continuous filaments twisted together and is ideal where high strength is important, like inshoes, leather garments and industrial products.
4.Textured filament thread Polyester textured yarn, like ISA TEXLIGHT in the AMANN E mbroidery Thread range, provides more cover and high extensibility. These threads are made from continuous filaments of polyester or nylon and are mainly used as the looper thread to cover stitches / overedeging. ACAFIL textured bulk nylon yarn is also used as under thread for cover seam machines.
5.Continuous filament thread Continuouspolyester filament yarn,such as SERAFIL in the AMANN Embroidery Thread range, offers reliable sewing performance with perfect stitch formation and outstanding strength and resistance. SERAFIL is ideal for closing and decorative seams and heavy fabric applications

Thread classification based on finish

With today’s high-speed sewing line operations the performance of thread in the manufacturing business has become extremely crucial. Thread technology has evolved greatly in the past few years, not only to meet rigorous safety requirements in various industries, but also to provide optimal performance during the sewing process.

There are a vast range of finishes for synthetic threads like polyester textured yarn and polyester filament yarn, depending on the property required for the thread. Where Industrial Specialised Sewing Thread may need properties like heat and chemical resistance, thread that is used to stitch outdoor equipment, may need UV resistance, like A&E SunStop® .

High tenacity yarn is also treated, or lubricated, with mixtures of wax, emulsions with synthetic resins, or silicon based products to increase sewability, to add resistance to heat build-up of moving machine parts and to add smoothness to the thread for less friction. ACA Threads’ entire range of Apparel / Décor Sewing Thread , Specialised Sewing Thread and Embroidery Thread is lubricated for better performance during production and wear.

If you have any questions about any of our threads, feel free to contact us for assistance.