How to use this calculator
- Enter or choose stitch count per design.
- Enter or choose top thread per 1,000 stitches.
- Enter or choose bobbin thread as % of top thread.
- Enter or choose pieces to embroider.
- Enter or choose wastage allowance.
- The top thread for the order updates as you type. Use Copy result or Share to keep it.
Method
Top per piece = Stitches ÷ 1,000 × Factor; Bobbin = Top × Bobbin%; Order = Per piece × Pieces × (1 + Wastage%); Cones = ⌈Top order ÷ Cone length⌉
- Factor
- metres of top thread per 1,000 stitches on your machines
- Bobbin%
- bobbin thread as a share of top thread
Worked example
- Top thread per piece = 12,000 ÷ 1,000 × 5 = 60 m.
- Bobbin per piece = 60 × 33% = 19.8 m.
- Order top thread = 60 × 500 × 1.1 = 33,000 m.
- Cones = 33,000 ÷ 5,000 = 6.6, so 7 cones.
A 12,000-stitch design on 500 pieces needs about 33,000 m of top thread, 7 cones of 5,000 m.
What the result means
Multi-colour designs need the calculation per colour, using each colour’s stitch count, since each colour comes from its own cones.
Assumptions and limits
- The thread factor is constant across the design.
- Satin, fill and running stitches use different thread per stitch; a single factor is an average.
Questions
How do I find my thread factor?
Weigh or measure a cone before and after a known run of stitches and divide the metres used by thousands of stitches.
Why is bobbin thread less than top thread?
Top thread tension pulls the top thread to the back, so more top thread is used per stitch than bobbin thread.