Sewing Machine Needles: Types Chart

Sewing machine needles come in a variety of types. You should always make your needle selection based on the type of fabric, and the weight and type of thread you are using

Ball Point Needle
Made especially for sewing on knits, its unique point does not damage or break knitted fibers.

Denim Needle
For jeans and similar densely woven materials.

Double Needle
Two needles mounted on a crossbar with a single shaft. Can be used with zig zag sewing machines that thread front to back. Sews two rows of stitching at the same time.

Hemstitch Needle
Sometimes called a Wing Needle, it is used to create decorative openwork or cut-work on tightly woven fabrics. The needle is very sharp and is made to cut the fabric.

Leather Needle
Has a slightly sharp cutting point suitable for leather and heavy non-woven synthetics.

Machine Embroidery Needle For use with rayon and other specialty machine embroidery threads. The needle has a special scarf, long smooth groove, and large eye which helps to protect these more fragile type threads and guards against excess friction.

Metallica Needle
For use with metallic threads. It has a double sized, polished, and Teflon coated eye to assist with smooth flow of thread. The large eye helps to make threading easier, and also helps to prevent shredding and breaking when using metallic threads.

Quilting Needle
Made especially for piecing and machine quilting. The thin tapered design of these needles allows them to pass through many layers smoothly, which helps to eliminate skipped stitches.

Sharp Needle
A very slim needle with a thin shaft that helps make very straight stitches. The point is very sharp and because of this, is more fragile and needs to be changed regularly. Good for piecing high thread count fabrics like batiks, silks, and microfibers. It is also used for beautiful topstitching or edge stitching.

Stretch Needle
Made especially for synthetic suede or highly elastic synthetic knit wear. This needle has a medium ball point to help prevent skipped stitches.

Topstitch Needle
Has an extra large eye and large grooves to accommodate topstitch thread. This needle helps stitch perfectly straight lines and even stitches.

Universal Needle
A general purpose needle that can be used on knit or woven fabrics. It has a long scarf so it does not damage knits. It has a slight ball point which makes it unsuitable for stitching multiple layers or for use with high thread count fabrics.

Sewing Machine Needles
Sewing Machine Needles: Introduction
Sewing Machine Needles: Parts Chart
Sewing Machine Needles: Sizing Chart
Sewing Machine Needles: Types Chart