Information about Groz-Beckert Machine Sewing Needles
Needle Buying Guide
Needle Selections |
Needle Buying Guide Our needle guide focuses on four things--needle systems, points, sizes, and premium features. Systems define which machines can use a needle; points let you sew different kinds of materials, sizes determine hole sizes and thread sizes, and premium features are upgrades for specific sewing tasks. There are over 2,300 different Groz-Beckert needles and we sell all of them. Finding your needle is easy. Enter a needle system in the search box at the top and we will take you to your needle. Use the Groz-Beckert system or a competitor's system. Everything is cross-referenced. Use our Groz-Beckert Publications Library for in depth needle information. We have over twenty brochures online. Needle Systems Every machine is designed to work with specific types of needles called Needle Systems. Needle buying starts with knowing which needle system works with your machine. Get this from your machine's manual or dealer, or the needle's packaging. Finding the Right Needle System Our Sewing Machine Needle Use Guide lists needle systems for over 2,500 sewing machine models from over 25 manufacturers. Manufacturers use different codes to refer to the same needle system. We simplify this by cross-referencing these codes for our search box. For example, entering 15x1 or HAx1 gets the same results. The industry is also inconsistent in the way it formats needle system codes. For example, 15x1 is sometimes entered as 15 x 1. We use Groz-Beckert's exact needle system formatting and allow for common formatting variations in our searches. Example ![]() Most Groz-Beckert packages have a 6 digit identifier that begins with 7, and end with 2. This may be helpful if you already have a pack of Groz-Beckert needles, and you need more. Example ![]() Reading Labels ![]() Home Sewing Needles Almost all sewing machines designed for home (or domestic) use take the same flat shank needle system. It is called 130/705, HAx1, or 15x1 depending on the manufacturer. This system works with home sewing machines made by Bernina, Brother, Elna, Husqvarna, Janome, Juki, Melco, Necchi, Baby Lock, New Home, Pfaff, Poem, Riccar, Simplicity, Singer, Viking, and White. Needle Points Most needle systems have needles with several kinds of points. The "right" point depends on the material you are sewing and the way you want stitches to look. Needle points are divided into two groups: Cloth and Vinyl Points Cloth points make round holes by pushing through fabrics. The R point also known as a Universal Round Point is the most common, and is also used for soft clothing leather. There are many other points that may be better suited to get the desired look.
Leather Points Leather points cut holes in leather, synthetics and cardboard that are more noticeable. Leather needles come in wedge and triangular points that affect stitch appearance. Universal round point (R point) needles are often used in soft clothing leather. Although vinyl is often closely related to leather, R point needles are recommended.
A needle's size refers to the thickness of the needle's blade. We show each metric and U.S. (Singer) sizes for all needles. A larger size number means:
Premium Needles Some Groz-Beckert needles have premium features that improve their performance. They cost more, but the difference is worth it. GEBEDUR--Titanium nitride coated needles that are twice as hard as chromium and last longer. This cuts down time for needle changes, reduces skipped stitches and thread breakage, and results in less material damage. GEBEDUR needles correspond to other manufacturers PD and TN designations. See GEBEDUR Needles a Revolution In Gold for more information. MR and SAN 11 - Multi range needles have a special blade and scarf shape that makes it extremely resistant to bending. This reduces costs by having fewer skipped stitches and thread breakage, allowing extremely tight adjustment of hook to needle, and reducing fabric damage. See The Special Application Needle MR, and MR and Loop Control Needles for Long Arm Quilting Machines for more information. SAN 1 and Embroidery - Needles designed for single head and multi head embroidery. See Needles for Single and Multi Head Embroidery for more information SAN 5 - Needles designed for technical textiles used in areas such as agriculture, building, clothing, and automotive. They give improved stability, fewer skipped stitches, and more uniform seams. See Special Application Needle San 5 for more information. SAN 6 - These needles are designed for sewing jeans and other thick materials at high speeds. Their special shape reduces needle deflection. See Special Application SAN 6 for more information. SAN 10 and SAN 10 XS - These needles are designed for fabrics that are easily damaged such as fine knits, very delicate fabrics, textured yarns and elastic yarns. Use the SAN 10 XS needles for extremely delicate materials. See The Right Needle for more information. SAN 12 - Needles designed for sewing uniform looking 2-needle decorative seams on leather such as automobile upholstery. The come with LR points for slanted stitches and S points for straight stitches. See Special Application Needle LR - SAN 12 for more information Note - Groz-Beckert SAN needles are called SERV and NY2 needles by other manufacturers Important Notes - System Specific There are occasionally instances where the needle point, needle size, or both affect the needle system designation. Here are the most common exceptions that occur with some of the following needle systems: DBx1 The DBx1 needle system has a shank diameter of 1.63 mm up to size 110/18. DBx1 needle sizes above 110/18 have larger shank diameter at 2.00 mm and become system 134. In order to continue with the 1.63 mm shank diameter in the larger needle sizes, you will need to change the system to a 1738A.. 135x16 and 135x17 135x16 and 135x17 needle systems are interchangeable. 135x16 are leather point needles, and 135x17 are cloth point needles. |