Starting with the right materials for the job is the key to the quality, beauty and durability of a product, industry sewing thread plays a very important role in the success or failure of a sewing project. A clear understanding of the filament sewing thread, its quality, and its use has a profound influence on the success of your sewing project. Selecting the right filament sewing thread for your application ensures that you will get the best-performing seams. Outdoor fabrics require filament polyester sewing threads that can stand up to the weather, while indoor fabrics have different performance needs.
Will it come to choosing between nylon and polyester filament sewing thread? Today I’m going to teach you the different components between nylon filament sewing thread and polyester filament sewing thread. While filament nylon and filament polyester sewing thread are both good products, each has its own specific benefits that may make you go with one over the other.
Table of Contents
Nylon and Polyester
Nylon and polyester are both synthetic, but nylon production is more expensive, which results in a higher price. Nylon also tends to be more durable and weather-resistant, which is why it is more likely to be used in outdoor apparel or gear.
Both nylon and polyester are flame retardant, but nylon is stronger, while polyester is more heat-resistant.
8 Items Comparison of Nylon vs. Polyester
Six characteristics of nylon and polyester
- Cost: Nylon and polyester are both synthetic, but nylon production is more expensive, which results in a higher price.
- Durable: Both nylon and polyester both quite durable and are known to be considerably more lightweight. The construction of both, and with their synthetic nature, provides for the end-user great wrinkle resistance and easy care.
- Function: Both nylon and polyester are shrink-and-stretch resistant, mildew, and stain resistant.
- Flame Retardant: While both are flame retardant, nylon is stronger, while polyester is more heat-resistant.
- Strength: while nylon may be slightly softer than polyester, it is also much stronger.
- Outdoor: Polyester is much easier to dye, it is abrasion resistant, and faster drying.
Recycling Nylon and Polyester
- Nylon is harder to recycle than polyester. Recycling nylon is expensive and resource-intensive. Until recently, recycled nylon fabrics were rare.
Recycled nylon is usually made from pre-consumer recycled materials. Pre-consumer means that recycled nylons are made from factory waste, not trash that you put in the recycling bin. - Polyester is easy and efficient to recycle. Recycled polyester can be made from post-consumer recycled materials like water bottles. As a result, a robust infrastructure exists to turn trash into premium, high-performance fabrics for bags, shoes, and clothing.
Using recycled polyesters helps us limit our dependence on raw petroleum, reduce the trash in landfills, and cut down on toxic emissions created by the trash disposal process.
Read More: Guide to The Best Thread for Sewing Machine
Polyester Filament Sewing Thread
Continuous Filament Polyester Thread(CF Polyester Thread) is made from pre-stabilized high-tenacity continuous filament polyester, it is a high-tenacity lubricated continuous fiber sewing thread. CF polyester thread is easily sewn and has good seams. Polyester Filament Thread has high UV resistance properties making it an excellent thread for outdoor use.
Bonded Polyester Thread
The CF Polyester Thread is coated with resin (polyester or polyurethane). After application, the resin is cured and dried which has the effect of holding the plies together. The application of the bonding agents also reduces the abrasion on the thread during the sewing operation.
Read More: Best CF Polyester Flinament Thread for Sewing Machine
Top 6 Benefits
- Superior abrasion resistance, seam durability, and excellent chemical and mildew resistance.
- High tenacity reducing thread breakage and thread replacement during sewing.
- Excellent seam elasticity and coverage improve productivity
- Excellent softness in sewn garments, superior low friction lubrication which reduces the effects of needle heat and abrasion
- Low elongation & high modulus result in very regular & neat seams, has good stable sewing performance on automatic sewing machines that is.
- High strength contributes to more durable sewing
Applications of CF Polyester Thread
CF Polyester Thread works well for most projects. It is known for its strength, durability, low shrinkage, and low stretch. Polyester filament thread has a high resistance to sunlight and moisture, providing you with a smooth texture surface and colorfastness. High-sheen filament polyester thread can use for machine embroidery projects, the high-sheen finish will give the products a rich appeal and style.
Nylon Filament Sewing Thread
Nylon sewing thread is one of many types of thread that are available for use with home sewing machines, as well as in industrial sewing thread applications. It is a synthetic thread(polyester threads are synthetic as well), and nylon industrial sewing thread has a high strength-to-size ratio. Nylon sewing thread is also known for its flexibility and stretch, this is important because a sewn seam should be stronger than the material that is being sewn in order to ensure the durability of the finished product.
The high tensile strength and added elasticity of nylon sewing threads are also ideal for upholstery and heavy-duty sewing applications. While nylon thread is a great general-purpose thread, we do not recommend it for outdoor applications. Nylon does not have the UV resistance of polyester thread and will not last as long outside.
Bonded Nylon Thread
The CF Nylon Thread is coated with resin (polyurethane), after the resin is cured and dried which has the effect of holding the plies together, bonding protects the fibers from heat during sewing and from abrasion once sewn. Bonded nylon thread for more demanding sewing applications: bonding protects the fibers from heat during sewing and from abrasion once sewn, it is designed for high-performance sewing of heavy or abrasive materials, such as those that will be used in applications where abrasion resistance.
9 Benefits of CF Nylon Thread
Nylon thread has large elongation and good elasticity, and the tensile length at the moment of breaking is three times longer than the cotton thread of the same specification. Nylon thread is known for it strength, flexibility and stretch. It is also resistant to chemicals, abrasion and sunlight.
- Very high suppleness
- High heat resistance during sewing
- Used for multi-directional sewing
- Very smooth high-speed sewing operation
- Low shrinkage
- High color fastness
- Excellent abrasion resistance
- Seam stretch recovery
- Extremely robust bonded(bonded thread)
Applications of Nylon Filament Sewing Thread
Nylon sewing thread is economical, exceptionally strong, abrasion resistant, and easy to use. It is excellent for sewing fabrics, heavy-duty clothing, curtains, upholstery, leather, canvas, and vinyl.
- Nylon thread is used where strength is important, such as in activewear, handbags, shoes, leather goods, and upholstery. Always keep your fabric type and weight in mind when choosing thread. This is the key to securely sewing your project.
- Sewing a dance costume, bathing suit, or other items made out of spandex and Lycra, consider using a nylon thread.
- Nylon sewing thread is normally heat set with intense strength, stretch, and memory. It is also great for rolled hems and edges, knits, and lingerie. Translucent or transparent nylon thread generally comes in clear and smoke.
- The soft, fine nylon sewing thread blends well and is an excellent choice for topstitching quilts. It also works well for securing decorative stitches, overlock stitching, appliques, and hemming garments.
- The nylon thread type has a little stretch. When sewing upholstery, drapery, luggage, wallets, plastics, tarpaulin, or vinyl, try working with a high-quality bonded nylon thread.
Read More: How to Choose Nylon Sewing Thread
Seven differences between polyester and nylon sewing thread
- Strength: Nylon sewing thread has a higher strength-to-linear density ratio (Tenacity) than Polyester.
- Anti-UV: Under of UV rays, Nylon will break down and start to degrade much faster than Polyester.
- Elastic and Abrasion Resistance: Nylon has better elastic and abrasion resistance properties than polyester.
- Moisture: Nylon tends to moisture than polyester (moisture regain for nylon is ~4% vs ~0.4% for polyester) and when wet will stretch approx.
- Recycle: Nylon is more difficult to recycle than polyester.
- Stain Resistant: Polyester fiber is naturally stain resistant.
- Cost: The cost of multifilament nylon is significantly more expensive than the equivalent denier in polyester.
Works Cited: Choosing Between Nylon and Polyester Thread