Embroidery stitch count chart
A typical left chest logo (3.5 × 2.25 in) has about 4,200 stitches and a 4 × 4 in design about 8,500. Light lettering comes in around 25% lower and a design filled edge to edge around 25% higher. At 0.4 mm spacing, fill uses about 710 stitches per square inch and satin about 1,548.
Stitch count by design size
Estimated stitches for the design's width × height at 0.4 mm spacing, including underlay. Coverage is how much of that rectangle is stitched.
| Design size | Light (30%) | Medium (55%) | Full (85%) | Sew time* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 × 1 in | 390 | 530 | 680 | 1 min |
| 2 × 2 in | 1,600 | 2,100 | 2,700 | 3 min |
| 3 × 3 in | 3,500 | 4,800 | 6,100 | 7 min |
| Left chest, 3.5 × 2.25 in | 3,100 | 4,200 | 5,300 | 6 min |
| 4 × 4 in | 6,200 | 8,500 | 11,000 | 13 min |
| 5 × 5 in | 9,700 | 13,000 | 17,000 | 20 min |
| 5 × 7 in | 13,500 | 18,500 | 23,500 | 28 min |
| 6 × 6 in | 14,000 | 19,000 | 24,500 | 29 min |
| 8 × 8 in | 25,000 | 34,000 | 43,000 | 52 min |
| 8 × 10 in | 31,000 | 42,500 | 54,000 | 1 h 5 min |
| 10 × 10 in | 39,000 | 53,000 | 67,500 | 1 h 22 min |
| 12 × 12 in | 56,000 | 76,000 | 97,000 | 1 h 57 min |
- Light: Lettering, outlines and open line art.
- Medium: A typical logo with fills and lettering.
- Full: Patches and designs filled edge to edge.
*Medium coverage at 650 stitches per minute, sewing only; color changes and trims add a few minutes.
Stitches per square inch
Per square inch of stitched area at common row spacings. Tighter spacing means more stitches, more thread and a stiffer result.
| Row spacing | Lines per inch | Fill / in² | Satin / in² | Fill / cm² |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.35 mm | 72.6 | 811 | 1,770 | 126 |
| 0.4 mm (standard) | 63.5 | 710 | 1,548 | 110 |
| 0.45 mm | 56.4 | 631 | 1,376 | 98 |
| 0.5 mm | 50.8 | 568 | 1,239 | 88 |
Convert any spacing with the stitch density calculator.
Sew time and thread by stitch count
Sewing time at common machine speeds and thread use at about 4.5 m of top thread per 1,000 stitches, with bobbin at about 35% of that.
| Stitches | 400 spm | 650 spm | 850 spm | 1,000 spm | Top thread | Bobbin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,000 | 8 min | 5 min | 4 min | 3 min | 14 m | 5 m |
| 5,000 | 13 min | 8 min | 6 min | 5 min | 23 m | 8 m |
| 8,000 | 20 min | 12 min | 9 min | 8 min | 36 m | 13 m |
| 10,000 | 25 min | 15 min | 12 min | 10 min | 45 m | 16 m |
| 15,000 | 38 min | 23 min | 18 min | 15 min | 68 m | 24 m |
| 20,000 | 50 min | 31 min | 24 min | 20 min | 90 m | 31 m |
| 30,000 | 1 h 15 min | 46 min | 35 min | 30 min | 135 m | 47 m |
| 50,000 | 2 h 5 min | 1 h 17 min | 59 min | 50 min | 225 m | 79 m |
- 400 spm: Slow, for metallic thread or caps.
- 650 spm: Typical home machine.
- 850 spm: Fast home or single-needle.
- 1,000 spm: Multi-needle commercial.
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Stitch counts of real designs
52 designs from the free library, digitized with this tool. Per square inch is over the whole design rectangle, gaps included.
| Design | Size (mm) | Stitches | Per in² | Colors | Sew time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Anchor | 79 × 94.4 | 2,853 | 247 | 1 | 4 min |
 Love birds | 94.8 × 43.8 | 2,937 | 456 | 8 | 8 min |
 Tulip bouquet | 63.6 × 95 | 3,388 | 362 | 5 | 7 min |
 Give thanks | 95.4 × 35 | 4,440 | 858 | 4 | 8 min |
 XOXO | 95.2 × 58 | 4,498 | 526 | 3 | 8 min |
 Christmas tree | 68 × 94.2 | 4,684 | 472 | 5 | 10 min |
 Gingerbread man | 64.8 × 95.2 | 4,943 | 517 | 5 | 10 min |
 Palm tree | 67.8 × 94.6 | 4,949 | 498 | 5 | 10 min |
 Holly sprig | 93.8 × 76.2 | 5,010 | 452 | 5 | 10 min |
 Paw print | 85 × 95 | 5,160 | 412 | 2 | 8 min |
 Sunflower | 58 × 95.2 | 5,162 | 603 | 5 | 12 min |
 Hot air balloon | 95.2 × 86.6 | 5,218 | 408 | 6 | 10 min |
 Reindeer | 77.6 × 94.6 | 5,483 | 482 | 5 | 10 min |
 Home sweet home | 95.2 × 69.4 | 5,657 | 552 | 5 | 10 min |
 Fox | 67.4 × 94.6 | 5,801 | 587 | 5 | 11 min |
 Coffee mug | 93.8 × 95 | 6,056 | 438 | 4 | 10 min |
 Rose | 53.4 × 95 | 6,069 | 772 | 4 | 11 min |
 Whale | 95 × 87.4 | 6,274 | 488 | 4 | 12 min |
 Sleepy moon | 88.8 × 95.2 | 6,338 | 484 | 6 | 12 min |
 Bat and moon | 94.6 × 80.6 | 6,499 | 550 | 2 | 10 min |
 Rainbow | 95.2 × 54.2 | 6,550 | 819 | 7 | 12 min |
 Ghost | 55.4 × 95.4 | 6,851 | 836 | 4 | 12 min |
 Snowman | 58.4 × 95.2 | 6,857 | 796 | 6 | 13 min |
 Snowflake | 83.8 × 95 | 6,868 | 557 | 2 | 11 min |
 Baby carriage | 95 × 88.6 | 6,961 | 534 | 6 | 12 min |
 Sailboat | 94.6 × 94.6 | 7,029 | 507 | 6 | 12 min |
 Chick | 59.8 × 95.2 | 7,132 | 808 | 7 | 13 min |
 Football | 95.2 × 50.1 | 7,237 | 979 | 3 | 12 min |
 Candy cane | 64.8 × 95.2 | 7,286 | 762 | 3 | 13 min |
 Mushrooms | 95 × 84.6 | 7,312 | 587 | 5 | 14 min |
 WOOF dog bone | 95.2 × 51.2 | 7,321 | 969 | 3 | 13 min |
 Mitten | 71.4 × 95.2 | 7,339 | 697 | 3 | 12 min |
 Lemons | 77.2 × 95.2 | 7,409 | 650 | 6 | 13 min |
 Witch hat | 95.2 × 81.4 | 7,537 | 627 | 4 | 13 min |
 Puppy | 94 × 72.4 | 7,768 | 736 | 6 | 14 min |
 Baby bodysuit | 89 × 95.2 | 7,934 | 604 | 4 | 13 min |
 Bunny | 47.4 × 95.2 | 8,128 | 1,162 | 5 | 15 min |
 Cat face | 66.2 × 94.8 | 8,335 | 857 | 8 | 17 min |
 Maple leaf | 89.6 × 94.6 | 8,360 | 636 | 4 | 14 min |
 Bumblebee | 94.6 × 86.6 | 8,608 | 678 | 5 | 15 min |
 Butterfly | 95.2 × 81 | 8,616 | 721 | 6 | 15 min |
 Soccer ball | 95.2 × 94 | 9,611 | 693 | 2 | 15 min |
 Easter egg | 78.6 × 95.2 | 9,743 | 840 | 6 | 17 min |
 Acorn | 82.2 × 94.6 | 10,001 | 830 | 6 | 18 min |
 Pumpkin | 95.2 × 94 | 10,774 | 777 | 4 | 17 min |
 Fishbowl | 92.6 × 95.2 | 11,726 | 858 | 7 | 21 min |
 Baseball | 95.2 × 95.2 | 12,268 | 873 | 3 | 19 min |
 LOVE heart | 95.2 × 92.6 | 12,527 | 917 | 4 | 20 min |
 Teddy bear | 70 × 95.2 | 12,547 | 1,215 | 6 | 22 min |
 Basketball | 95.2 × 95.2 | 12,696 | 904 | 2 | 19 min |
 Jack-o'-lantern | 95.2 × 94.2 | 13,934 | 1,002 | 6 | 23 min |
 Seashell | 81.4 × 95.2 | 14,211 | 1,183 | 2 | 21 min |
File size by format
Average size per 1,000 stitches, measured by saving the same 78 designs in each format. PES is larger because it carries a preview and a second copy of the stitches.
Stitch count questions
The quickest way to see what it does with your artwork is to try it. With a free account, digitizing and previewing cost nothing and take about a minute.
How many stitches is a left chest logo?
Usually 3,000 to 8,000. With this digitizer a 3.5 × 2.25 in logo with fills and lettering is around 4,000–5,000 stitches; dense, fully filled logos run higher.
How many stitches per square inch is embroidery?
It depends on the stitch type. At the common 0.4 mm spacing, fill is about 700 stitches per square inch of stitched area and satin about 1,500. Across a whole design, including the unstitched gaps, real designs land around 400–1,000 per square inch.
How long does a 10,000 stitch design take?
About 15 minutes of pure sewing at 650 stitches per minute, or 10 minutes at 1,000. Add roughly 20 seconds per color change and 5 seconds per trim.
How much thread does embroidery use?
A common rule of thumb is about 4.5 m of top thread per 1,000 stitches, plus about a third of that in bobbin thread. A 10,000 stitch design uses about 45 m of top thread.
Why do embroiderers price by stitch count?
Stitches drive machine time and thread, so many shops charge per 1,000 stitches. The pricing calculator turns a stitch count into a price per piece.
How do I get the exact stitch count of my design?
Open the file in the free embroidery file viewer, or upload your artwork to the digitizer: it shows the stitch count, colors and sew time before you download.
Know the stitch count before you sew
Sign up free, upload your artwork and see the exact stitch count, colors and sew time, then download the file for your machine.