Best Embroidery Machine Thread: Top Brands for Spools, Kits and Bobbins

Our verdict

Top Picks

Embroidery machine thread is not sewing thread. It is a smooth 40 wt polyester or rayon made to fill designs on top, run with a finer bobbin thread underneath. BERNINA notes that purchased designs “are mostly created for ‘normal’ embroidery threads of strength 40”. Below are seven top threads and three bobbin threads, each spec credited to its source.

Price tier legend: $ = entry level, $$ = mid-range, $$$ = premium, per item as sold (a spool, a kit or a bobbin pack) and relative to the products in this guide, not per yard.

Compare the picks

Compare the embroidery threads

Each row is the exact item we link; “not stated” means neither the maker pages we read nor the listing gives one.

How We Chose These Embroidery Threads

What decided the picks

• Made for machine embroidery: 40 wt polyester or rayon on top, 60 wt bobbin thread.
• Thread weight, fibre, spool length and colour count: from the makers (Madeira, Sulky, Simthread, New Brothread, Brother) or the listing, with the length’s basis; Tex, Isacord’s colour range and its recommended needle sizes (65-90, the only needle sizes we found) from retailer WAWAK (Isacord, Polyneon).
• Colourfast and bleach statements: reported as claims, including OESD’s Isacord fact sheet (OESD sells embroidery designs and supplies).
• Machine and fabric fit: from the makers, BERNINA, Sulky’s rayon and polyester article and owners on named machines.
• Availability: in stock on Amazon, new, on 10 November 2026.

We found no written independent test of any pick (one owner links a YouTube video on several thread brands, which we did not assess), so the reviews rest on owner reports or maker and listing specs.

What machine embroiderers on Reddit report

What machine embroiderers on Reddit report

In an r/Machine_Embroidery thread for a new Brother PE535 owner, Madeira and Isacord were named most often; one commenter rated Madeira “top option by far” and “the most expensive” (line not named). Owners split on the Amazon kit brands (reviews 5-7); as ClassicPreference221 puts it in a Simthread thread, “Every machine is different.”

Detailed Reviews

Isacord 40 Polyester, 1,000 m, Best All-Round Polyester Spool

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/Machine_Embroidery, Candle vs Madeira vs Isacord: Isacord, spool size not stated.

OESD’s fact sheet says Isacord “is colorfast to detergent, chlorine bleach, and light” and suits “both high-speed, commercial machines and domestic machines” (its claims). The listing title says “40W POLY” and WAWAK “trilobal polyester”; the retailer lists Tex 27, needles 65-90 (9-14), “over 300” colours and “work and corporate wear” uses. In an r/Machine_Embroidery thread, FlamingBandAidBox writes, “I exclusively use isacord and I like it. Holds up decently and sews pretty well even at high speed (1200spm)”; OkOffice3806 finds “It stitches out well. But it’s not shiny.” In the PE535 thread, TheMungyScunt counters: “Isacord breaks on my machine too much” (spool size not named by any of them).

Specs (linked: 1,000 m spool, 0015 White)

• Weight: 40 wt (listing title); Tex 27 (WAWAK)
• Length: 1,000 m per spool (listing title)
• Colours: one per spool; over 300 in the line (WAWAK)
• Sold by: United Thread, when we checked on 10 November 2026

Madeira Polyneon 40, 1,000 m, Best Madeira Polyester

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/Machine_Embroidery, Candle vs Madeira vs Isacord: Polyneon, weight and spool not stated.

Madeira calls Polyneon its “100% polyester filament thread”, with Polyneon 40 in “389 single shades, 20 multicolours and 24 fluorescent shades”. Retailer WAWAK calls it “resistant to chlorine bleach” (its claim), names “uniforms, sportswear and commercial linens”, and lists Tex 25 on its 440 yd Polyneon 40 page. In the Candle vs Madeira vs Isacord thread, Hard_Purple4747 writes, “I use Madeira polyneon and their FR line. Love the thread”, and breakmedown54, “We use Madeira Polyneon as often as we can get the colors we want.” Another commenter there, shapeofwonder, says “every maderia I’ve ever had breaks on me” (line not named). Against Isacord (#1), the solid ranges are close (389 Polyneon 40 single shades per Madeira; WAWAK says it stocks 389 Isacord colours). The difference is the line: Madeira also makes Polyneon 60, “for sharp letters”, and a finer 75 (WAWAK’s Isacord page lists 40 wt only), and claims a “superior, long-lasting sheen” for Polyneon 40, while one owner finds Isacord not shiny, though WAWAK describes its “glossy finish”.

Specs (linked: 1,000 m spool, 1801 Super White)

• Weight: 40 wt (listing); Tex 25 (WAWAK, 440 yd line)
• Length: 1,000 m per spool (title); 1,100 yd (listing bullet)
• Colours: one per spool; 433 Polyneon 40 shades per Madeira (389 single, 20 multicolour, 24 fluorescent); its boxed set holds 413 single colours
• Sold by: United Thread, when we checked on 10 November 2026

Sulky Rayon 40 wt, 1,500 yd, Best Rayon for Sheen

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/Machine_Embroidery, new to machine embroidery: Sulky rayon, weight and spool not stated.

Sulky says its 40 wt rayon “has the same luster and soft, warm, natural look as silk” (its claim); the listing says “Colorfast Washable; Dry Cleanable” (its claim). Sulky’s article gives rayon “a slight advantage” on fine fabrics such as batiste, and adds: “If an item will be subjected to chlorine bleach or constant sun exposure, then the Polyester Thread is recommended.” In the PE535 thread, Sande68 writes, “My rayon thread is Sulky.” (weight and spool not named).

Specs (linked: 1,500 yd spool, Bright White)

• Weight: 40 wt, 2-ply (listing)
• Length: 1,500 yd per spool (listing, Sulky)
• Colours: one per spool; line count not stated
• Sold by: VirVentures, when we checked on 10 November 2026

Robison-Anton Super Brite Polyester, 5,500 yd, Best Large Polyester Spool

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/Machine_Embroidery, new to machine embroidery: Robison-Anton, line and size not stated.

The listing gives 40 wt, 120D, 2-ply polyester, 5,500 yd, and claims “Brilliant colors with a silky, lustrous appearance”; it makes no colourfast claim. In the PE535 thread, Sande68 found Robison-Anton “also good”, Thatsstitchedup23 says it runs “somewhere below Madeira, usually as good as Isacord but not always”, and serephita found it “worked better with my Vikings than with my Melco” (line not named by any of them). In another thread, drumocdp avoids its cones because “the shape of the cones make it easy to hang up behind the machine” (line not named).

Specs (linked: 5,500 yd spool, Ultra Brite White)

• Weight: 40 wt, 120D, 2-ply (listing)
• Length: 5,500 yd (listing)
• Colours: one per spool; line count not stated
• Sold by: Fair Services, when we checked on 10 November 2026

Simthread 40 Colors Kit, 40 x 500 m, Best Starter Kit

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/Machine_Embroidery, Is this brand any good?: Simthread, kit not stated.

The listing gives 40 spools of “100% Trilobal Polyester Yarn” at 550 yards (500 m) each, “Compatible with brother color number”, and calls it “An affordable start ready-to-go kit for the beginners and professionals”. It claims the thread “holds up colors in daily use no matter laundering, bleaching, rubbing, washing, perspiration, etc.” In the Simthread thread, PicklePieSlammer writes, “I only use simthread and brothread and have never had any issues in my 15 needle”, and SnooPeanuts6943, “Never had a problem.” ClassicPreference221 went from zero breaks with Floriani and Gutermann to “5+ breaks in the same 30k stitch design using SimThread” on a Brother single-needle machine (their smallest Simthread multi-pack, size not named), and MattyB8123 keeps “having thread breaks too”; the poster’s thread “keeps breaking or tangling”, and workerbee41 finds it “alright on a single needle” but their “multi needle doesn’t like it” (kits not named).

Specs (linked: 40 spools, 40 colours)

• Weight: 40 wt (listing)
• Length: 500 m (550 yd) per spool, 40 spools (listing)
• Colours: 40
• Sold by: Simthread LLC, when we checked on 10 November 2026

New brothread 63 Colors Kit, 63 x 500 m, Best Larger Colour Kit

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/Machine_Embroidery, BroThread from Amazon: New Brothread 60-pack and 80-pack, not this 63-colour kit.

The listing gives 63 spools of 40 wt polyester at 500 m (550 yd) each, a colour chart with Brother numbers, and claims the colours hold up “even when subjected to commercial laundering, bleaching and other harsh chemicals”. In an r/Machine_Embroidery thread on BroThread, iamfrommars81 found a 60-pack “performed almost as well on my Janome 15000 and Bernina 880 as many of mid tier threads I’ve used” but “has not held up as well as Madeira, Floriani or Isacord”; lookn4myangel, with an 80-pack on an SE600, says “everything has come out fine”. Joolz1955’s Brother machine “hated it. It snapped every few seconds”, and another commenter found it “Shreds like no other” (packs not named); r3drocket’s bulk spools and 60-pack broke repeatedly (see #7). Next to the Simthread kit (#5), it adds 23 colours at the premium tier.

Specs (linked: 63 spools, 63 colours)

• Weight: 40 wt (listing)
• Length: 500 m (550 yd) per spool, 63 spools (listing)
• Colours: 63
• Sold by: New Brothread, when we checked on 10 November 2026

New brothread Huge Spool, 5,000 m, White, Best Budget Large Spool

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/Machine_Embroidery, BroThread from Amazon: New Brothread large cones, size not stated.

The listing gives 40 W.T. (120D/2) polyester, 5,000 m (5,500 yd), and says “home based machine users MUST use an upright thread stand/holder”. It suggests 800 stitches per minute and slowing “to around 600 stitches per minute if you meet breaking problem”. New Brothread’s site lists 155+ colours in this size. SloppyFilling uses “the large cones” (size not named) “with little to no issues in my Innovis 1700E and my PE 770 exclusively”; r3drocket’s bulk spools (size not named) on a Janome 500e were “by far the worst thread I have ever tried to use”, with the black breaking “about every minute”; after the bulk spools and a 60-pack they pulled “thready hairballs” from the machine. Next to the Robison-Anton spool (#4), it sits a tier lower; we found no such break report for Robison-Anton, which drew far fewer reports in the threads we read.

Specs (linked: 5,000 m spool, White-001)

• Weight: 40 wt, 120D/2 (listing)
• Length: 5,000 m (5,500 yd) per spool (listing)
• Colours: one per spool; 155+ in this size (New Brothread)
• Sold by: New brothreads, when we checked on 10 November 2026

Brother PWB250 Prewound Bobbins, 10-pack, Best Brother Prewound Bobbins

Evidence: No independent test; maker specs. Source: Brother.

Brother lists “105 Yards of high quality 78/2 polyester bobbin thread per bobbin”, “Bobbin size 11.5, 60 weight”; the listing says 100 yards. The listing warns, “Not all machines accept size 11.5 bobbins and 60 weight bobbin thread”, so check your manual.

Specs (linked: 10 bobbins, White)

• Weight: 60 wt (Brother)
• Length: 105 yd per bobbin (Brother); 100 yd (listing)
• Colours: white
• Sold by: Amazon.com, when we checked on 10 November 2026

Simthread Prewound Bobbins, 25-pack, Best Class 15 Bobbins

Evidence: No independent test; maker specs. Source: Amazon listing.

The listing gives 15 white and 10 black “Size A Class 15 (SA156)” bobbins of 60 wt (70D/2) filament polyester, says they “fit most commercial and home embroidery and sewing machines, like Brother, Babylock, Janome, Juki, Elna, Quantum Futura, Singer” and “do not leave fibers in your bobbin case” (its claims). It gives no yardage per bobbin.

Specs (linked: 25 bobbins, 15 white + 10 black)

• Weight: 60 wt, 70D/2 (listing)
• Length: not stated per bobbin
• Colours: 15 white, 10 black
• Sold by: Simthread LLC, when we checked on 10 November 2026

Simthread Bobbin Fill 60 wt, 2 x 5,500 yd, Best Bobbin Thread Spools

Evidence: No independent test; maker specs. Source: Amazon listing.

The listing gives 60 wt polyester filament (75D/2), 5,500 yd per spool, “Best choice as bottom threads, bobbin fill threads for sewing and embroidery machine” (its claim). Bobbins you wind yourself fit whatever bobbin your machine takes.

Specs (linked: 2 spools, White)

• Weight: 60 wt, 75D/2 (listing)
• Length: 5,500 yd per spool, 2 spools (listing)
• Colours: white
• Sold by: CR INDUSTRY, when we checked on 10 November 2026

Choosing Thread for Your Embroidery Machine

Polyester or rayon

BERNINA says polyester embroidery threads “are colorfast” and “have a higher tensile strength than rayon threads”, while “Viscose yarns may be slightly softer”. Sulky, which makes both, says “Both threads wash and wear equally well, even in hot water” and recommends polyester for bleach. Opinions split: ishtaa, who uses polyester only, says most commercial users they know prefer it because “rayon is so much more fragile especially at the high speeds commercial machines run”, while Hellcat_Mary prefers rayon and “wouldn’t use anything else for high production embroidery”.

40 wt and 60 wt

As BERNINA notes above, purchased designs are mostly made for 40 wt. It describes 60 wt as “finer”, used “especially for very small fonts (5 mm letter size)”. Thread weight and needle size go together: BERNINA says to “Use a special embroidery needle of a size suitable for the thread.” Whether a label shows thread weight or needle size, every pick here states its weight.

Large spools and stands

New Brothread says home machines need an upright thread stand for its 5,000 m spools. For machines, see our home embroidery machine and commercial embroidery machine guides.

Bobbin thread

CandiceSewsALot advises “Embroidery Bobbin Thread for the bobbin, or prewound embroidery bobbins specifically for your machine”, and “Do not wind your top thread onto your bobbin like sewing (unless you’re stitching lace.)” BERNINA differs: bobbin threads “have a higher run length because they are thinner”, but “You can use normal sewing thread as bobbin thread for embroidery.”

Lint

SewGuide notes “Cotton thread sheds a lot of lint” and that “polyester bobbin thread does not generate lint”; BERNINA advises cleaning the hook area after embroidering with cotton threads. One owner found Hobby Lobby and Sewology thread left “fuzz, fuzz everywhere”.

Frequently Asked Questions

In the bobbin, yes, per BERNINA. On top, BERNINA says embroidery threads “are less twisted and can therefore spread out more evenly”; sewing thread is built for seams, as our sewing machine thread guide and cotton thread guide explain. One r/sewing commenter notes Sulky threads are “meant to be used for machine embroidery” and not “designed for repairs or construction”.

We found no written independent test that ranks them; one owner in the BroThread thread links a YouTube video on several thread brands, which we did not assess. Owners in the brand threads we read name Madeira and Isacord most as their quality pick, and split on Simthread and New Brothread. For sewing-thread brands, see our thread brands guide.

Madeira’s line of embroidery threads; Polyneon is its polyester, in 40, 60 and 75 weights, per Madeira, and retailer WAWAK also sells its rayon.

Janome owners split on Brothread: slieske311’s 500e ran a Brothread set that “has worked very well” and found Janome-brand thread “actually worked the best”, while r3drocket’s 500e broke their bulk spools and a 60-pack repeatedly but runs “reliably and happily” on Isacord. See our Janome thread guide or the Needles, Pins & Thread hub.

The bottom line

Final Verdict

Polyester: Isacord 40 Polyester (check price) or Madeira Polyneon 40 (check price). Rayon sheen: Sulky Rayon 40 wt (check price). First kit: Simthread 40 Colors Kit (check price) or New brothread 63 Colors Kit (check price). Long runs: Robison-Anton Super Brite Polyester (check price) or New brothread Huge Spool (check price). Bobbins: Brother PWB250 Prewound Bobbins (check price) (size 11.5), Simthread Prewound Bobbins (check price) (class 15) or Simthread Bobbin Fill 60 wt (check price).

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.