Embroidery Thread Types Explained: Polyester, Rayon, and Metallic Compared
By The Velocity Wear Team
Polyester embroidery thread is the commercial standard — colourfast, durable, and suitable for industrial washing. Rayon offers a silkier sheen prized for decorative garments but fades faster. Metallic thread catches the eye dramatically but demands careful digitising and slow stitch speeds. Matching thread type to the garment's use case and wash environment is as important as the design itself.
Polyester Embroidery Thread
Polyester is the workhorse of commercial embroidery. It is colourfast under UV exposure and industrial laundering — critical for workwear and hospitality uniforms that go through commercial washers repeatedly. Polyester threads have a slight sheen, somewhere between matte cotton and the lustre of rayon, which reads as clean and professional without being flashy. Most colour charts from major thread brands (Madeira, Isacord, Gunold) run to 400+ polyester shades, giving decorators near-unlimited colour matching flexibility.
Rayon Embroidery Thread
Rayon (also called viscose) thread has a distinctly silkier, higher-lustre sheen than polyester and is the thread of choice for fashion embroidery where the decoration is the centrepiece — think embellished jackets, luxury casualwear, and ceremonial garments. The trade-off is reduced colourfastness: rayon can fade noticeably with repeated washing, especially under hot-wash or bleach conditions. It is also slightly more prone to thread breaks under high tension, which means digitisers must account for this in stitch density settings.
Metallic Embroidery Thread
Metallic thread consists of a polyester or nylon core wrapped with metalised film (usually aluminium or holographic foil). The result is spectacular under directional lighting — logos shimmer and catch the eye — but metallic thread is demanding to work with. It requires slower machine speeds (often 40–50% slower than standard thread), frequent needle changes to avoid shredding, and careful digitising to minimise jump stitches and direction changes that put stress on the delicate film wrap. Metallic thread is best used as an accent (e.g. metallic outlines over a polyester fill) rather than as the sole thread across a large embroidered area.
Stitch Count and Its Impact
Stitch count — the total number of individual stitches in an embroidery file — determines machine run time, thread consumption, and cost. A simple text logo on a polo chest might run 3,000–6,000 stitches. A detailed full-back jacket design can reach 80,000–120,000 stitches. Higher stitch counts also add more weight to the fabric and can cause puckering on lightweight garments if backing is insufficient. Requesting a stitch count estimate before pricing allows you to budget accurately and adjust design complexity if needed.
Digitising Basics for Each Thread Type
- Polyester: standard density (0.4–0.45 mm stitch spacing for fill areas); underlay stitching recommended to stabilise fabric
- Rayon: reduce density slightly to avoid thread stress; ensure backing is sufficient as rayon has less tensile strength
- Metallic: reduce density further; eliminate or minimise column stitches over 6 mm long; use running-stitch outlines rather than dense satin fills where possible
- All types: text under 4 mm tall requires satin stitch not fill; very fine detail (under 1 mm) may need to be simplified or omitted in the digitised file
“"A well-digitised file in the wrong thread looks mediocre; a well-digitised file in the right thread for the garment looks exceptional. Thread choice is half the result." — Velocity Wear embroidery team”
Choosing Thread for Your Garment
- 1Workwear and uniforms: polyester always — it survives industrial laundering without fading
- 2Caps and casual fashion: polyester as default; rayon if the brand aesthetic demands extra sheen
- 3Premium fashion and event garments: rayon or metallic accent threads for decorative impact
- 4Sports and performance wear: polyester only — rayon degrades in the presence of moisture-wicking treatments
Velocity Wear's embroidery service covers polyester, rayon, and metallic threads from a 20-piece minimum order, with free digitising consultation included. Delivery is tracked to the UK, USA, Europe, and worldwide. Use the free Design Studio to upload your logo and see how different thread types render, then request a free quote.