Speedway Bonded Nylon 66 Thread Tex 135 (Size 138) — 8.8 oz Spool

Speedway Tex 135 (size 138) is a high-tenacity bonded nylon 66 sewing thread supplied on an 8.8 oz (250 g) spool, available in 6 colors. Bonding fuses the three plies together, so the thread does not fray or break at industrial sewing speeds and the seam keeps the abrasion resistance that upholstery, leather and canvas work demands. Ships from Miami, FL.

Technical Specifications

8.8 oz, not 8

Bonded nylon in this class is normally sold on 4 oz or 8 oz spools. This one holds 8.8 oz (250 g) — roughly 10% more thread than the common 8 oz spool, on the same footprint and the same spool change. Worth checking when you compare prices: the cheaper spool is often the smaller one.

What is it used for?

• Heavy leather: belts, harness and saddlery
• Heavy canvas, webbing and load-bearing straps
• Luggage, technical packs and outdoor covers
• Vinyl, suede and hide where maximum seam strength is the point

What needle size should I use?

Use a Nm 130–150 (Singer 21–23) needle with this thread.

That is the size. The system — DBx1, 135x17, 134-35 — depends on your machine, not on the thread. How to identify yours · Industrial machine needles

On leather and coated materials the point matters as much as the size, and the point does depend on the material rather than the machine. Groz-Beckert's leather point guide describes LR (45° cut to the right) as the reference for shoes, leather goods, upholstery, belts and car seats; D/DH (triangular cut) for thick, hard leather; and SD for thin leather, foils and coated materials such as vinyl. We stock these as leather point needles.

Careful with “Nm”: for thread it means 1000/Tex (Tex 135 = Nm 7.4), but for needles it means the blade diameter in hundredths of a millimetre (Nm 110 = 1.10 mm). They are not the same number. Conversion formulas from Coats; government sizes from the A-A-59826 specification published by American & Efird.

Not sure between two sizes?

Tex 135 or Tex 210? Tex 135 handles belts, harness and heavy canvas on any compound-feed machine. Only go to 210 if your machine is built for it — many will not pass that diameter cleanly.

The rest of this line

• Tex 45 (Size 46)
• Tex 70 (Size 69)
• Tex 92 (Size 92)
• Tex 210 (Size 207)

Frequently Asked Questions

What needle size should I use with Tex 135?

Nm 130–150 (Singer 21–23). If the stitch looks starved or the thread frays, go one size up before changing anything else.

What is the difference between Tex 135 and size 138?

None — they are the same thread described in two numbering systems. Tex is the weight in grams of 1,000 metres; the commercial size comes from the older US system.

Should I use Tex 135 or the next size?

Tex 135 or Tex 210? Tex 135 handles belts, harness and heavy canvas on any compound-feed machine. Only go to 210 if your machine is built for it — many will not pass that diameter cleanly.

How much thread is on the spool?

Each spool holds 250 g of thread (8.8 oz). We do not publish a yardage figure because the bonding resin adds weight that the nominal Tex does not account for — quoting a converted number would be a guess, and we would rather not guess.

Will this work on a domestic machine?

No. Tex 135 needs an industrial machine — walking foot or compound feed. A domestic will not pull this diameter through reliably, and forcing it usually means skipped stitches and a bent needle.