Speedway Bonded Nylon 66 Thread Tex 70 (Size 69) — 8.8 oz Spool

Speedway Tex 70 (size 69) is a high-tenacity bonded nylon 66 sewing thread supplied on an 8.8 oz (250 g) spool, available in 12 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?

• Furniture upholstery and automotive interiors — the best-selling size
• Leather goods: bags, belts and wallets
• Marine canvas, covers and awnings
• The heaviest commercial size a sturdy domestic machine will still handle

What needle size should I use?

Use a Nm 100–130 (Singer 16–21) 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 70 = Nm 14.3), 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 70 or Tex 92? Tex 70 is the default for furniture upholstery and car interiors, and it is the heaviest commercial size a sturdy domestic machine will still take. Move to Tex 92 when the piece lives outdoors or the seam is structural.

The rest of this line

• Tex 45 (Size 46)
• Tex 92 (Size 92)
• Tex 135 (Size 138)
• Tex 210 (Size 207)

Frequently Asked Questions

What needle size should I use with Tex 70?

Nm 100–130 (Singer 16–21). If the stitch looks starved or the thread frays, go one size up before changing anything else.

What is the difference between Tex 70 and size 69?

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 70 or the next size?

Tex 70 or Tex 92? Tex 70 is the default for furniture upholstery and car interiors, and it is the heaviest commercial size a sturdy domestic machine will still take. Move to Tex 92 when the piece lives outdoors or the seam is structural.

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?

On a heavy-duty one, yes. Tex 70 is the heaviest commercial size a sturdy domestic machine will still pull, and you will need the needle size above. A lightweight domestic will skip stitches.