Tool
Embroidery hoop size guide
Type the design size from your embroidery file. The guide compares it with the stitch field of common hoops, turning the design if that helps it fit.
Short answer
Compare the design with the hoop's embroidery field, not its outer frame. A 4x4 hoop stitches about 100 x 100 mm, a 5x7 about 130 x 180 mm and a 6x10 about 160 x 260 mm. A design that is too tall can often fit a smaller hoop when it is turned 90 degrees.
Check a design
Design: 114 x 165 mm (4.5 x 6.5 in)
Smallest hoop that fits
5x7 hoop
Field 130 x 180 mm (5.1 x 7.1 in).
Machines: Brother PE800, PE900, SE1900, SE2000
- 4x4 hoop 100 x 100 mmToo small
- Janome SQ14 140 x 140 mmToo small
- 5x7 hoop 130 x 180 mmFits
- Janome RE20b 140 x 200 mmFits
- 6x10 hoop 160 x 260 mmFits
- Janome SQ23 230 x 230 mmFits
- Janome RE28b 200 x 280 mmFits
- Janome RE36b 200 x 360 mmFits
Multi-needle machines use tubular hoops that vary by model; cap frames stitch about 50 x 130 mm (2 x 5 in) on many models.
Common embroidery fields
A hoop is named by its outer frame, but the machine can only stitch inside a smaller area, the embroidery field. Always compare a design with the field. Your design file or software shows the design size; the machine manual lists the field of each hoop.
4x4 hoop
- Field (mm)
- 100 x 100
- Field (in)
- 3.9 x 3.9
- Machines
- Brother PE535, SE700, SE630; Singer SE9180 (also has a 4x4)
Janome SQ14
- Field (mm)
- 140 x 140
- Field (in)
- 5.5 x 5.5
- Machines
- Janome embroidery machines that take the SQ14
5x7 hoop
- Field (mm)
- 130 x 180
- Field (in)
- 5.1 x 7.1
- Machines
- Brother PE800, PE900, SE1900, SE2000
Janome RE20b
- Field (mm)
- 140 x 200
- Field (in)
- 5.5 x 7.9
- Machines
- Janome embroidery machines that take the RE20b
6x10 hoop
- Field (mm)
- 160 x 260
- Field (in)
- 6.3 x 10.2
- Machines
- Brother Innov-is NQ1700E, NQ3550W
Janome SQ23
- Field (mm)
- 230 x 230
- Field (in)
- 9.1 x 9.1
- Machines
- Janome embroidery machines that take the SQ23
Janome RE28b
- Field (mm)
- 200 x 280
- Field (in)
- 7.9 x 11.0
- Machines
- Janome Memory Craft 500E / 550E class
Janome RE36b
- Field (mm)
- 200 x 360
- Field (in)
- 7.9 x 14.2
- Machines
- Janome Memory Craft 550E
| Hoop | Field (mm) | Field (in) | Machines |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4x4 hoop | 100 x 100 | 3.9 x 3.9 | Brother PE535, SE700, SE630; Singer SE9180 (also has a 4x4) |
| Janome SQ14 | 140 x 140 | 5.5 x 5.5 | Janome embroidery machines that take the SQ14 |
| 5x7 hoop | 130 x 180 | 5.1 x 7.1 | Brother PE800, PE900, SE1900, SE2000 |
| Janome RE20b | 140 x 200 | 5.5 x 7.9 | Janome embroidery machines that take the RE20b |
| 6x10 hoop | 160 x 260 | 6.3 x 10.2 | Brother Innov-is NQ1700E, NQ3550W |
| Janome SQ23 | 230 x 230 | 9.1 x 9.1 | Janome embroidery machines that take the SQ23 |
| Janome RE28b | 200 x 280 | 7.9 x 11.0 | Janome Memory Craft 500E / 550E class |
| Janome RE36b | 200 x 360 | 7.9 x 14.2 | Janome Memory Craft 550E |
When the design does not fit
A design larger than your largest field can be split into parts and stitched in more than one hooping, with alignment marks between them. Resizing is the other option, but changing a design by more than about 10 to 20 percent can make the stitches too dense or too sparse unless your software recalculates them. More on choosing a machine by field size in embroidery machines.