A hoop's name describes its sewing field, the area the needle can reach, not the size of the frame. A "5×7" hoop has a sewing field of about 130 × 180 mm. The frame itself is larger.
The common home sizes are 4×4, 5×7, 6×10, 8×8 and 8×12 inches. Every machine has a maximum field, and a design has to fit inside the hoop you use with a little room to spare. If you only need a quick answer, put your design size into the hoop size calculator.
Standard embroidery hoop sizes
| Hoop | Sewing field (mm) | Sewing field (in) | Typical uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4×4 | 100 × 100 | 3.9 × 3.9 | Left chest logos, monograms, patches, baby items |
| 5×7 | 130 × 180 | 5.1 × 7.1 | Larger chest designs, tote bags, quilt blocks |
| 6×10 | 160 × 260 | 6.3 × 10.2 | Names across a back yoke, larger tote and pillow designs |
| 8×8 | 200 × 200 | 7.9 × 7.9 | Square quilt blocks, round designs |
| 8×12 | 200 × 300 | 7.9 × 11.8 | Jacket backs, large wall pieces |
These are the fields the digitizer's hoop presets use. Brands round differently, so the exact numbers vary. Janome, for example, sells 140 × 140 mm and 200 × 200 mm square hoops, and many Pfaff and Husqvarna Viking machines use a 240 × 150 mm hoop. Your manual gives the exact field for each hoop.
Sewing field vs hoop size
The sewing field is set by how far the embroidery arm can move, not by the hoop. A machine with a 5×7 in maximum field can't sew a 6×10 design, even if a bigger hoop would physically fit. Third-party hoops are sold for many machines, but they can't extend the machine's own limit.
Many machines also check the design against the hoop you have attached. If the design is larger than that hoop's field, the machine won't start, or asks you to change hoops.
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How to pick a hoop for a design
- Measure the design at its final stitched size, width and height.
- Add a margin of 5–10 mm on every side.
- Choose the smallest hoop that fits. A smaller hoop holds the fabric tighter, so the design shifts less.
- If it almost fits, try rotating it 90°. A 160 × 110 mm design doesn't fit a 130 × 180 mm field one way, but fits it the other way with 10 mm to spare.
- Check that your machine accepts that hoop.
In the digitizer, click a hoop preset to scale the design to fit, and use rotate when the design is wider than it is tall. For a design file you already have, the embroidery file viewer shows its exact size. Once the size is right, download the format your machine reads, such as image to PES for Brother.
How much margin to leave
Don't fill the sewing field to the edge. The fabric is held tightest in the middle, and the presser foot needs room near the frame. A margin of 5–10 mm on each side is a sensible minimum, more on stretchy or thick fabric.
Placement also needs room. For a left chest logo, hoop enough fabric that the design sits where you want it, not where the hoop forced it. That's one reason a 75–100 mm chest logo usually goes in a 4×4 or 5×7 hoop rather than a 6×10.
Leaving extra margin changes the run time, not the design. Use the stitch count calculator to see how size affects stitches and sew time.
Maximum embroidery fields of popular machines
A few well-documented examples, from manufacturer and dealer specifications. Models change often, so confirm with your own manual.
| Machine | Type | Maximum field |
|---|---|---|
| Brother SE600 / SE630 | Sewing and embroidery | 4 × 4 in (100 × 100 mm) |
| Brother PE800 | Embroidery only | 5 × 7 in (130 × 180 mm) |
| Brother NQ1700E | Embroidery only | 6 × 10 in (160 × 260 mm) |
| Janome Memory Craft 400E | Embroidery only | 200 × 200 mm (7.9 × 7.9 in) |
| Janome Memory Craft 500E | Embroidery only | 200 × 280 mm (7.9 × 11 in) |
| Husqvarna Viking Designer Jade 35 | Sewing and embroidery | 240 × 150 mm (9.5 × 6 in) |
| Singer Legacy SE300 | Sewing and embroidery | 260 × 150 mm (10.25 × 6 in) |
| Brother Luminaire XP3 / Baby Lock Solaris Vision | Sewing and embroidery | 272 × 408 mm (10-5/8 × 16 in) |
| BERNINA 700 E | Embroidery only | 400 × 210 mm with the Maxi hoop |
| Brother PR1055X | 10-needle | 360 × 200 mm (14 × 8 in) |
| Tajima TMEZ-SC | Commercial single-head | 360 × 500 mm |
Hoop sizes by brand
Brands describe hoops differently. Brother and Singer mostly use inches, Janome uses codes, and Pfaff, Husqvarna Viking and Bernina use names with metric sizes. Some documented examples:
| Brand | Example hoops and fields |
|---|---|
| Brother / Baby Lock | 4×4 in (100 × 100 mm), 5×7 in (130 × 180 mm), 6×10 in (160 × 260 mm); 10-5/8 × 16 in (272 × 408 mm) on the largest models |
| Janome | SQ14 (140 × 140 mm), SQ20 (200 × 200 mm) |
| Pfaff | creative 120 Square Hoop (120 × 120 mm), Master Hoop (240 × 150 mm), Deluxe Hoop (360 × 200 mm) |
| Husqvarna Viking | Jewel Hoop (240 × 150 mm) and larger hoops on the Designer series |
| Bernina | Large Oval (145 × 255 mm), Maxi (210 × 400 mm) |
| Singer | 4×4 in, 10×6 in on Futura models, 260 × 150 mm on the Legacy SE300 |
When a hoop is metric, type the size into the digitizer instead of using the nearest inch preset. A 240 × 150 mm hoop, for example, takes a design of about 220 × 130 mm with a margin, which is larger than a 5×7 preset and smaller than a 6×10.
When the design is bigger than your hoop
You have three options. The simplest is to scale the design down: the hoop size calculator tells you how far. Check that the smallest text still stays above about 5 mm after scaling.
The second is multi-hooping: splitting the design into sections that each fit the hoop, with alignment marks, and re-hooping between them. Some machines and editing programs do the split for you. It takes care, because each re-hoop is a chance to misalign, so leave overlap at the joins and use a firm cut-away stabilizer.
The third is a larger machine or an embroidery shop. The design check in the digitizer warns when a design is larger than an 8×12 in (200 × 300 mm) field, so you know before you download. The digitizer doesn't split designs for multi-hooping.
Caps, magnetic hoops and other frames
- Cap frames: the usable height on a structured cap front is about 2–2.25 in (50–57 mm), less on low-profile caps.
- Magnetic hoops: clamp thick items such as towels and bags quickly, and leave fewer hoop marks.
- Sticky or adhesive hoops: hold items you can't clamp, such as collars and small pieces, by floating them on adhesive stabilizer.
The design's sewing field still applies with any of these frames. See the stabilizer guide for hooping tips by fabric.