Sportswear Sewing Thread: What Should an OEM Buyer Specify?

Coats explains that ticket numbers are commercial references and that the same ticket number can describe different sizes across thread types. Its numbering guide defines Tex as the mass in grams of 1,000 metres of yarn or thread. Unlike an unspecified ticket reference, a declared size system tells the reader what the number represents.

Buyer application: replace an instruction such as 'use thread 40' with a named product reference and its stated numbering system. Ask the supplier to confirm the finished thread size, not just a constituent yarn count. Keep the manufacturer's data sheet with the bill of materials. If a proposed alternative uses a different ticket convention, request a documented comparison rather than approving it because the printed number looks familiar. Matching a size designation still leaves construction, finish and suitability to be reviewed.

Evidence: Coats

ISO 2060:1994 describes a skein method for measuring yarn mass per unit length. Its public scope includes single, folded and cabled yarns, with exclusions for specified stretch behaviour and very high linear density. ISO lists the edition as confirmed in 2025. The scope does not turn a linear-density result into proof of seam strength.

Buyer application: if thread size needs independent verification, ask the laboratory whether the method covers the proposed material and what preparation procedure will be used. Link the submitted package to the supplier product code and lot. A report for an unidentified cone cannot reliably resolve a disagreement about which thread was sewn into the approved jersey. Keep size verification separate from visual judgement: a thread that appears similar on a screen has not necessarily been identified correctly.

Evidence: ISO

ISO 2062:2009 covers single-end breaking force and elongation at break for yarns from packages using a constant-rate-of-extension tester. Its scope excludes several yarn categories, including elastomeric and aramid yarns. On the research date, ISO lists the 2009 edition as published with a revision under development. The published scope concerns yarn testing, not a finished garment's service life.

Buyer application: request the material identity, test method and edition, specimen condition, units and acceptance criteria with any result. Ask the laboratory to confirm applicability before specifying the method for an unusual thread. Do not convert a thread breaking-force figure into a claim that an American football shoulder seam or rugby side seam cannot fail. The sewn assembly needs its own approval plan, and the buyer should state that plan before comparing quotations.

Evidence: ISO

The Coats sports T-shirt application guide distinguishes machine and stitch types, needle thread, under thread and needle size. It advises obtaining garment-specific recommendations and notes the relationship between thread size and needle selection. Its tables are application guidance, not a universal specification for every sports jersey or evidence that Olinc uses a particular Coats product.

Buyer application: create a seam-location list for the actual style. For a training shirt, distinguish the body joining seam, sleeve attachment and hem; for a panelled jersey, identify each relevant panel join. Ask the manufacturer which thread positions belong to each operation and record them separately where needed. A single statement such as 'polyester throughout' does not identify the proposed combination. Request a trial made with the chosen fabric and construction so approval relates to the intended garment rather than an unrelated swatch.

Evidence: Coats

The following is a proposed purchasing workflow, not an ISO test procedure. Decide whether each visible thread should blend into the fabric or form a contrast detail. Give a shade reference and identify the fabric panel beside it. A multi-colour sublimated jersey may need different decisions at the cuff, hem and panel junction; the artwork file should show where the contrast is intentional. Ask for a physical sewn reference when a screen proof cannot settle the appearance.

Inspect both sides of the trial. Record the seam location, thread references and sample revision, then review visible loops, loose ends, puckering and the feel of the inside surface against the intended use. These observations help define acceptance but are not numerical performance tests. If movement or washing is part of the approval, agree the procedure and observations in advance. Keep the untested reference and the reviewed sample distinguishable so later comments do not compare two different specimen states.

Do not prescribe an unverified thread size across a whole club range merely for purchasing convenience. A lightweight training shirt and a heavyweight travel layer should each have a documented construction review. Where the factory recommends a different combination, ask what changed and which sample evidence the buyer must approve.

Give the approved thread a controlled entry in the style's bill of materials. Record the supplier, product code, construction description, size system, shade, applicable seam locations and sample reference. Specify whether substitution requires written approval. For private-label buyers, this entry belongs beside the fabric and trim records, not only in a conversation with the sample room. The purchasing file should let another authorised person identify what was accepted.

When stock availability prompts an alternative, request an old-versus-new component comparison and a list of affected seams. Ask whether the quotation, sampling requirement or production schedule changes. Do not authorise a broad 'equivalent thread' replacement without knowing which garments it covers. Keep the approval restricted to the stated style and revision unless the buyer intentionally extends it to other products.

To discuss an Olinc OEM order, send the garment drawing, fabric direction, seam-location notes, thread requirements or questions, quantities, artwork and destination. State the required arrival date and which approvals remain open. Olinc can review the sampling and quotation route for that brief; this article does not promise a particular thread brand, laboratory result, stock position or fixed production time.