How do I know how many stitches an embroidery design has?

You can usually find the stitch count in the design information, embroidery software, or on your embroidery machine after loading the design. Stitch count tells you how many individual stitches the machine will make to complete the design.

Check the Design Information

Many embroidery design listings provide the stitch count along with the design size, thread colors, and available formats. This is the easiest way to check before purchasing or downloading a design. For example we provide stitch count information in the product description.

Check Your Embroidery Software

If you already have the design file, embroidery software can usually display the total stitch count along with other design information such as size, colors, and stitch sequence.

Check Your Embroidery Machine

Many embroidery machines display the stitch count after you load a design. The exact information shown depends on the machine.

Why Does Stitch Count Matter?

Stitch count can give you an idea of how long a design may take to stitch and how much thread it may use. However, a higher stitch count does not necessarily mean a better embroidery design.

Quick Checklist

  • Before buying: Check the product's design information.
  • On your computer: Use embroidery software to view the stitch count.
  • On your machine: Load the design and check the information displayed.
  • Remember: Stitch count is only one factor in evaluating a design.

Best tip: If you are comparing designs, consider stitch count together with the design size, stitch density, detail, and actual stitch-out quality rather than using stitch count alone.

Source of information: With over 200,000 customers and a private Facebook group with more than 2,000 members, we have heard just about every embroidery question and troubleshooting problem you can imagine. This question has come to us directly from customers by email, through our Facebook page, and in our private Facebook group.

Have another question? See all the answers in our machine embroidery designs FAQ.