After months of searching, we finally have what we consider to be the ultimate conductive thread. It's thin, strong, smooth, and made completely of 316L stainless steel. Once you start working with this thread you'll quickly agree its optimal for any wearables work!

We carry this thread in 2 and 3 ply. 2 ply is a little thicker than every day polyester or cotton thread but still thin enough to be sewn by hand in medium-eye needles or with a sewing machine that can handle 'heavy' thread. Because it is strong and smooth, its ideal for any wearable/e-textile project. It also has fairly low resistivity, 16 ohms per foot so you can use it to drive LEDs and other electronic components that use under ~50mA.

Our 3 ply thread has a resistance of 10 ohms per foot for components that use under ~100mA. It is thicker than standard cotton/poly thread and can be used by hand or in industrial sewing machines.

Because it is made of stainless steel fibers, it will not oxidize like silver does: your projects will not 'stop working' because of oxidation after a few months and its safe to wash. However, this thread is a little 'stiff', it feels a little like 'waxed thread' and is not ideal for making iPhone-compatible gloves. If you want to sew conductive thread into the pads of gloves, check out our thin conductive yarn!
2 ply
3 ply

This guide was first published on Jan 02, 2013. It was last updated on Jan 02, 2013.

This page (Overview) was last updated on Dec 27, 2012.

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