Knowledge Hub

AMANN ThreadLex: Textile terminology explained

Explore textile terminology from A to Z. Find clear definitions, synonyms and translations of technical terms related to sewing threads, embroidery, materials and textile manufacturing.

Find the right textile term

Looking for the meaning of a technical term or its equivalent in another language? 
AMANN ThreadLex helps you understand and navigate textile terminology quickly and easily.

Browse terms alphabetically or search for a specific keyword to discover definitions, alternative expressions and multilingual translations – all in one place.

Category English Term Synonyms Short definition (EN) DE
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Bobbin-thread breakage Lower-thread breakage Breakage of the bobbin thread in a lockstitch system. Unterfadenbruch
Translations
DE Unterfadenbruch
FR Casse du fil de canette
ES Rotura del hilo de bobina
IT Rottura del filo della bobina
CN 底线断线
VN Đứt chỉ suốt
Not to be confused with Use looper-thread breakage for chainstitch systems.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Capillary effect Capillary action Movement of liquid through narrow spaces in thread, material or seam structures. Kapillareffekt
Translations
DE Kapillareffekt
FR Effet capillaire
ES Efecto capilar
IT Effetto capillare
CN 毛细作用
VN Hiệu ứng mao dẫn
Not to be confused with Capillary transport can occur without external pressure.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Down leakage Feather leakage; down migration The escape or migration of down or feathers through material or stitch holes. Daunendurchtritt
Translations
DE Daunendurchtritt
FR Fuite de duvet
ES Fuga de plumón
IT Fuoriuscita di piumino
CN 钻绒
VN Rò rỉ lông vũ
Not to be confused with May result from material, needle, stitch or construction factors.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Fabric damage Textile damage Damage to the sewn material caused during or after the sewing process. Materialbeschädigung
Translations
DE Materialbeschädigung
FR Endommagement du matériau
ES Daño del material
IT Danneggiamento del materiale
CN 面料损伤
VN Hư hỏng vật liệu
Not to be confused with Identify whether damage is mechanical, thermal or chemical.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Feed puckering Differential-feed puckering Seam puckering caused by unequal transport or displacement of material layers. Transportkräuseln
Translations
DE Transportkräuseln
FR Fronçage dû à l’entraînement
ES Fruncido por arrastre
IT Arricciatura da trasporto
CN 送料起皱
VN Nhăn do cấp liệu
Not to be confused with Not primarily caused by thread shrinkage.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Loose stitches Slack stitches Stitches with insufficient tension or poor thread control that do not lie securely in the material. Lose Stiche
Translations
DE Lose Stiche
FR Points lâches
ES Puntadas flojas
IT Punti lenti
CN 线迹松弛
VN Mũi may lỏng
Not to be confused with Do not correct by increasing tension before checking the thread path.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Needle cutting Needle cut Cutting of material yarns, fibres or filaments by an unsuitable or damaged needle. Nadelschnitt
Translations
DE Nadelschnitt
FR Coupure par l’aiguille
ES Corte por aguja
IT Taglio da ago
CN 针切损伤
VN Cắt sợi do kim
Not to be confused with Different from displacement without fibre rupture.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Needle damage Needle-induced damage Material damage produced by the sewing needle, such as cuts, holes or broken fibres. Nadelschaden
Translations
DE Nadelschaden
FR Endommagement par l’aiguille
ES Daño por aguja
IT Danneggiamento da ago
CN 针损伤
VN Hư hỏng do kim
Not to be confused with Do not confuse with damage to the needle itself.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Needle deflection Needle bending Sideways displacement of the needle under load, which can affect loop formation and cause damage. Nadelablenkung
Translations
DE Nadelablenkung
FR Déviation de l’aiguille
ES Desviación de la aguja
IT Deviazione dell’ago
CN 针偏转
VN Độ lệch kim
Not to be confused with Not necessarily permanent needle bending.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Needle heating Needle heat Temperature rise of the needle caused by high-speed friction with the material and thread. Nadelerwärmung
Translations
DE Nadelerwärmung
FR Échauffement de l’aiguille
ES Calentamiento de la aguja
IT Riscaldamento dell’ago
CN 针发热
VN Nóng kim
Not to be confused with Needle heating may soften, melt or damage synthetic materials.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Needle-thread breakage Upper-thread breakage Breakage of the thread passing through the needle. Nadelfadenbruch
Translations
DE Nadelfadenbruch
FR Casse du fil d’aiguille
ES Rotura del hilo de aguja
IT Rottura del filo dell’ago
CN 面线断线
VN Đứt chỉ kim
Not to be confused with Not the same as bobbin- or looper-thread breakage.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Poor thread balance Unbalanced stitch Incorrect positioning of thread interlacing or interlooping within the material or seam. Fehlerhafte Fadenbalance
Translations
DE Fehlerhafte Fadenbalance
FR Mauvais équilibre des fils
ES Equilibrio incorrecto del hilo
IT Bilanciamento dei fili non corretto
CN 线迹平衡不良
VN Cân bằng chỉ kém
Not to be confused with In lockstitch, the interlacing should normally lie within the material layers.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Seam grinning Seam grin A visible opening between material edges when the seam is placed under tension. Nahtklaffen
Translations
DE Nahtklaffen
FR Bâillement de couture
ES Abertura visual de la costura
IT Apertura visibile della cucitura
CN 接缝张口
VN Hở đường may
Not to be confused with May be an appearance issue without complete seam failure.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Seam leakage Leakage through seam Passage of water, air or another medium through a seam. Nahtundichtigkeit
Translations
DE Nahtundichtigkeit
FR Fuite au niveau de la couture
ES Fuga en la costura
IT Perdita dalla cucitura
CN 接缝渗漏
VN Rò rỉ đường may
Not to be confused with State the medium and test pressure; not all leakage means the fabric is not waterproof.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Seam opening Open seam A visible opening along a seam caused by slippage, stitch failure, damage or insufficient seam security. Nahtöffnung
Translations
DE Nahtöffnung
FR Ouverture de couture
ES Apertura de la costura
IT Apertura della cucitura
CN 接缝开裂
VN Mở đường may
Not to be confused with State the failure mechanism where known.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Seam puckering Seam pucker Unwanted wrinkling or distortion of material along or beside a seam. Nahtkräuseln
Translations
DE Nahtkräuseln
FR Fronçage de couture
ES Fruncido de la costura
IT Arricciatura della cucitura
CN 接缝起皱
VN Nhăn đường may
Not to be confused with Several mechanisms exist: tension, feed and shrinkage puckering.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Seam slippage Yarn slippage at seam Displacement of fabric yarns away from the seam line under load, creating an opening without thread breakage. Nahtschieben
Translations
DE Nahtschieben
FR Glissement de couture
ES Deslizamiento de la costura
IT Scorrimento della cucitura
CN 接缝滑移
VN Trượt đường may
Not to be confused with Not the same as seam failure caused by thread breakage.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Sewing defect Sewing fault A visible or functional deviation in the sewing process or completed seam. Nähfehler
Translations
DE Nähfehler
FR Défaut de couture
ES Defecto de costura
IT Difetto di cucitura
CN 缝纫缺陷
VN Lỗi may
Not to be confused with A defect may have several possible causes.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Sewing problem Sewing issue An undesirable condition that occurs during sewing or affects the finished seam. Nähproblem
Translations
DE Nähproblem
FR Problème de couture
ES Problema de costura
IT Problema di cucitura
CN 缝纫问题
VN Vấn đề may
Not to be confused with Separate the observed symptom from its possible cause.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Shrinkage puckering Post-treatment puckering Seam puckering that appears when thread or material shrinks during care or finishing. Schrumpfkräuseln
Translations
DE Schrumpfkräuseln
FR Fronçage dû au retrait
ES Fruncido por encogimiento
IT Arricciatura da ritiro
CN 收缩起皱
VN Nhăn do co rút
Not to be confused with Evaluate after the relevant wash or heat treatment.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Skipped stitch Skip stitch; stitch skipping A missing stitch caused when the stitch-forming components fail to catch or form the required loop. Fehlstich
Translations
DE Fehlstich
FR Point sauté
ES Puntada saltada
IT Punto saltato
CN 跳针
VN Bỏ mũi
Not to be confused with Do not confuse with an intentionally long stitch.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Tension puckering Thread-tension puckering Seam puckering caused mainly by excessive or unbalanced thread tension. Spannungskräuseln
Translations
DE Spannungskräuseln
FR Fronçage dû à la tension
ES Fruncido por tensión
IT Arricciatura da tensione
CN 张力起皱
VN Nhăn do sức căng
Not to be confused with Check tension after ruling out feed and shrinkage effects.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Thread ballooning Ballooning The rotating loop formed as thread unwinds at high speed from a package. Fadenballonbildung
Translations
DE Fadenballonbildung
FR Ballonnement du fil
ES Abombamiento del hilo
IT Ballooning del filo
CN 线气圈
VN Phồng chỉ
Not to be confused with Controlled ballooning is normal; excessive ballooning can disrupt processing.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Thread breakage Thread breaking Unintended rupture of the sewing or embroidery thread during processing or use. Fadenbruch
Translations
DE Fadenbruch
FR Casse du fil
ES Rotura del hilo
IT Rottura del filo
CN 断线
VN Đứt chỉ
Not to be confused with Identify the affected thread system before diagnosing.
Troubleshooting and sewing defects Thread looping Loop formation defect Uncontrolled visible loops of thread caused by poor thread control or stitch formation. Schlingenbildung
Translations
DE Schlingenbildung
FR Formation de boucles
ES Formación de bucles
IT Formazione di cappi
CN 线环形成
VN Tạo vòng chỉ
Not to be confused with Normal stitch-forming loops inside the machine are not defects.