Embroidery Fit Guide
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Guide · checked Nov 10

Embroidery hoop sizes, drawn to scale

The hoop size is the largest design a machine can stitch in one go. It's the first number to check, because a design that doesn't fit has to be split and re-hooped.

Facts checked Nov 10, 2026 · How we pick · How we make money

Green fabric with blue and white feather-stitch embroidery held in a round hoop Photo: Hey Paul Studios · CC BY 2.0 · modified

The common sizes, at real proportions

Each field below is drawn from the same corner over a US letter sheet, so you can compare them directly.

letter sheet 6 4 5 2 3 1
  1. 1. 4 × 4 hoop (Brother): 4 × 4 in (100 × 100 mm)
    PE545, LB5500M, Skitch PP1
  2. 2. 5 × 7 hoop (Brother): 5 × 7 in (130 × 180 mm)
    PE900, SE2000; Baby Lock Bloom
  3. 3. Janome SQ14: 5.5 × 5.5 in (140 × 140 mm)
    MC100E, MC1000
  4. 4. 6 × 10 hoop: 6.25 × 10.25 in (160 × 260 mm)
    Baby Lock Flare; Brother lists 26 × 16 cm
  5. 5. Janome SQ20: 7.9 × 7.9 in (200 × 200 mm)
    MC400E
  6. 6. Janome RE36b: 7.9 × 14.2 in (200 × 360 mm)
    MC550E
Our diagram, 1 unit = 1 mm. Sizes as Brother, Baby Lock and Janome state them.

Sources: Brother's accessory sheets and catalog, Baby Lock's Flare page, Janome Australia's product pages.1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Three things that confuse everyone

"5 × 7" and "7 × 5" are the same hoop

Brother writes its frames height × width: "18 cm (H) × 13 cm (W) (7 inches (H) × 5 inches (W))". Its manual gives the PE900's maximum as 180 × 130 mm.2, 3

Inches are rounded; millimetres are exact

Brother's "4 × 4 in" hoop is 10 × 10 cm, a little under 4 inches. A design file made exactly 4.0 in wide can be too big for it. Check the millimetres.1

Janome's hoop codes depend on the machine family

Janome names hoops like SQ14 (square, 140 mm) or RE20 (rectangle, 200 mm long), with a letter for the machine family. Janome Australia lists RE20b as 140 × 200 mm, while the shop lists RE20a as 6.7 × 7.9 in (170 × 200 mm). Order hoops for your exact model.6, 23

How to pick a size

  1. Measure the largest design you want to stitch in one go: a name across a towel, a motif on a quilt block, a jacket back.
  2. Compare it with the maximum area in the table below, in millimetres. It has to fit one way or the other.
  3. Leave room to grow, if your budget allows. A bigger machine can usually use the maker's smaller hoops too; check its hoop list.

Every machine we cover, by area

MachineMax. areaPrice seen Nov 10
Brother PE5454 × 4 in (100 × 100 mm)13USD 499.99
Brother Skitch PP14 × 4 in (approx.) (100 × 100 mm)21USD 529.99
Brother LB5500M Marvel4 × 4 in (100 × 100 mm)19USD 599.99
Husqvarna Viking Designer Quartz 296.6 × 3.9 in (170 × 100 mm)16USD 999
Janome Memory Craft 100E5.5 × 5.5 in (140 × 140 mm)7USD 1,099
Janome Memory Craft 10005.5 × 5.5 in (140 × 140 mm)14USD 1,399
Brother PE9005 × 7 in (130 × 180 mm)3USD 1,179.99
Brother SE20005 × 7 in (130 × 180 mm)20USD 1,499.99
Baby Lock Bloom5 × 7 in (130 × 180 mm)17USD 2,564.05
Janome Memory Craft 98506.7 × 7.9 in (170 × 200 mm)15USD 1,499
Janome Memory Craft 400E7.9 × 7.9 in (200 × 200 mm)6USD 1,499
Baby Lock Flare6.25 × 10.25 in (160 × 260 mm)5USD 2,184.05
Janome MB-4Se9.4 × 7.9 in (240 × 200 mm)18USD 4,999
Brother Entrepreneur PR680W11-3/4 × 7-7/8 in (300 × 200 mm)9USD 12,599.99
Janome Memory Craft 550E7.9 × 14.2 in (200 × 360 mm)8USD 2,999

Prices at Sewing Machines Plus before sales tax; machines it showed as sold out are left out.

Caps and hats

Brother's manual describes two kinds of cap frame: "one that allows sewing a flattened cap (for use on a flat machine) or one that allows sewing the cap in its natural curved shape (for use on a tubular machine)".10 Its PR680W cap frame takes baseball caps, tulip hats and bucket hats, but not hats with a front of 2 inches or less or a brim longer than 3-1/8 inches.9 Janome offers a flat "hat hoop insert" (100 × 90 mm) for the MC400E and MC550E.6 On a flatbed home machine, a stitched patch sewn onto the cap is the simple route.

Magnetic frames

Magnetic frames clamp the fabric with magnets instead of a screw ring. Brother's Skitch PP1 comes with one (100 × 100 mm), and the shop lists a free Baby Lock 4 × 7 in magnetic frame with the Bloom (seen Nov 10, 2026).11, 12

Check your design size in the fit tool

Sources (23) · checked Nov 10, 2026
  1. Brother: Brother PE545 included accessories (seen 2026-11-09)
  2. Brother: Brother PE900 included accessories (seen 2026-11-09)
  3. Brother: Brother PE900 Operation Manual (seen 2026-11-09)
  4. Brother: Brother accessory catalog (Aug 2025) (seen 2026-11-09)
  5. Baby Lock: Baby Lock Flare (seen 2026-11-09)
  6. Janome Australia: Janome AU Memory Craft 400E (seen 2026-11-09)
  7. Janome Australia: Janome AU Memory Craft 100E (seen 2026-11-09)
  8. Janome Australia: Janome AU MC550E (seen 2026-11-09)
  9. Brother: Brother PR680W Operation Manual (seen 2026-11-09)
  10. Brother: Brother PRS100 Operation Manual (seen 2026-11-09)
  11. Brother: Brother PP1 included accessories (seen 2026-11-09)
  12. Sewing Machines Plus: Baby Lock Bloom, product page at Sewing Machines Plus (seen 2026-11-10)
  13. Brother: Brother PE545 Operation Manual (US) (seen 2026-11-09)
  14. Janome Australia: Janome AU Memory Craft 1000 (seen 2026-11-09)
  15. Janome Australia: Janome AU Memory Craft 9850 (seen 2026-11-09)
  16. Husqvarna Viking: HUSQVARNA VIKING DESIGNER QUARTZ 29 (maker store) (seen 2026-11-10)
  17. Baby Lock: Baby Lock Bloom (seen 2026-11-09)
  18. Sewing Machines Plus: Janome MB-4Se, product page at Sewing Machines Plus (seen 2026-11-10)
  19. Brother: Brother SE700 / LB5500 Operation Manual (seen 2026-11-09)
  20. Brother: Brother SE2000 Operation Manual (seen 2026-11-09)
  21. Brother: Brother PP1 Operation Manual (seen 2026-11-09)
  22. Sewing Machines Plus: Brother PE545 WLAN Embroidery Machine, product page at Sewing Machines Plus (seen 2026-11-10)
  23. Sewing Machines Plus: Janome MC9850, product page at Sewing Machines Plus (seen 2026-11-10)