Which embroidery design size fits your machine? Brother, Janome, Singer, BERNINA and more
Which embroidery design sizes fit popular home machines: Brother PE535, SE600, SE630, SE700, PE800, PE900, SE1900, SE2000, NQ1700E and PR680W, Janome 400E and 500E, Singer SE9180, BERNINA 570 QE, Husqvarna Viking Jade 35 and Baby Lock Flare, with the file format each one reads.
The size on a machine embroidery design (4 × 4, 5 × 7, 6 × 10 or 8 × 12) is the hoop it's made for. Your machine's largest hoop decides which sizes you can stitch in one hooping, and its brand decides which file format to use. Find your machine below.
Our sizes, in millimetres
| Size | Stitch field | Our designs are at most |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × 4 | 100 × 100 mm | 96 mm on the long side |
| 5 × 7 | 130 × 180 mm | about 122 × 172 mm |
| 6 × 10 | 160 × 260 mm | about 151 × 245 mm |
| 8 × 12 | 200 × 300 mm | about 192 × 290 mm |
| 8 × 8 (a few designs) | 200 × 200 mm | 190 mm |
Every design page lists the exact stitched size of each version, and that's the number to compare with your machine. Most designs are a little smaller than their hoop's field.
Which sizes fit which machine
| Machine | Largest field | File to use | Our sizes that fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brother PE535, PE545, SE600, SE630, SE700 | 100 × 100 mm (4 × 4) | PES | 4 × 4 |
| Brother PE800, PE900, SE1900, SE2000 | 130 × 180 mm (5 × 7) | PES | 4 × 4 and 5 × 7 |
| Brother Innov-is NQ1700E, NQ3550W | 160 × 260 mm (6 × 10) | PES | 4 × 4, 5 × 7 and 6 × 10 |
| Baby Lock Flare | 160 × 260 mm (6 × 10) | PES | 4 × 4, 5 × 7 and 6 × 10 |
| Brother PR680W (6 needles) | 200 × 300 mm (8 × 12) | PES | all of them |
| Janome Memory Craft 400E | 200 × 200 mm | JEF | 4 × 4, 5 × 7 and 8 × 8; a bigger version only if it's under 200 × 200 mm |
| Janome Memory Craft 500E | 200 × 280 mm | JEF | 4 × 4, 5 × 7, 8 × 8 and 6 × 10; an 8 × 12 version only if it's under 200 × 280 mm |
| Janome Memory Craft 550E Limited Edition | 200 × 360 mm | JEF | all of them |
| Husqvarna Viking Designer Jade 35 | 150 × 240 mm | VP3 | 4 × 4 and 5 × 7; a 6 × 10 version only if it's under 150 × 240 mm |
| Singer SE9180 | 100 × 170 mm | VP3 | 4 × 4; a 5 × 7 version only if it's under 100 × 170 mm |
| BERNINA 570 QE with the embroidery module | 145 × 255 mm with the oval hoops in the box | EXP | 4 × 4 and 5 × 7; 6 × 10 with the optional Midi hoop (165 × 265 mm) |
We checked these against each maker's own manual, spec sheet or brochure in November 2026. The Brother PE535, SE600, PE800 and SE1900 and the Janome 500E are discontinued, but they're still in many sewing rooms, so they're in the table.
The "only if it fits" cases
- Janome 400E: the 6 × 10 and 8 × 12 versions of square designs can fit its 200 × 200 mm field. The red truck is 149 × 149 mm in the 6 × 10 size and 190 × 188 mm in the 8 × 12.
- Janome 500E: many 8 × 12 versions are under 200 × 280 mm, like the poinsettia (189 × 256 mm) and the Angels Are Near cardinals (189 × 238 mm).
- Husqvarna Viking Jade 35: many of our 6 × 10 versions are under 150 × 240 mm. The Merry Christmas poinsettia is 149 × 203 mm and the Golden Retriever is 149 × 206 mm. Taller ones, like the 245 mm sleeve designs, are too long for it.
- Singer SE9180: its one hoop is 100 × 170 mm, so a 5 × 7 version has to be narrower than 100 mm and no taller than 170 mm. The Merry & Bright tree in 5 × 7 is 95 × 168 mm.
- Brother: Brother's hoops are exactly 100 × 100, 130 × 180, 160 × 260 and 200 × 300 mm, the same as our size fields, so every version of a design fits the matching Brother hoop.
You can turn a design 90° on most machines' screens when the hoop is long the other way.
Which file to use
- PES: Brother and Baby Lock. They also open DST, but DST carries no thread colours, so the machine shows its own colour order; follow the production sheet instead.
- JEF: Janome. Their instruction books list DST too.
- VP3: Husqvarna Viking and the Singer SE9180. Neither of the two above opens DST or XXX.
- EXP: BERNINA. The 5 Series also reads DST, PES, JEF and XXX.
- DST: commercial multi-needle machines (Tajima and most others). Thread colours come from the production sheet.
- XXX: some older Singer models. Check your manual.
Every download has all six formats in every size, so you don't have to choose before you buy. More detail in embroidery file formats and embroidery hoop sizes.
How to get the file onto the machine
- Unzip the download on your computer.
- Copy the one file your machine reads, in the size you want, to a USB stick. Some machines only read sticks up to a certain size, so a small one is safest.
- Plug the stick into the machine and open the design from the embroidery screen.
Newer Brother models (the PE545, SE700, PE900, SE2000, NQ1700E and NQ3550W) can also receive designs over Wi-Fi with Brother's Design Database Transfer software or the Artspira app. The PR680W takes a USB cable or Wi-Fi too.
Try a free design first
The holly sprig, the snowflake, the glass ornament and the Christmas dachshund are free with just your email, in 4 × 4 and 5 × 7, so they fit almost every machine above. See them all in free machine embroidery designs.
Free 
FreeDeck the Halls: Holly Sprig
Embroidery file · 122×149 mmFree 
FreeHello Winter: Snowflake with Holly
Embroidery file · 122×161 mmFree 
FreeDachshund Christmas Embroidery Design: Santa Hat and Scarf
Embroidery file · 150×144 mm
Questions
My machine isn't in the table. How do I check?
Look up its largest embroidery field in the manual (it's usually in the specifications, in millimetres) and compare it with the design's size on the design page. If the design is smaller in both directions, it fits in one hooping.
Can I make a design bigger to fill my hoop?
Pick the version made for your hoop instead. Each of our sizes is digitized on its own, with the density and detail set for that size. Enlarging a file on the machine usually just stretches the existing stitches, so fills open up and outlines get loose.
Can I stitch an 8 × 12 design on a 5 × 7 machine?
Not in one hooping. Use the 5 × 7 version of the same design, which every lettered Heirloom design has.
Do I pay for each size?
No. One price, $0.99 to $2.99 a design, covers every size and all six formats.