Thread Storage: How to Store Sewing and Embroidery Thread

What thread makers say about storage

Three pages from two thread makers give the rules.

WonderFil (Canada). Its FAQ on thread care: “Store threads in a cool, dry environment to protect from moisture, heat, and UV light. Covered racks, drawers, or sealed containers extend life and maintain quality.” On covering spools: “Covering spools with boxes, bags, or rack covers prevents dust buildup and fading from light exposure, especially important for bright colors and metallics.” For metallic threads it advises sealed bags, away from humidity and sunlight.¹

WonderFil (Europe). Its blog explains why: with sunlight on the thread for hours every day, “the UV light can speed up the breakdown of the thread fibres, leading to weakened thread that breaks more easily after years of exposure”, and the light “can also cause the thread color to fade on the exposed surface, especially with red colors”. On dust: it “won’t impact the quality of the thread itself”, but “it can come off while you’re sewing with it in the machine, adding to the lint build up inside”. Its advice: “Choose a home storage container with opaque drawers or boxes”, in a location “that isn’t too hot and dry, like near your furnace, but also away from direct water exposure”: in other words, not by the furnace and not where water can reach it.³

AMANN (maker of Mettler). It is more cautious: “it is not possible to make a general statement about the optimal storage” of its threads, and “Under normal storage conditions, there are no known adverse effects on the quality”. It still recommends “a cool, dry and dark place: in the original sales packaging, protected from dirt, protected from direct sunlight, protected from high humidity”, at “temperatures not exceeding 25°C if possible”, and using the oldest thread first.²

The two makers do not agree on everything: WonderFil talks of sealed or airtight containers, AMANN of the original packaging. Both say cool, dry, dark and clean.

Which storage for which thread

Thread storage by type

Storage	Holds	Capacity (maker)	Closed?
Wooden rack (Dritz 11164)	Standard spools, bobbins	60 spools7	Open
Thread reel box (Prym 612730)	Standard spools	2 to 48 compartments8	Closed, transparent
Thread box (ArtBin Super Satchel)	Sewing and machine embroidery spools	30 to 224 spools by size9	Closed, translucent
Spool case (Madeira 4016)	Machine embroidery spools	16 mini cones or 32 barrel spools10	Closed
Cone tray (ArtBin 6901AB)	Serger cones, mini cones	25 spools or up to 50 mini cones4	Open tray; its box is sold separately
Floss box (ArtBin Floss Finder)	Hand embroidery floss on cards	4 compartments, 12 dividers6	Closed, translucent
Storage cabinet (Kangaroo Kiwi)	Thread in drawers, plus tools	2 drawers with thread racks11	Closed drawers

These are starting points chosen from what each maker publishes, not a ranking: we have not tested them. A transparent or translucent box keeps dust out but not light: keep it in a cupboard or on a shelf out of the sun.

A thread storage rack for the wall

New Mexico State University’s guide to a sewing center calls thread storage “often more than a small problem”, and suggests visible solutions: “A pegboard is an easy and visible solution. Special thread racks can be purchased to hang on the wall or set on storage shelves.”⁵ That is the convenient end of the choice; the thread makers’ advice on light applies to it.

Hardwood rack for a wall or a shelf

Dritz Wooden Thread Rack

Item

11164

Capacity

60 standard spools

Spindles

1 1/4 in. long, 1 3/8 in. apart

Size

15 3/4 x 13 1/8 in.

Strengths

• Dritz: holds 60 standard thread spools
• Also suits metal or plastic bobbins, says Dritz
• Spindle length and spacing published

Drawbacks

• Open to light and dust
• Spacing made for standard spools, not cones
• The Amazon.com listing does not ship to Canada, so we link to Dritz

Good fit: you want everyday spools in view, on a wall away from windows.
Skip it if: you store serger cones, or colours you rarely use.

Dritz: it “holds 60 standard thread spools” and is “Suitable for storing metal or plastic bobbins”.⁷

Thread storage boxes and cases

A closed container keeps thread clean and, if it is opaque or kept in a cupboard, dark. Check the spool size each one is built for.

Latched box with two removable peg trays

ArtBin Super Satchel Thread Box

Item

6837AC

Capacity

224 spools of 20 mm, 108 of 32 mm or 30 of 45 mm

Size

15.25 x 14 x 3.5 in.

Strengths

• Capacity given by spool diameter
• Two latches and a handle
• ArtBin: takes large 1500 yard spools

Drawbacks

• Translucent: store it out of the light
• We did not find this exact box on Amazon.com, so we link to ArtBin

Good fit: you keep many sewing or machine embroidery spools and carry them to classes.
Skip it if: you store serger cones or hand embroidery floss.

ArtBin describes it for “machine and machine embroidery, sewing and quilting spools, including large 1500 yard spools”.⁹ For travel, WonderFil’s advice is the same kind of container: “padded organizers or hard‑shell cases with dividers”.¹

Transparent box with movable partitions

Prym Thread Reel Box

Item

612730

Compartments

2 to 48

Opens

on both sides

Strengths

• Colours visible through the box
• Removable partition walls

Drawbacks

• Transparent: keep it in a cupboard
• No dimensions on the page we read
• Not found as an exact listing on Amazon.com

Good fit: you want standard spools closed away and sorted by colour.
Skip it if: you have cones or large embroidery spools: the page gives no spool size.

Prym: “2 - 48 compartments for commercially available reels of thread”.⁸

Case for machine embroidery thread spools

Madeira #4016 Plastic Spool Case

Capacity

16 Mini Snap Cones or 32 barrel spools (1,100 yd)

Thread

not included

Sold by

Madeira USA (login to order)

Strengths

• Made by a thread maker for its own spools
• Madeira: keeps thread clean, dry and safe from dust

Drawbacks

• Madeira USA asks for a login to see ordering details: it is a business site
• No dimensions published
• The page calls the plastic opaque and also says you can see the colours before opening

Good fit: you use 1,100-yard embroidery spools and want a case sized for them.
Skip it if: you store serger cones or hand floss.

Madeira: “Keeps embroidery thread clean, dry and safe from dust.”¹⁰ If you use another brand of embroidery thread, check its spool shape first, and see our machine embroidery thread guide for the threads themselves.

Serger thread storage

Serger thread comes on cones, which need storage made for them. Our serger thread guide covers which thread to choose.

Tray with 25 prongs for cones and large spools

ArtBin Cone Thread Tray

Item

6901AB

Capacity

up to 25 spools, or up to 50 mini cones

Size with pegs

12.5 x 12.5 x 6.15 in.

Strengths

• Made for cones
• Fits inside an ArtBin Double Deep Super Satchel box

Drawbacks

• The tray alone is open: the box is sold separately
• ArtBin’s page states the capacity in two different ways

Good fit: you keep serger cones or mini cones of embroidery thread.
Skip it if: you only have small standard spools: a peg box holds more of them.

ArtBin names the threads it is built for: “Maxi-Lok cones, Woolley cone, King Tut 2,000 cones, and 1,100yd embroidery thread”.⁴

Hand embroidery floss: a different organizer

Searches for an “embroidery thread organizer” return two different things. Machine embroidery thread is on spools. Hand embroidery floss is stored differently, often in flat boxes made for floss bobbins.

Flat box for floss wound on cards

ArtBin Floss Finder Box

Item

6840JN

Layout

4 compartments, 12 removable dividers

Size

10.75 x 7.375 x 1.75 in.

Strengths

• Sized for floss cards
• Dividers can be moved

Drawbacks

• Floss bobbins are not included, says ArtBin
• Translucent: store it out of the light

Good fit: you do hand embroidery or cross stitch.
Skip it if: you want to store machine thread spools: the box is 1.75 inches deep.

ArtBin calls it “a perfect home for all your embroidery floss” and notes: “Floss bobbins are not included”.⁶

Thread storage drawers and cabinets

For a sewing room with a large stash, closed drawers do what the thread makers ask: dark, clean, and out of the way.

Rolling storage cabinet with thread-rack drawers

Kangaroo Kiwi Storage Cabinet

Thread

2 top drawers with removable thread racks

Closed

17 1/8 W x 21 1/4 D x 30 1/8 H in.

Open

34 3/8 W x 21 1/4 D x 29 1/2 H in.

Strengths

• Thread kept in closed drawers
• A large lower drawer
• On wheels

Drawbacks

• A piece of furniture: check the floor space
• Arrow does not ship to Quebec

Good fit: you have a sewing room and want thread, tools and an iron in one closed cabinet.
Skip it if: you have a small stash: a box costs less space.

Arrow: “2 top drawers feature removable thread racks for convenient thread storage”.¹¹ It sits beside a sewing table or cabinet: see our guides to sewing tables and sewing machine cabinets for the furniture it is made to match. A plain alternative is a set of shallow drawers you already own: New Mexico State’s guide suggests “long, narrow boxes to arrange thread in rows by color for easy visibility and access”.⁵

Buying in Canada

• WonderFil is a Canadian thread brand; the storage advice above is on its Canadian site.¹
• Arrow and Kangaroo: “We can ship to all provinces except Quebec.” Arrow recommends that Canadian customers shop on arrowsewing.ca, a site it says it does not manage; when we checked, that address redirected to Arrow’s US site.¹²
• Dritz and Prym: dritz.com offers a Canada option in its country selector; we could not confirm delivery terms.
• ArtBin and Madeira USA: we found no Canadian shipping information on the pages we read.

Our Amazon links go to Amazon.com. From Canada, check delivery and import fees on each listing before you order.