Best Thread for Beading: When to Use Nylon vs Fishing Line

Selecting the best thread for your seed bead projects depends on the beading stitch, bead size and the project. Beading thread falls into two main categories: nylon thread and fishing-line style threads. Each behaves differently while stitching and in the finished beadwork.

Nylon vs. Fishing Line Thread for Beading

Nylon beading threads such as Nymo and KO are flexible yet strong, with slight stretch and soft drape. They are well suited for fringe, beaded ropes, tassels, soft bracelets and bead embroidery. They are available in many colors but may require thread conditioner to reduce tangling or fraying, depending on the brand.

Fishing-line style threads such as FireLine and WildFire are strong, resist fraying and have little stretch. They do not require conditioning and maintain consistent tension while stitching. They are used for a variety of bead weaving stitches and loom beadwork, particularly for projects such as rings, bezels and structured bracelets where firmness and durability are important.

The right thread choice depends on your stitch, bead size and the functional requirements of the finished piece, such as movement for fringe or durability for rings and bezels. The sections below explain the differences between specific nylon and fishing-line brands in more detail.

Nylon Thread for Beadwork

Nylon beading thread is very popular and available in a variety of sizes and colors depending on the manufacturer. Nymo brand is one of the most popular and widely available. Other popular brands are SoNo, K.O.,  and Silamide. Some nylon threads, like Nymo, were made to use for upholstery, while others are made specifically for beadwork.

In general, nylon thread is supple and has a small amount of give or stretch. Depending on the brand, it may benefit from using a thread conditioner or it may be pre-conditioned. Nylon threads are lightweight and can tangle so using thread conditioner or buying a thread that is already conditioned helps to prevent this. 

Thread conditioner also helps limit abrasion as the thread is pulled through the beads. Beeswax is a thread conditioner or there are specialty products available like Thread Magic. Nylon thread frays and it can be easy to split the thread with your needle when doing some stitches, like brick stitch.  Splitting the thread may not seem like a big deal when you first start bead weaving, but it weakens your beadwork and makes it difficult to un-do stitches if you make a mistake.

Thread tension tends to be a little looser with nylon beading thread versus fishing line. Beeswax because it is slightly sticky can improve tension with nylon thread. It can also get gunky, so running your thread across the beeswax once or twice, then running your fingers over the thread to smooth it out and remove larger pieces will help get a smooth even application.

There is some down side to nylon bead thread, BUT there is no other thread that works as well when you need to make fringe.  It makes soft, supple, flowing fringe like no fishing line can make.  Other bead weaving stitches are also softer when made with nylon thread. And it's very economical. My favorite nylon thread for making bead fringe is K.O. bead thread. You can read my review of K.O. bead thread at that link.

One quick note about Nymo - the thread on the bobbin is different from the thread on the cone. My experience is that the bobbin thread thinner and is more prone to fraying. I personally only use Nymo from the large cone. Yes, it's a bigger investment but I have had the same two cones (tan and black) for ages.

The most popular size nylon bead thread is size D. I compare it to ordering a size medium. It works for most situations. If you compare it to other threads, size D has 8.5 lbs of tensile weight and is .3048 mm in size. K.O. bead thread that I like so much for bead fringe is much thinner, with a tensile strength of 4lbs and .15mm. You can see a chart of the details of different nylon and fishing line thread from Fire Mountain Gems at the link. The chart includes monofilament, nylon, silk, stretch elastic and other materials. It is very helpful.

Nylon Thread Details

Nymo thread: a great all purpose nylon beading thread. The thread on a cone is different and is much better than the bobbins which tend to fray. Look at the label to make sure the thread says it is 'bonded' because I have read that it frays less.

SoNo thread: a non-stretch, non-fraying but pricey nylon beading thread that comes in a variety of colors

K.O. bead thread: supple, non-stretch beading thread that is great for fringe, but may be a bit soft for other stitches.

Silamide: 2 ply waxed nylon thread, comes on a card instead of a spool.

Beeswax Thread Conditioner: Beeswax adds body and protects thread from fraying. It also adds stiffness but it can clog bead holes. You can find it in packaging that makes it easy to apply to your thread.

Thread Magic: This conditioning wax was designed specifically for sewing and beadwork. Reduces thread drag, prevents fraying, is clear and non-sticky.

Fishing Line Thread for Beadwork

Fishing line types of thread are more expensive than nylon thread but they don't tangle as easily, hold tension well, do not need conditioning and are very durable and strong. They come in  limited colors, however. 

To me, they are perfect for beginners just learning to bead, although it is better for some stitches than others (remember what I said about fringe above!)

The original fishing line used for beadwork is mono-filament, a clear slippery thread. There are more options today - some braided and thermally bonded. 

Some fishing line is distributed as a beading thread and a fishing line, so if you buy FireLine branded by BeadSmith as a beading thread, it is the same thread sold by Berkley as fishing line. It is usually cheaper to buy the fishing line. 

FireLine is arguably the most popular fishing line used for beading thread. Other brands are WildFire, PowerPro, DandyLine, and  NanoFil.  Note that these are affiliate links for finding these products on Amazon where you can view the details of each thread.

Another fishing line I have recently tried and really liked is Hercules braided fishing line. (affiliate link). Hercules comes in 9 different fade proof colors and multiple sizes. I tried several different sizes and colors of Hercules thread and found it to work great for the brick stitch body AND fringe on earrings. It is unusual for fishing line to work well for fringe, so that is a game changer. You can find my review of Hercules brand thread at this link.

It is tough to pierce fishing line type thread and it doesn't fray.  In fact, it is difficult to cut fishing lines and it can dull your thread scissors quickly - I was always told a cheap pair of kids scissors will work for this purpose. Personally, I prefer these thread snippers from Amazon. They allow you to trim very close to your beadwork project and have a satisfying feel and sound when you make a cut (not sure why, but I really like that). I bought a box of 12 of them, and now I have one in every work area, plus I've gifted a few to my beading friends.  

Fishing line size is expressed in the number of pounds. Sizes most often used in beadwork are 6 lb. or 8 lb., but 4 lb. is also useful (some people use it for fringe even) and 10 lb works for larger beads or ones with larger holes.

I will post more articles on which thread types are my favorite for which purposes, but for now, my go-to Nylon thread is Nymo on the cone in either tan or black in size D. This choice may be somewhat influenced by the fact that I have huge cones of it though.

I like FireLine in Smoke Gray, 6 lb or 8 lb. FireLine works well for the brick stitch (or sometimes peyote) top portions of fringe earrings. It also work well for herringbone, including tubular herringbone, netted mandalas and other beaded ropes, beaded beads or chains. 

*Note that these were my original favorite threads - more recently I have come to love K.O. nylon thread for it's suppleness in fringe and Hercules fishing line for all around bead weaving and even some stringing.

I have heard some people use 4 lb FireLine for fringe, but I have not tried that myself. Let me know if the comments if you have and like it.

Since writing this article, I have become a big fan of KO Beading thread - especially for making bead fringe. You can read about it in this article K.O. Beading Thread Review

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