Linen thread is considered the strongest and highest quality sewing thread used for bookbinding. It comes on a 50 gram spool (~175 yards). When using 18/3 thread, we recommend using the #1 needle (larger eye and needle diameter) or #3 needle (smaller eye and needle diameter). Note: It is a little more difficult to thread the needle through the eye of a #3 needle, but the smaller diameter makes a smaller hole when sewing. An 18/3 thread is approximately 0.55 mm in thickness.

With all our threads, the first number is the gauge (i.e. thickness) the second number is the number of strands or ply. Like with electrical wire, the larger the gauge the thinner the thread. A 25/3 thread and an 18/3 thread are both 3 ply, but the 25/3 is overall thinner. 25/3 is a standard in-between thickness and the most popular for hand bookbinding.