Pins are the smallest hardware in a template and the difference between a stack that stays put and one that walks apart mid-seam. Sizing them is simple once you know the two variables: length and shank type.
Length: follow the stack
Template pins come in 9, 11, 13 and 15 mm polished-tip lengths. The rule is stack height plus enough bite: a standard two-layer PVC template (base + flap + fabric) takes 9–11 mm; add layers, spacers or padded fabric and step up to 13–15 mm. Too short and the pin barely engages the bottom layer; too long and it stands proud where the machine head or the operator’s hand finds it.
Boxes run 160–500 pins by size, cartoned for production rooms — spec table on the template pins page.
Shank: smooth or ribbed anti-slip
Smooth polished pins are the default: quick in, quick out, gentle on fabric. Ribbed anti-slip pins — vertical grooves along the shank — exist for two failure modes: vibration (at automatic-machine speeds, smooth pins slowly back out of the stack; ribs lock in) and slick materials (down-jacket nylon and coated shells let smooth pins slide — the same fabrics that demand doubled grip strips; see the down jacket template solution).
The premium over smooth pins is small; rooms running automatic machines or slippery shells often standardize on ribbed and stop thinking about it.
Where pins beat clips (and vice versa)
The closure system is a team: steel quick clips own the template’s outer edges — fastest on/off, no fabric penetration (clips page); pins own the interior — through-holes in the template body where a clip cannot reach, and local hold-downs through the fabric in zones that want extra security; magnets take the spots where a protruding clip would strike the machine head.
A typical production template uses all three. The build logic is in how to make a sewing template.
Fabric care and placement
Polished tips part yarns rather than cutting them, but judgment still applies on delicate goods: pin through seam allowances or zones hidden in the finished garment, keep pin count modest and let grip strips carry the anti-creep load, and inspect tips when pins are dropped — a burred tip snags.
Purchasing math
Pins are lose-able consumables with a steady burn rate. The working pattern: one small box per active template bench as floor stock, a carton in the cabinet, reordered with the quarterly consolidated shipment — pins add nothing meaningful to freight. The full accessories checklist puts pins in context of the complete kit; include your template count and machine types in a quote request and the size/type mix comes speced.
