How are buttons classified?
Buttons are grouped two ways. The first is attachment: how the button fixes to the fabric and fastens the garment, from sew-through and shank to snap, jeans tack, and covered. The second is material, from polyester and corozo to horn, metal, and shell. Production adds a third layer, the exact spec.
The attachment family is the one that drives construction. It decides how the button is applied on the line, how strong the hold is, and how the buttonhole or opposing part is built. Material is largely a look, feel, cost, and care decision layered on top.
This guide takes attachment as the spine, then material, then the numbers a tech pack needs: size, placement, and the buttonhole that has to match.
Button types by attachment
Attachment is how a button is fixed to the garment and how it fastens. Five types cover almost everything in apparel: sew-through, shank, snap or press fasteners, jeans tack buttons, and covered buttons, with toggles and studs as close cousins.
- Sew-through buttons: the default flat button with two or four holes. Thread passes through the holes to attach it. Cheap, low-profile, and easy to apply by machine, they suit shirts, blouses, and light jackets. Leaving a small thread shank underneath lets the fabric close over a layer beneath.
- Shank buttons: have a solid loop or stem on the back instead of holes, so the thread hides underneath. The raised back gives room for thicker fabric to sit under the button, which is why coats, knitwear, and heavier jackets favour them. The shank can be moulded into the button or a separate metal loop.
- Snap and press fasteners: two interlocking discs, a socket and a stud, that click together with no buttonhole. They open and close fast, so they suit babywear, workwear, and Western shirts. They are set with a press or hand tool, not sewn.
- Jeans tack buttons: the non-sew metal buttons on denim waistbands. A two-part button, a cap and a tack that looks like a nail, is driven through a punched hole and set with a hammer or a rivet press. There is no thread, which is part of what gives denim its strength.
- Covered buttons: a metal or plastic blank wrapped in the garment's own fabric, so the button matches exactly. Common on eveningwear and tailoring. They are assembled with a simple two-part mould.
- Toggle buttons: an elongated bar, often wood or horn, fastened through a loop rather than a hole. The duffle coat is the signature use, and the look reads casual and utilitarian.
- Studs and collar buttons: removable two-part fasteners used on formal shirt fronts and detachable collars, threading through from behind so the shirt face stays clean. They belong to the same construction package as the collar and cuffs.
Button types by material
Material sets a button's look, weight, durability, care behaviour, and cost. It is chosen after attachment and sized to the garment. The main options split into natural, synthetic, and metal.
- Polyester and resin: the workhorse of mass production. Cheap, colour-matched to any shade, and stable in the wash. Most shirt and high-street buttons are polyester.
- Corozo (tagua nut): a natural nut often called vegetable ivory. It takes dye well, has a subtle grain, and is biodegradable, so it appears on premium and sustainability-led ranges.
- Horn and bone: genuine or imitation, prized on tailoring and country wear for depth and warmth. Real horn varies piece to piece, which is part of the appeal and a QC consideration.
- Metal: brass, zinc alloy, or steel, used for jeans tacks, workwear, and military-style detailing. Metal in prolonged skin contact carries a nickel-release rule, covered below.
- Shell and mother-of-pearl: cut from oyster or trochus shell, with a natural lustre. Traditional on fine shirting and luxury pieces, and heavier and more brittle than polyester.
- Wood, glass, leather, and fabric-covered: specialist and decorative options for a specific handwriting, each with its own care and durability profile.
- For lower-impact ranges, corozo and wood are natural and biodegradable, shell is a natural material, and recycled polyester and metals cut virgin input. Material also decides care: some naturals will not survive an aggressive wash, so the button has to match the garment's care label.
How buttons are sized: the ligne system
Buttons are sized in lignes, not millimetres, across the global trade. One ligne, written L, equals 0.635 mm, so 40 lignes make one inch (25.4 mm). To convert, multiply the ligne value by 0.635. A 24L button is about 15 mm.
The ligne measures the diameter of the button face. On a shank button, you measure the cap only and ignore the shank. The size appears as a number and an L on every spec sheet and purchase order, so reading it is basic fluency on a production team.
- Shirt cuffs and plackets: about 14L (9 mm).
- Dress shirt fronts: 16L to 18L (10 to 11.5 mm), and 18L is the most common shirt size.
- Trousers and knitwear: roughly 20L to 28L (12.5 to 18 mm), with knitwear at the lower end and trousers around 24L to 28L.
- Suit and jacket fronts: about 30L to 36L (19 to 23 mm), with 24L on the sleeve.
- Coats and outerwear: 36L to 45L and up (23 mm and larger).
These are conventions, not rules. Always confirm the size against the pattern and the buttonhole, since a heavier fabric or a design choice can move it.
How to spec a button in a tech pack
On a tech pack, a button is a bill-of-materials line, not a picture. A complete spec removes guesswork for the supplier and the QC team, and it is where a production-minded brand separates itself from a hobby pattern. See what a tech pack is for the full document. A button line typically carries:
- Size in lignes: the diameter, for example 18L, the single most important number.
- Material and finish: polyester, corozo, metal, and the colour or plating, matched to a physical standard or a Pantone reference.
- Attachment and construction: sew-through (2 or 4 hole) or shank, snap, or tack, plus hole count and any rim or engraving.
- Thread and stitch: thread type and the number of stitches or wraps, since a button that pulls off is a return.
- Placement and spacing: the button positions down the front, graded across the size range so spacing stays even.
- Buttonhole size: the matching buttonhole length, specced alongside the button, covered next.
- Compliance: nickel limits for metal, and attachment strength for children's wear, covered below.
This is the same discipline that governs the rest of the run, the way a seam type is specced or a component is sourced through textile manufacturing: every trim is a line with a number, a source, and a tolerance.
Buttons and buttonholes: sizing the pair
A button is only half of a closure. The buttonhole has to be sized to it, or the garment gapes or will not fasten. The standard rule is simple: buttonhole length equals the button diameter plus about 3 mm, one eighth of an inch.
For a flat button, measure the diameter and add the allowance. For a domed or thick button, add the thickness too, because the button has to pass through on its edge. A quick trick is to wrap tape over the button, then halve that length as the working size.
One more number sits alongside it. The front extension, the overlap beyond the centre line, is usually set to about the button's diameter so the closure sits correctly.
Compliance: nickel and children's safety
Two rules turn a decorative choice into a legal one. Metal buttons and rivets that touch skin are restricted for nickel release, and buttons on children's clothing must pass an attachment-strength test.
- Nickel release: in the EU, metal buttons and rivets in prolonged skin contact must release no more than 0.5 micrograms of nickel per square centimetre per week under REACH, verified by the EN 1811 test.
- Children's attachment: buttons on children's clothing are pull-tested for security of attachment to EN 17394-2, which covers sewn-on, toggle, and tack buttons. A loose button is a choking hazard.
- Small parts and coatings: decorative buttons on kidswear are also checked for small-parts and surface-chemistry limits, so novelty trims get extra scrutiny.
How to choose the right button
Work from the garment out. The garment and fabric set the attachment and size, the brand level sets the material, and the care label sets what will survive the wash. Cost and lead time are the final filter.
- Match attachment to construction: sew-through for light shirting, shank for thick coats and knits, tack for denim, snap for fast-open workwear and babywear.
- Size to the pattern: use the ligne conventions as a starting point, then confirm against the buttonhole and fabric weight.
- Choose material for level and care: polyester for volume, corozo, horn, or shell for premium, always checked against the wash.
- Spec it fully: size, material, attachment, thread, placement, buttonhole, and compliance, so the supplier builds it right the first time.
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