An eyelet is a small metal reinforcement around a hole in the material. It protects fabric, leather, or tarpaulins from tearing when cords, ribbons, hooks, or carabiners are threaded through or attached. In short: eyelets make holes durable and ensure a neat appearance.
Our metal eyelets cover applications from fashion & accessories to tarpaulins and technical textiles. On this page, we show you which type of eyelet is suitable for which application and which tools and presses you need for processing. Technical details such as sizes, materials, and finishes can be selected later on the respective product pages.
Jump directly to the relevant section:
Standard eyelets are the classic choice for many applications in clothing, bags, and accessories.
DIN eyelets are designed for applications where it needs to be robust and reliable.
The following examples help you find the suitable eyelet variant for your project. The specific size choice is then made on the product pages.
| Use / Project | Materials | Recommended Type | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clothing & Accessories | thin to medium fabrics, sweat fabric, denim | mostly standard eyelets | Focus on appearance, feel, and washability |
| Bags & light leather goods | canvas, faux leather, thin leather | standard eyelets, possibly DIN eyelets for higher loads | Check load from straps and belts |
| Heavy bags, straps & backpacks | thick leather, multilayer fabrics | standard or DIN eyelets (depending on load) | Choose DIN eyelets for high tensile forces |
| Curtains & room dividers | upholstery fabrics, decorative fabrics, blackout materials | standard eyelets | Partial moisture possible, consider material choice |
| Tarpaulins & sun sails | tarpaulin, coated fabrics | DIN eyelets | strong tensile forces and weather exposure |
| Advertising banners & technical textiles | mesh banners, technical fabrics | DIN eyelets | permanent load, focus on safety & durability |
Eyelets are an integral part of many clothing items and accessories. Typical examples:
What matters here:
Recommendation: For clothing and accessories, in most cases standard eyelets are the right choice. On the standard eyelet product page, you will find notes on which sizes are suitable, e.g., for cords, bands, or decorative purposes.
In this area, eyelets are used wherever straps, belts, or heavier materials need to be held:
What matters here:
Recommendation: For decorative uses and moderate loads (e.g., light handbags, cases), standard eyelets are often sufficient. If high tensile forces act on the eyelet (e.g., heavy backpack, heavily loaded straps), DIN eyelets are often the safer choice – especially with frequent or rough use.
The question of the exact size is answered on the respective product pages with practical notes.
Here, eyelets are usually subjected to strong, permanent stress and exposed to weather. Typical examples:
What matters here:
Recommendation: For this area, DIN eyelets are usually the first choice because they are designed for higher loads. Combined with suitable materials (e.g., rust-free variants, depending on the range), you get a solution that can withstand harsh conditions.
Which sizes have typically proven themselves in these areas can again be found on the DIN eyelets product page.
Regardless of the eyelet type (standard or DIN), the material plays an important role – especially regarding corrosion protection and magnetism.
Which materials are specifically available in our range can be found in the product descriptions of the standard and DIN eyelets.
Depending on the product, various finishes and colors are available, e.g., nickel-plated, brass-colored, black, or antique looks. They influence both the appearance and corrosion protection.
Eyelets alone are not enough – for processing, you always need the appropriate tool (inserts) and in many cases a press. Our products are coordinated and form a system of eyelet, tool, press, and possibly set.
For standard eyelets, you usually need: eyelets, a suitable eyelet tool, a press and a hole tool. For DIN eyelets, you need: DIN eyelets, a suitable DIN eyelet tool, and a suitable press (not TEP-2) – without an additional hole tool.
In our "Tools" category, you will find special inserts that are screwed into a press to set our eyelets.
Important: These tools are inserts for our presses. So you need either:
Our presses facilitate processing and ensure repeatable results.
If you mainly want to process standard eyelets, any of our presses will give you flexibility. For DIN eyelets, make sure to avoid the TEP-2 model when choosing a press.
For beginners, our press sets are recommended. They usually combine a suitable press with tools and eyelets, so you can start right away:
The sets thus combine press, tool, and matching eyelets into a complete solution – ideal if you are looking for a complete starter package.
View press sets for standard eyelets View press sets for DIN eyelets
DIN eyelets are self-cutting. This means:
For clothing, accessories, and many bags, standard eyelets are usually sufficient as long as the load is moderate. If your eyelets are heavily loaded, used permanently in motion, or outdoor (tarpaulins, banners, technical textiles), DIN eyelets are often the better choice.
A compact overview can be found above in the section “Which eyelets suit my project?”.
This category page deliberately focuses on the differences between standard and DIN eyelets as well as typical applications and the interaction with tools and presses. The specific size choice and notes on which sizes are suitable for what can be found in detail on the product pages of the standard and DIN eyelets.
For professional and repeatable results, a press with a suitable insert is ideal. Depending on the equipment, some applications can also be done with setting tools, but processing with a press is usually more comfortable and gentler on the material.
More about the system logic can be found in the section “Compatibility & Systems”.
For standard eyelets, you can use all our presses. For DIN eyelets, you can use all presses except the TEP-2.
Details can also be found in the section “Compatibility & Systems” and in the product descriptions of the presses.
In the “Tools” category, you will find eyelet tools (inserts) sorted by eyelet type and size. Use the following as a guide:
The product descriptions of the tools indicate which eyelets they are suitable for and with which presses they can be combined.
We cannot guarantee that. Unlike DIN eyelets, standard eyelets are generally not standardized. Due to differing dimensions, geometries, and tolerances, it can happen that our standard eyelets do not work optimally or securely with tools from other manufacturers. For a reliable result, we recommend always processing our eyelets with the tools and presses from our range designed for them.
