Quick answer: Garment-size seamless knitting is dominated by Santoni of Brescia, Italy, part of the Lonati Group, whose parent group states it meets 97% of worldwide demand for seamlesswear machines. A few other companies build machines for the same job: Zhejiang Rifa and Sintelli (XINDA) in China, and Wellknit, founded in Taiwan with its production base in Quanzhou. Names such as Mayer & Cie, Terrot, Orizio and Pai Lung also make circular knitting machines, but theirs knit fabric by the roll for cutting and sewing — a different technology.
How we ranked them
A factory choosing machines, or a brand checking a factory, can verify three things: how complete a maker’s range of garment-size machines is, how fully it publishes the specifications, and how long it has been building seamless-garment machines. We ranked on those three. The order is our editorial judgement from those criteria; the figures are the makers’ own.
The ranking
1. Santoni (Italy) — the industry standard
Founded in 1919 as Italy’s first hosiery-machine maker, Santoni has been part of the Lonati Group since 1989. The group describes it as the leader in electronic circular machines for seamless garments. The SM8-TOP2V, the model most of our own knitting floor runs, is a single-jersey electronic machine with 8 feeds and two points of needle-by-needle selection per feed. It is offered from 11 to 22 inches in diameter and in machine gauges from 16 to 40 needles per inch. Santoni’s current seamless range also includes the SM8-TOP1VS, SM8-TOP2ST, SM8-TOP4J, SM8-TR1S and SM4-TL2, plus the double-jersey SM-DJTE and SM-DJ2T.
2. Zhejiang Rifa (China) — a dedicated seamless underwear series
Rifa is a textile-machinery group in Xinchang, Zhejiang, founded in 2002; its circular and seamless knitting machines are made by a subsidiary incorporated in 2009. The RFSM20 and RFSM30 are listed from 12 to 20 inches in cylinder diameter at 16 to 32 needles per inch, with 8 feeds on every diameter. Rifa’s brochure names underwear, underpants, bras and sportswear among their uses.
3. Sintelli / XINDA (China) — body-size double jersey
XINDA started in Jinjiang, Fujian, in 1997 and sells its machines under the Sintelli name. Its ST-BSDJ body-size double-jersey machine is listed from 1 to 22 inches in cylinder diameter and 4 to 32 gauge, with seamless T-shirts, underwear, nightwear and women’s leggings named as applications.
4. Wellknit (Taiwan / Quanzhou) — underwear and tights
Wellknit was founded in Taiwan in 1987 and has built its machines in Quanzhou, Fujian, since 1995. Its EMJY-AP seamless underwear machine comes in 12- to 17-inch sizes for adult garments and 8 inches for babywear, at 16 to 40 gauge. Wellknit lists underwear, outerwear, swimwear and sportswear among the uses.
Two Lonati Group names often come up alongside these. Lonati itself builds sock and hosiery machines, and Sangiacomo is described by the group as a long-standing sock-machine maker. For seamless garments, the group’s brand is Santoni.
The four side by side
| Maker | Based in | Example models | Diameters, as published | Gauge, as published | Uses the maker names |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santoni | Brescia, Italy | SM8-TOP2V, SM8-TOP4J, SM4-TL2, SM-DJTE | SM8-TOP2V: 11–22″ | SM8-TOP2V: 16–40 npi | Underwear, sportswear, beachwear, outerwear, medical wear |
| Zhejiang Rifa | Xinchang, Zhejiang, China | RFSM20, RFSM30 | 12–20″ | 16–32 npi | Underwear, underpants, bras, sportswear |
| Sintelli (XINDA) | Jinjiang, Fujian, China | ST-BSDJ | 1–22″ | 4–32G | Seamless T-shirts, underwear, nightwear, women’s leggings |
| Wellknit | Taiwan; built in Quanzhou, Fujian | EMJY-AP | 8″ (baby), 12–17″ (adult) | 16–40G | Underwear, outerwear, swimwear, sportswear |
Published ranges are not like-for-like: each maker lists different models, and a range such as 1–22 inches covers several machine sizes rather than one machine. Use the table to see who builds what, then ask for the exact configuration you need.
Not the same machine: large-diameter circular knitting
Look up circular knitting machines and you will also meet Mayer & Cie (Albstadt, Germany, since 1905), Terrot (Germany, founded 1862), Orizio (Italy) and Pai Lung (Taiwan, founded 1977). They are major names in a different business. Their machines — Mayer & Cie’s own selector lists diameters up to 48 inches — knit continuous fabric by the roll, which is then cut into panels and sewn. A seamless machine is smaller and knits each garment as a shaped tube, with the waistband and compression zones built in. One connection worth knowing: Terrot’s own website describes it as a member of Santoni.
How to read a seamless machine specification
| Figure | What it means | Why a brand should care |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter (inches) | The size of the needle cylinder, which sets the circumference of the knitted tube | It decides which body sizes a style can be knitted in; a wide size range can need two cylinder sizes |
| Machine gauge (npi or G) | How many needles sit in an inch of the cylinder | Higher gauge knits a finer, smoother surface; lower gauge gives more visible structure |
| Needle gauge (gg) | The thickness of the needles themselves | Not the same as machine gauge — Santoni publishes both, so do not compare one with the other |
| Feeds | How many yarn feeding points the cylinder passes on each turn | More feeds mean more courses per revolution and more room for patterning |
The difference between gauge and diameter, and what each does to hand-feel and sizing, is covered in depth in our machine gauge guide.
What to ask a factory
A real seamless factory can answer four questions in one line: which brand, which models, which gauges and which cylinder diameters — and how many machines. Ours: 50 Santoni seamless machines, mainly the SM8-TOP2V, in 28G and 32G, with cylinders from 17 to 21 inches. The full list, including the cutting and sewing floor, is on our seamless manufacturing page. A supplier that cannot name its machines is often not knitting in-house.
Sources
| Source | What it establishes here |
|---|---|
| Lonati Group — textile division | Santoni founded 1919, in the group since 1989; the 97% statement; Lonati and Sangiacomo roles |
| Santoni — SM8-TOP2V brochure | Diameters, machine gauge, needle gauge, feeds |
| Zhejiang Rifa — 2023 seamless underwear machine series | RFSM20/30 diameters, gauge, feeds and stated uses; company founding |
| Sintelli (XINDA) — body-size machine page | ST-BSDJ diameters, gauge and applications |
| Wellknit — company profile | Founded in Taiwan in 1987; Quanzhou base since 1995 |
| Mayer & Cie — machine selection | Large-diameter ranges up to 48 inches |
| Terrot — company history | Founded 1862; “Member of Santoni” in the site footer |
FAQ
Who makes seamless knitting machines?
Garment-size seamless knitting is led by Santoni of Brescia, Italy, part of the Lonati Group, whose parent group states it meets 97% of worldwide demand for seamlesswear machines. Zhejiang Rifa and Sintelli (XINDA) in China and Wellknit, founded in Taiwan and producing in Quanzhou, also build machines that knit garments as tubes. Mayer & Cie, Terrot, Orizio and Pai Lung make large-diameter machines that knit fabric by the roll, which is a different technology.
What is the best seamless knitting machine brand?
For garment-size seamless knitting, Santoni is the industry standard: it has the widest published range of seamless models, and its parent group states it covers 97% of worldwide demand for seamlesswear machines. Other makers publish overlapping specifications for similar machines. When comparing, look beyond the brochure at service, spare parts and programming support near the factory that will run them.
What is a Santoni SM8-TOP2V?
An electronic single-jersey circular machine from Santoni for knitting seamless garments. According to Santoni’s brochure it has 8 feeds with two points of needle-by-needle selection per feed, and is offered from 11 to 22 inches in diameter and in machine gauges from 16 to 40 needles per inch. It is the main model on Yesseam’s knitting floor, which runs it in 28G and 32G.
What machine is used to make seamless leggings?
A garment-size circular seamless knitting machine, such as Santoni’s SM8 series, which knits the legging as a tube with the waistband and compression zones built in. Sintelli also lists women’s leggings as an application for its ST-BSDJ body-size machine. The cylinder diameter is chosen to suit the sizes being knitted, and the gauge to suit how fine the fabric should be.
What is the difference between a seamless machine and a large-diameter circular knitting machine?
A seamless machine is small — Santoni’s SM8-TOP2V tops out at 22 inches — and knits each garment as a shaped tube, with finished edges and zones in one piece. A large-diameter machine, up to 48 inches on Mayer & Cie’s selector, knits continuous fabric by the roll, which is then cut into panels and sewn together. The first gives seamless activewear; the second gives the fabric for cut-and-sew garments.
How much does a seamless knitting machine cost?
There is no public list price. Makers and their agents quote each machine by configuration — cylinder diameter, gauge, number of feeds and patterning capability — so two quotes for the same model can differ. Ask the maker or its regional agent for a quote on the exact specification you need.
Are Chinese seamless knitting machines as good as Santoni?
They are built for the same job and publish overlapping specifications, but a brochure cannot tell you how a machine holds up over years of production, and we have not run the other makers’ machines. In practice the difference that matters most is support: servicing, spare parts and pattern programming available near the factory. If you are assessing a factory that uses them, ask how long its machines have run and who services them.