All industrial sewing machines are categorized by type of stitch, workload, and reach. The main categories of industrial sewing machines are as follows: The lockstitch is designed for all types of fashion apparel and light-weight fabric. A type of sewing machine used commonly for decorative stitching and chain-seam stitching is the chain stitch. The overlock machine (also known as a serger) provides an edge finish, while the cover stitch is commonly used in the construction of knit garments and consists of two parallel rows of stitches.
In terms of specialized sewing machines, there are a number of different specialty machines on the market today, such as those designed for the construction of buttonholes, bartack reinforcement, zipper installation, and blind stitch machines. The structure of industrial sewing machines can be categorized into three basic bed designs, including flat-bed designs that are suitable for general sewing applications.