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In use from 1879 up to 1963

Recorded serial numbers: 27,389,327

Recorded factories:

Successor to the "New Family", was the "Improved Family", which was given the class 15 designation.

Originally patented by Singer engineer P. Diehl in 1878 (UK patent 2813, 13th July 1878), the 'Improved Family' was launched in 1879 as a treadle machine, lock stitch oscillating shuttle. It has the tension on the face plate.

By the 1890s the name 'Improved Family' had been dropped and replaced by "Class 15". In the same period, the had received a serious upgrade.

It had the most common domestic variant and also several industrial variants.

Documented Machines

(What does it mean?)

Total n.: 657

Factories:

Documented Decals:

Documented years: 1875 - 1961

Singer class 15

Table of contents

Factories

FactoryTot. MachinesDecalsYears
Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)18,172,834Sphinx (or Memphis) / Eye and Trefoils / Scrolls and Roses / RAF / Sphinx Variant (Indian Star) / Painted Roses and Daisies Variant (Potentilla / Apple Blossom) / Painted Daisies / Tiffany (or Gingerbread) / Filigree / Scrolls and Roses (Fiddlebed)1885–1963
18,172,747No known decal1885–1963
56Sphinx (or Memphis)1896–1950
9Eye and Trefoils1927–1953
5Scrolls and Roses1899–1920
4RAF1912–1930
4Sphinx Variant (Indian Star)1941–1957
3Painted Roses and Daisies Variant (Potentilla / Apple Blossom)1893–1906
3Painted Daisies1885–1893
1Tiffany (or Gingerbread) 1910
1Filigree1914
1Scrolls and Roses (Fiddlebed)1893
Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)8,918,900Eye and Trefoils / Tiffany (or Gingerbread) / Sphinx (or Memphis) / Painted Roses and Daisies Variant (Potentilla / Apple Blossom) / Owl / RAF / Sphinx Variant (Indian Star) / Pheasant / Painted Daisies / Scrolls and Roses / Floral Variant (Forget-me-not) / Floral (Fiddlebed) / Scrolls and Roses (Fiddlebed) / Pearled / Wild Rose / Filigree / Eye and Trapezoids / Early 20th Century Industrial / Painted Roses and Daisies (Flowers)1875–1957
8,918,771No known decal1879–1957
36Eye and Trefoils1932–1955
33Tiffany (or Gingerbread) 1904–1927
10Sphinx (or Memphis)1896–1921
7Painted Roses and Daisies Variant (Potentilla / Apple Blossom)1886–1890
6Owl1894–1898
6RAF1934–1938
5Sphinx Variant (Indian Star)1941
4Pheasant1900–1907
4Painted Daisies1888–1893
4Scrolls and Roses1875–1904
3Floral Variant (Forget-me-not)1883
3Floral (Fiddlebed)1886–1888
2Scrolls and Roses (Fiddlebed)1890
1Pearled1883
1Wild Rose1884
1Filigree1951
1Eye and Trapezoids1956
1Early 20th Century Industrial1897
1Painted Roses and Daisies (Flowers)1886
St. John's Factory, Quebec (Canada)278,409Eye and Trefoils / Tiffany (or Gingerbread) / RAF / Gold Wings / Pheasant1906–1954
278,304No known decal1906–1954 - 1961
95Eye and Trefoils1924 - 1936–1954 - 1961
5Tiffany (or Gingerbread) 1910–1924 - 1936
3RAF1936 - 1948
1Gold Wings1924 - 1936
1Pheasant1910
Montreal (Canada)14,850Pheasant / Sphinx (or Memphis)1900–1906
14,848No known decal1900–1906
1Pheasant1905
1Sphinx (or Memphis)1901
Monza (Italy)4,202Eye and Trefoils / Eye and Trapezoids / Leaf Vines / Sphinx (or Memphis)1934–1956
4,092No known decal1934-1938–1956
77Eye and Trefoils1934-1943–1949-1952
29Eye and Trapezoids1934-1992–1952-1992
2Leaf Vines1934-1992
2Sphinx (or Memphis)1934-1992
Bonnières-sur-Seine (France)104Eye and Trefoils1935–1961
96No known decal1935-1986–1961
8Eye and Trefoils1935-1951–1935-1986
Wittenberge, Prussia (Germany)17Tiffany (or Gingerbread) / Eye and Trefoils / Filigree / Red Eye1904–1936
6Tiffany (or Gingerbread) 1904–1904 - 1940
5Eye and Trefoils1904 - 1940–1936 ?
3Filigree1904 - 1940
2No known decal1904 - 1940
1Red Eye1904 - 1940
Podolsk (Russia)3Eye and Trefoils / Sphinx (or Memphis)1911–1937
2Eye and Trefoils1911-2000–1937
1Sphinx (or Memphis)1911-2000
Bridgeport, Connecticut (USA)1Sphinx (or Memphis)1950
Campinas (Brazil)1Eye and Trefoils1954
Karlsruhe (Germany)1Eye and Trapezoids1954
Querétaro (Mexico)1—1958
Taytay (Philippines)1—1959
Utsunomiya (Japan)1RAF1956

Decals

DecalTot. MachinesFactoriesYears
Eye and Trefoils233St. John's Factory, Quebec (Canada) / Monza (Italy) / Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA) / Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK) / Bonnières-sur-Seine (France) / Wittenberge, Prussia (Germany) / Podolsk (Russia) / Campinas (Brazil)1904–1955
95St. John's Factory, Quebec (Canada)1924 - 1936–1954 - 1961
77Monza (Italy)1934-1943–1949-1952
36Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1932–1955
9Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1927–1953
8Bonnières-sur-Seine (France)1935-1951–1935-1986
5Wittenberge, Prussia (Germany)1904 - 1940–1936 ?
2Podolsk (Russia)1911-2000–1937
1Campinas (Brazil)1954-2005
Sphinx (or Memphis)73Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK) / Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA) / Monza (Italy) / Montreal (Canada) / Bridgeport, Connecticut (USA) / Podolsk (Russia)1896–1950
56Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1896–1950
10Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1896–1921
2Monza (Italy)1934-1992
2No known factory1896–1899
1Montreal (Canada)1901
1Bridgeport, Connecticut (USA)1950
1Podolsk (Russia)1911-2000
Tiffany (or Gingerbread) 45Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA) / Wittenberge, Prussia (Germany) / St. John's Factory, Quebec (Canada) / Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1904–1927
33Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1904–1927
6Wittenberge, Prussia (Germany)1904–1904 - 1940
5St. John's Factory, Quebec (Canada)1910–1924 - 1936
1Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1910
Eye and Trapezoids31Monza (Italy) / Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA) / Karlsruhe (Germany)1934–1956
29Monza (Italy)1934-1992–1952-1992
1Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1956
1Karlsruhe (Germany)1954 - 1982
RAF14Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA) / Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK) / St. John's Factory, Quebec (Canada) / Utsunomiya (Japan)1912–1956
6Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1934–1938
4Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1912–1930
3St. John's Factory, Quebec (Canada)1936 - 1948
1Utsunomiya (Japan)1956-2000
Painted Roses and Daisies Variant (Potentilla / Apple Blossom)10Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA) / Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1886–1906
7Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1886–1890
3Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1893–1906
Scrolls and Roses9Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK) / Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1875–1920
5Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1899–1920
4Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1875–1904
Sphinx Variant (Indian Star)9Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA) / Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1941–1957
5Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1941
4Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1941–1957
Painted Daisies7Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA) / Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1885–1893
4Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1888–1893
3Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1885–1893
Owl6Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1894–1898
Pheasant6Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA) / Montreal (Canada) / St. John's Factory, Quebec (Canada)1900–1910
4Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1900–1907
1Montreal (Canada)1905
1St. John's Factory, Quebec (Canada)1910
Filigree5Wittenberge, Prussia (Germany) / Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK) / Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1904–1951
3Wittenberge, Prussia (Germany)1904 - 1940
1Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1914
1Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1951
Floral (Fiddlebed)3Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1886–1888
Floral Variant (Forget-me-not)3Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1883
Scrolls and Roses (Fiddlebed)3Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA) / Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1890–1893
2Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1890
1Kilbowie, Clydebank (Scotland, UK)1893
Leaf Vines2Monza (Italy)1934
Early 20th Century Industrial1Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1897
Gold Wings1St. John's Factory, Quebec (Canada)1924
Painted Roses and Daisies (Flowers)1Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1886
Pearled1Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1883
Red Eye1Wittenberge, Prussia (Germany)1904
Wild Rose1Elizabethport, New Jersey (USA)1884

Manuals and Lists of Spare Parts

Manuals

15

Model 15-80

Model 15-86

Model 15-88

Model 15-89

Model 15-90

Model 15-91

Model 15-96

Model 15-98

Model 15-110

Model 15-125

Search for more manuals

Lists of spare parts

Model 15-1

Model 15-11

Model 15-22

Model 15-30

Model 15-41

Model 15-43

Search for more spare parts lists

About the data shown here

The information here about decals is based on “Documented Machines” currently recorded in our database. We currently do not have an official Singer source about which decals were in use where, when and on which machines.

The information about factories and serials, instead, is based on the official Singer factory records that survived, plus the “Documented machines” we could verify.

Our dataset is continuously growing as new machines are documented and shared by collectors and researchers. As a result, the details presented here should be considered indicative and may be updated over time.

Contributions are very welcome: if you own or know of a vintage Singer machine, please feel free to submit information via the form or contact us to help improve and expand this research.

Do you want instead to identify your Singer sewing machine age and/or model? You can use our Singer Serial Number Database Lookup.