Janome states its embroidery fields in millimeters, which makes the Memory Craft pair easy to compare. The Memory Craft 500E lists 280 x 200 mm and the Memory Craft 550E lists 200 x 360 mm. The rows below come from Janome Australia’s product pages (the maker’s regional site), because Janome’s U.S. site refuses automated reading. We rechecked them on November 8, 2026. Part numbers on the U.S. site may differ, so confirm with a Janome dealer before you order.
Field size
| Machine | Field as published | Field in mm | Hoop the maker says comes with it | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janome Memory Craft 500E | 280x200mm | 280 x 200 | Hoop RE28b 280x200mm (with template); Hoop SQ20b 200x200mm (with template) | Janome Australia product page (the maker's regional site) |
| Janome Memory Craft 550E | 200 x 360mm | 200 x 360 | not published on that page | Janome Australia product page (the maker's regional site) |
The 550E field is the taller one: Janome’s page puts it at 360 mm on the long side against 280 mm for the 500E. Both are 200 mm on the short side. That is a 29 percent longer field in a similar-width hoop.
Hoops in the box
On Janome’s 500E page, the standard accessories list the RE28b hoop (280 x 200 mm) and the SQ20b hoop (200 x 200 mm), both with templates, plus eight magnetic clamps for the RE28b. The 550E page says the machine includes four hoops, but the accessory list on that page repeats the same two hoops as the 500E and does not name the other two. Because the page contradicts itself, we do not list included hoops for the 550E. Check the box contents with the dealer.
Optional hoops with part numbers
The 500E page lists these hoops as optional accessories:
| Maker part | What the maker's page calls it | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 864405001 | Hoop RE20b (140 x 200mm) | Janome Australia product page (the maker's regional site) |
| 864406002 | Hoop SQ14b (140 x 140mm) | Janome Australia product page (the maker's regional site) |
| 864407003 | Hoop RE10b (100 x 40mm) | Janome Australia product page (the maker's regional site) |
| 200335003 | Hoop HH10b (100 x 90mm) | Janome Australia product page (the maker's regional site) |
The 550E page lists these:
| Maker part | What the maker's page calls it | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 864405001 | HOOP RE20b (140 x 200mm) | Janome Australia product page (the maker's regional site) |
| 864406002 | Hoop SQ14b (140 x 140mm) | Janome Australia product page (the maker's regional site) |
| 864407003 | Hoop RE10b (100 x 40mm) | Janome Australia product page (the maker's regional site) |
| 200335003 | Hoop HH10b (100 x 90mm) | Janome Australia product page (the maker's regional site) |
The 500E page also lists an AcuFil quilting kit with an ASQ18b hoop (184 x 184 mm). Hoop codes end in a letter, and Janome does not say on these pages that hoops with different letters are interchangeable, so match the whole code to your model. Janome’s Memory Craft 9850 page, for example, lists RE20a (170 x 200 mm), and the Continental M17 lists RE46d, SQ28d, RE20d and SQ10d. Our full table shows each.
How this compares with Brother
The Janome 500E field (about 11 x 7.9 inches) is much larger than the 5 x 7 inch fields on Brother’s PE900 and SE2000. We cover that trade-off in the 500E versus PE900 comparison . To test a design against either Janome, pick it in the calculator .
Where to buy
Amazon links are affiliate links and we earn from qualifying purchases. The 550E link goes to the listing we matched to that exact model; the 500E link is a search.
Sources
- Janome Australia: Memory Craft 500E
- Janome Australia: Memory Craft 550E
- Janome Australia: Memory Craft 9850
- Janome Australia: Continental M17
This is desk research from published pages. We did not test these machines or hoops.