Free online PEC to CSV converter

Source format: PEC

PEC is a stitch pattern file format used mainly by Brother embroidery software and compatible home embroidery machines. It stores embroidery design data such as stitch paths, colors, and machine instructions. PEC files are commonly created or edited in embroidery digitizing programs and are often used when transferring designs to Brother-compatible machines or software ecosystems.

Typical use cases include machine embroidery design transfer, design editing, and previewing stitch patterns before stitching. PEC is a proprietary format in the embroidery world, so it is most useful when working with Brother-oriented tools.

Target format: CSV

CSV (comma-separated values) is a plain-text table format used to store structured data in rows and columns. It is widely supported by spreadsheet applications, databases, scripting tools, and data-processing software. CSV is simple, human-readable, and easy to import into programs such as Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc, and many programming environments.

The main advantages of CSV are compatibility, simplicity, and ease of automation. It is commonly used for data exchange, reporting, and analysis. In the context of PEC conversion, CSV is usually used to extract stitch or design metadata into a tabular form rather than to preserve the embroidery design itself.

How to perform the conversion

Converting .pec to .csv is not a standard embroidery workflow, because PEC is a design format while CSV is a data table format. The conversion is usually done by a tool that can read PEC stitch data and export it as a list of coordinates, stitch commands, thread colors, or other design attributes.

1. Open the .pec file in an embroidery application that supports PEC import and data export. Suitable desktop tools may include embroidery editors or digitizing software with export or scripting features.
2. Check whether the program can export stitch information directly to .csv. If it offers a File → Export or File → Save As option, look for CSV, stitch list, thread list, or design report output.
3. If the software does not provide direct CSV export, use a conversion utility or script that parses PEC data and writes rows for each stitch or design element. The resulting CSV may include columns such as stitch number, X/Y position, stitch type, and thread color.
4. Open the exported .csv file in a spreadsheet app such as Excel or LibreOffice Calc to verify the columns and values.
5. If needed, clean up the table by adjusting delimiters, headers, or numeric formatting before using the data in analysis or reporting.

If you only need to inspect the file quickly, you can also convert the file on 101convert.com for free without installing any software.

Notes on quality and limitations

This conversion is usually lossy in the sense that CSV cannot preserve the full embroidery design as a stitchable machine file. A CSV export typically captures only selected data from the PEC file, not the complete embroidery object model or machine-ready instructions.

Compatibility depends heavily on the tool used. Some converters export stitch-by-stitch coordinates, while others export only summary information such as color changes or design metadata. Because CSV is plain text, it is excellent for analysis, but it is not suitable for sending back to an embroidery machine as a replacement for PEC.

For best results, use software that clearly documents what fields are included in the CSV output, and confirm whether the delimiter is comma, semicolon, or tab if you plan to import the file into spreadsheet software.