Which Vinyl Do I Use? Inside Scoop for Beginners

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Last Updated on March 22, 2024 by Chris Butler

What is the best vinyl to use with a Cricut?

Did you get a new Cricut recently? Knowing which is the best vinyl for Cricut and what you should use on your project can be tricky at first.  All it takes is a few minutes in a Facebook craft group and you will see things like 631, 651, and HTV. HT whaaaat?  That was me not long ago.  Rest easy, it’s not that hard to learn

You’ll soon be a vinyl expert, knowing exactly the best vinyl you need to use for each Cricut project.  Plus you’ll learn the best place to buy vinyl for your Cricut so you can get the most for your money.

I even made a free vinyl guide chart that will help you keep everything straight. It’s a one page printable you can grab from my resource library. -More details at the bottom of the post.

Even Better – End vinyl confusion forever and have all the information you need right at your fingertips to master vinyl crafts. No more wasted vinyl – Buy the Guide HERE

Let’s get to it:

Does any Vinyl Work with Cricut?

Pretty much yes.  Cricut can cut a large variety of materials, so it will cut whatever type or brand of vinyl you decide to use.   

Some vinyl is better than others though, and different types of vinyl are used for different materials.  Lets looks at the different vinyl types next. 

 

Best Vinyl for Cricut

There are two basic categories for vinyl – Adhesive Vinyl that you would stick on things like mugs, windows or cars.  And then there is HTV or Heat Transfer Vinyl (also known as Iron-on Vinyl) that you use to heat press onto clothing or tote bags, or anything fabric (even wood!)

Let’s look at adhesive vinyl first.

Best Permanent Adhesive Vinyl

The industry-standard for adhesive vinyl is Oracal Brand Vinyl.   Oracal uses numbers to differentiate their vinyl types.   Let’s take a look at those now. 

Oracle 651 or Permanent Adhesive Vinyl

So Oracal is the brand name and 651 is the type.  In this case, it’s a permanent vinyl.   Since Oracle is one of the most preferred vinyl brands to use, you see their numbers mentioned everywhere.

Where can you use 651 vinyl?

Almost anywhere you want vinyl to stay permanently.  It is waterproof and has an outdoor durability of 6+ years.

What can you use 651 on?

It’s great for car decals, wood signs, dishes, and water bottles (hand wash recommended, it won’t last long in a dishwasher). You can also apply it to plastic, glass, metal, tile, just about everything you can imagine sticking it to.

But you’ll want to be careful sticking it on walls, it may cause damage when you are ready to remove it.

Oracle 651 comes in a variety of colors, in a glossy or matte finish. You can also find it in glitter, metallics, and many patterns.

What about 751, 851, and 951 vinyl?  They are a part of the 51 series and they are all permanent vinyl. They use the same adhesive, but the quality of the vinyl is better with each number you go up.  So 751 vinyl is good for 7+ years, 851 for 8+ years…. see the pattern here?

There are several other brands of permanent adhesive vinyl including Cricut Brand.   The best place to get Cricut brand vinyl online is from Amazon.  

My Favorite Economical Adhesive Vinyl 

I’ve been loving HTVRont vinyl lately. The price is on point and everything I’ve used has worked really well. The major difference between HTVRont and Oracle is HTVRont is a little thinner. And they use a plastic backing, where oracal uses a paper backing.

HTVRont cuts just as easy and sticks just as well as Oracal. They also have a great color selection.

You can Find HTVRont on Amazon here

 

Best Removable Adhesive Vinyl 

Oracle 631 or Removable Vinyl

Oracle 631 is the removable or indoor vinyl. It can be easily removed and re-positioned. 631 is great for those wall decals, scrapbooking and making stencils. It comes in a variety of colors usually with matte finish.

Oracle Oramask 813

Oramask 813 is also known as stencil vinyl. It’s made to stick to smooth or rigid surfaces and is removable.

So should you use 631 or 813 to make stencils?

That really comes down to a matter of preference. I like using 813, but many crafters swear by 631. It’s best to try them both and see what works for you.

Sign Makers: Learn How to Cut Vinyl Stencils on Your Cricut

Best HTV or Iron-On Vinyl

HTV or Heat Transfer Vinyl HTV or Heat Transfer Vinyl is also known as iron-on vinyl.  You can use an iron or a heat press to apply it to a variety of fabrics.

With HTV or iron-on vinyl you can apply it to make custom

• t-shirts
• kitchen towels
• bags
• pillowcases
• shoes
• pants
• totes
• bath towels
• plus more

Beginning with your household iron is fine, but if you want to sell your creations it’s best to invest in a heat press.

HTV comes in a variety of colors including glitter, metallics, patterns plus more.  It is the only vinyl you will NOT need transfer tape for.   HTV comes with it’s own carrier sheet. 

The best HTV or Iron-on vinyl is Siser Easy Weed.  

As the name suggests Siser brand is easy to weed. 

Weeding is when you remove all the extra vinyl after your design is cut so that you are left with just your design.   This is typically done with weeding tools found here. 

 

According to Siser, their vinyl is thinner than other heat transfer vinyl on the market.    Crafters love it because it’s easy to work with and it lasts a long time.  

It transfers at a lower heat setting and you can remove the carrier sheet while it’s still hot or wait until it cools off.  (Most HTV is one or the other and removing the carrier at the wrong time can ruin your project) 

Best HTV Runner Up

Again I love HTVRont for an economical choice for HTV. I would say it’s even thinner that Siser which is a good thing when making shirts. I’ve made several shirts with HTVRont and they’ve lasted great for well over a year.

Find HTVRont Heat Transfer Vinyl HERE

Best Transfer Tape

You will use transfer tape to transfer adhesive vinyl to your projects.   

After you cut and weed your vinyl, you will place the transfer tape over your design. Smooth it down with a credit card or squeegee.  Next, you remove the backing from the vinyl.

Your design is now stuck to the transfer paper. Lay it over your project and smooth it down with a squeegee again, rubbing a bit harder over your design area. Peel back the transfer tape and your vinyl will be stuck to your project.

Read this to see how to use Transfer Tape to Transfer Vinyl.  There are pictures and a video for you. 

Many seasoned crafters prefer to use clear contact paper.  It’s cheaper and not as sticky as some transfer tape brands.

The stickier brands could leave a glue film on your finished project that can be a pain to remove. The exception to this is glittery vinyl. Glitter vinyl needs a strong adhesive transfer paper.

Window Cling Vinyl

Window cling vinyl is just as it sounds, it’s a static cling vinyl for windows and mirrors. Since it does not have adhesive it’s for temporary indoor use. This is great for making holiday window clings. It comes in many colors including etched glass.

Best Place to Buy Vinyl for Cricut

Vinyl comes in 12″ sheets, or you can buy it by the roll in different lengths.  The best place to buy vinyl is online as most big-box retailers don’t carry the best stuff, although Michaels is starting to get more variety.  

If you need your vinyl quick, ordering off of Amazon is the way to go.  However, they don’t always have the best vinyl. Most of the vinyl I order off of Amazon is harder to work with.  I’m not sure if they roll the rolls to tight, or what the deal is.  

That’s why I find it better to order from a company that only deals in vinyl.  The quality can be better and you can sign up to get notified of sales.

Whenever possible you’ll want to order your vinyl in rolls to save the most money.    Of course, there are some that only come in sheets like certain patterns.  

As I mentioned above, you won’t a big selection of  Siser or Oracle in stores like Hobby Lobby or Michaels. (Though Michaels has started carrying some Siser)  They carry the Cricut brand or their own brand vinyl.  They do have good sales too, you’ll almost always pay more for vinyl in these places.  

Frequently Asked Vinyl Questions

The best vinyl for tumblers is Oracal 651 permanent vinyl found here.   This vinyl will last a long time on your tumblers.  It does not need to be sealed unless of course, you are doing an epoxy tumbler, then putting epoxy over it is fine.  

I have several tumblers with just vinyl though and it’s held up wonderfully. 

The best vinyl for Cricut Shirts is Siser Easyweed Heat Transfer Vinyl found here.   As the name states, Siser is easy to weed, plus in my experience, it lasts a long time.  

 

Can you use any brand vinyl with Cricut?

Yes you can.  Cricut machines can cut a wide variety of materials including different types of vinyl 

651 and 631 vinyl is both made by Oracle.  The difference is 651 is permanent adhesive vinyl and 631 is removable adhesive vinyl. 

The vinyl you use will depend on the project you’re doing.    

As mentioned above HTV is to iron-on vinyl to fabrics (Siser is the best)  and adhesive vinyl will stick to most hard surfaces.  (Oracle is the best) 

Yes, Cricut brand vinyl will stick to glass.   If you want it to last make sure you purchase Cricut PERMANENT Adhesive vinyl found here. 

All of the vinyl makers recommend hand wash only for their vinyl.  However, I have put permanent vinyl from several brands on the top rack of the dishwasher and it’s always been fine.  

If you want to try it yourself, just know that it’s not recommended and if it’s not permanent vinyl, it will come off the first wash.  

The cost of Cricut vinyl is usually slightly higher than other companies like Oracle.   But like everything in life prices vary depending on sales and supply and demand.  

You can check the current prices of Cricut Vinyl Here. 

While Cricut will but any brand of vinyl, there are some manufacturers that outshine the rest.   

The best adhesive vinyl is Oracle Brand found here.    Remember 651 is permanent and 631 is removable. 

The best Iron-On Vinyl is Siser Easy Weed found here.  

 

Grab The Vinyl Guide Cheat Sheet

Still struggling with the different types of vinyl? My vinyl guide helps you keep it all straight with a simple one-page printable chart.

It’s in my resource library where I keep my collection of free plans and printables. To get exclusive access and print your vinyl guide, simply fill out the form below for the link and password.

 

Thanks for stopping by, and happy crafting!

Now that you have vinyl, you’ll need some great fonts to work with!  Check out this post on the best places to find free fonts for Cricut and how to download them. 

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