Nylon 6 fibers are extensively used by the textile industry because of their excellent properties for yarn manufacturing. In this work, we show that it is possible to prepare yarns of reduced cost with blends of nylon 6 and polyethylene (PE), a lower priced polymer. Blends of nylon 6 and PE (nylon 6/PE) were tested in different compositions. Field emission scanning electron microscopy analyses and tensile tests showed better compatibilization in blends whose components had similar melt flow indices. Without adding compatibilizing agents, we incorporated up to 5 wt % PE into the nylon 6 matrix and success-fully prepared yarns of nylon 6/PE blends on an industrial scale. Characterizing the yarns prepared from the blends by conventional techniques employed by the textile industry, we observed values very close to those presented by pure nylon 6 yarns, which indicated that the addition of small amounts of PE to the nylon 6 matrix could reduce the cost of the final yarns without changing significantly the properties of nylon 6. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.