Anchor Stranded Cotton

232 — Shell Grey Medium

Grays family

Below: Anchor 232 (Shell Grey Medium), a medium, subdued gray shade with hex #8E807F and RGB 142, 128, 127. Find its closest J&P Coates, Sullivans, and Cosmo matches ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 similar Anchor shades and a full set of color harmony picks.

Hex
#8E807F
RGB
142, 128, 127
HSL
4°, 6%, 53%
Lab
54.8, 5.1, 2.5
Lightness
53%
Medium
Saturation
6%
Neutral
Hue
4°
Family
Grays

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 232

Top 5 closest matches in each brand, ranked by visual color similarity. How matching works

Anchor 232 Shell Grey Medium

Madeira

Shell Grey Medium 1807 89% Good
Beige Grey Medium 1902 62% Fair
Steel Grey Light 1802 50% Fair
Beige Grey 1906 47% Fair
Steel Grey Very Light 1803 47% Fair

J&P Coates

Grey Medium 8512 64% Fair
Charcoal Grey Medium 8513 64% Fair
Stone Grey 8500 61% Fair
Amethyst Medium 4223 61% Fair
Rose Grey 8233 48% Fair

Sullivans

Shell Grey Medium 45102 65% Approx
Beige Brown Light 45239 52% Fair
Steel Grey Light 45059 47% Fair
Antique Violet Light 45327 45% Fair
Beige Grey Dark 45149 41% Fair

Cosmo

Cosmo 474 474 74% Approx
Cosmo 383 383 65% Approx
Cosmo 2036 2036 63% Fair
Cosmo 153A 153A 59% Fair
Cosmo 892 892 58% Fair

Classic Colorworks

Cottage Garden Cottage Garden 68% Approx
Lunar Eclipse Lunar Eclipse 66% Approx
Bella Rosa Bella Rosa 63% Fair
Antique Lace Antique Lace 59% Fair
Sugared Violets Sugared Violets 57% Fair

Weeks Dye Works

Wisteria (obsolete) 1186 86% Good
Pebble 1151 75% Approx
Old Glory 4133 75% Approx
Salt Glaze (obsolete 1286 73% Approx
Dove 1171 72% Approx

Gentle Art Sampler

Banker's Grey 1030 86% Good
Pebble 1020 68% Approx
Ohio Sky 1091 61% Fair
Driftwood 1080 53% Fair
Adzuki 1193 52% Fair

Valdani

Shell Grey dark O513 61% Fair
Antique Violet light 8101 53% Fair
Cocoa light JP6 53% Fair
Beaver Grey medium M47 49% Fair
Beige Brown light 221 47% Fair

Crescent Colours

Zach Black 110 73% Approx
River Rocks 109 71% Approx
Milady's Teal 150 69% Approx
Tabby 042 56% Fair
Old Blue Jeans 154 52% Fair

Similar Anchor Colors to 232

Closest Anchor threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.

Anchor 232 Shell Grey Medium
Pearl Grey Anchor 398 Noticeable ΔE 6.5 Brown Grey Light Anchor 899 Noticeable ΔE 6.73 Beaver Grey Light Anchor 900 Noticeable ΔE 7.42 Grey Blue Medium Anchor 849 Noticeable ΔE 9.81 Beige Grey Dark Anchor 392 Noticeable ΔE 10.72 Drab Brown Light Anchor 831 Noticeable ΔE 10.8 Dusty Flesh Medium Anchor 378 Noticeable ΔE 11.27 Beige Grey Medium Anchor 391 Noticeable ΔE 11.52

Color Harmonies for Anchor 232

Anchor threads that pair well with 232, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
232
849 Grey Blue Medium
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
232
899 Brown Grey Light 398 Pearl Grey
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
232
849 Grey Blue Medium 920 Antique Blue Medium Light
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading
232
401 Shell Grey Very Dark 231 Shell Grey Light 892 Shell Pink Very Light

Grays Family

Anchor 232 in context with nearby shades from the grays color family.

232 Shell Grey Medium 232 398 Pearl Grey 398 849 Grey Blue Medium 849 900 Beaver Grey Light 900 939 Blue Grey 939 850 Grey Blue Dark 850 233 Shell Grey Dark 233

About Anchor 232

Anchor 232 is the floss known as Shell Grey Medium: a subdued, medium member of the grays family. The warm and grounded character of this shade lends itself well to wolf patterns and storm cloud accents. Stitchers frequently choose it for slate textures and rabbit fur in their projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Anchor 232 look like?

Anchor 232 (Shell Grey Medium) is a medium shade in the grays family with hex #8E807F and RGB 142, 128, 127. Stitchers reach for it in projects featuring neutral backgrounds and castle walls.

Which DMC thread matches Anchor 232?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 232 (Shell Grey Medium) is DMC 452 (Shell Grey medium) with a 75% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 03 (Medium Tin, 62%) and DMC 451 (Shell Grey dark, 61%).

What Anchor colors are similar to 232?

The closest Anchor threads to 232 are 398 Pearl Grey (ΔE 6.5), 899 Brown Grey Light (ΔE 6.73), and 900 Beaver Grey Light (ΔE 7.42). These are useful substitutes when 232 is unavailable or for building gradients.

When should I use Anchor 232?

Reach for Anchor 232 (Shell Grey Medium) when your project calls for neutral backgrounds, castle walls, elephant motifs, cobblestone paths. Its medium character carries both small accents and wider palette work; the harmony picks on this page show natural companions to 232.

Anchor Color Chart DMC ↔ Anchor Conversion