Anchor Stranded Cotton

281 — Yellow Green Dark

Yellows family

Need details on Anchor 281? This dark, vivid yellow shade (Yellow Green Dark) is hex #4C4416, RGB 76, 68, 22. Cross-brand equivalents in Weeks Dye Works, Gentle Art Sampler, and Valdani are listed below — ranked by perceptual similarity — alongside 8 nearby Anchor shades and color-theory harmony pairings.

Hex
#4C4416
RGB
76, 68, 22
HSL
51°, 55%, 19%
Lab
28.7, -3.0, 28.2
Lightness
19%
Very dark
Saturation
55%
Rich
Hue
51°
Family
Yellows

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 281

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

Anchor 281 Yellow Green Dark

Madeira

Sage Green Medium 1613 88% Good
Sage Green Dark 1614 86% Good
Green Dark 1608 78% Approx
Sage Green 1612 72% Approx
Khaki Green Dark 1607 63% Fair

J&P Coates

Avocado Dark 6269 56% Fair
Laurel Green Dark 6270 52% Fair
Laurel Green Dark 6318 52% Fair
Avocado Medium Dark 6268 43% Fair
Parrot Green Dark 6258 35% Fair

Sullivans

Khaki Green Dark 45316 84% Good
Olive Green Very Dark 45174 81% Good
Avocado Green 45104 77% Approx
Green Grey Dark 45331 67% Approx
Moss Green Dark 45131 64% Fair

Cosmo

Cosmo 826 826 73% Approx
Cosmo 686 686 72% Approx
Cosmo 370 370 67% Approx
Cosmo 776 776 66% Approx
Cosmo 676 676 64% Fair

Classic Colorworks

Bean Sprout Bean Sprout 79% Approx
Pea Pod Pea Pod 71% Approx
Pine Needles Pine Needles 71% Approx
Polliwog Polliwog 58% Fair
Hayride Hayride 56% Fair

Weeks Dye Works

Bark 1271 70% Approx
Havana 1230 68% Approx
Collards 1277 59% Fair
Blue Spruce 1276 51% Fair
Bullfrog 2202 50% Fair

Gentle Art Sampler

Green Tea Leaf 0195 35% Fair
Moss 0194 27% Fair
Green With Envy 0196 23% Fair
Fisherman's Wharf 1190 13% Fair
Dragonfly 0960 12% Fair

Valdani

Olive Green very dark 153 84% Good
Green Grey dark 190 57% Fair
Avocado Green medium 234 51% Fair
Avocado Green 188 48% Fair
Golden Olive very dark 154 48% Fair

Crescent Colours

English Ivy 179 58% Fair
Steamed Broccoli 181 57% Fair
Bean Sprout 184 48% Fair
Balsam Fir 157 42% Fair
Camouflage 063 41% Fair

Similar Anchor Colors to 281

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

Color Harmonies for Anchor 281

Anchor threads that pair well with 281, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading

Yellows Family

Anchor 281 in context with nearby shades from the yellows color family.

About Anchor 281

A dark, vivid entry in the yellows family, Anchor 281 carries the name Yellow Green Dark with warm gold tones. Stitchers describe its character as striking and rich, perfect for stars and honey themes. It blends comfortably into projects centered on wheat fields and daffodils.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is Anchor 281?

Anchor 281 is called Yellow Green Dark. It's a dark yellow shade (hex #4C4416, RGB 76, 68, 22) in the yellows family, commonly used for canary themes, sunflowers, and similar motifs.

What's the closest DMC match for Anchor 281?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 281 (Yellow Green Dark) is DMC 730 (Olive Green very dark) with a 84% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 936 (Avocado Green very dark, 70%) and DMC 3011 (Khaki Green dark, 64%).

What's a good substitute for Anchor 281?

The closest Anchor threads to 281 are 924 Yellow Green Very Dark (ΔE 2), 856 Yellow Green Medium (ΔE 3.87), and 845 Khaki Green Medium Dark (ΔE 5.94). These are useful substitutes when 281 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What projects use Anchor 281?

Cross-stitchers pull Anchor 281 (Yellow Green Dark) for charts featuring canary themes, sunflowers, highlights, warm backgrounds. The dark tone reads cleanly on its own and slots into multi-color palettes — see the color harmonies below for pairing ideas.