Anchor Stranded Cotton

290 — Lemon Dark

Oranges family

Anchor 290 (Lemon Dark) is a medium, highly saturated orange shade with hex code #FCC318 and RGB values 252, 195, 24. Below you'll find the closest Valdani, Crescent Colours, and DMC equivalents — ranked by visual color similarity — plus 8 similar Anchor shades and color harmony pairings.

Hex
#FCC318
RGB
252, 195, 24
HSL
45°, 97%, 54%
Lab
81.7, 7.3, 80.6
Lightness
54%
Medium
Saturation
97%
Vivid
Hue
45°
Family
Oranges

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 290

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

Anchor 290 Lemon Dark

Madeira

Canary Yellow Bright 0106 92% Good
Yellow Medium 0113 84% Good
Lemon Very Dark 0105 81% Good
2411 2411 73% Approx
Topaz Light 0108 69% Approx

J&P Coates

Canary Yellow Medium 2290 78% Approx
Citrus Medium 2302 52% Fair
Jonquil Medium Light 2295 48% Fair
Topaz Light 2294 47% Fair
Saffron Medium 2874 40% Fair

Sullivans

Lemon Dark 45099 85% Good
Topaz Light 45171 71% Approx
Canary Bright 45303 66% Approx
Straw Light 45419 61% Fair
Yellow Medium 45184 61% Fair

Cosmo

Cosmo 144A 144A 76% Approx
Cosmo 702 702 74% Approx
Cosmo 302 302 69% Approx
Cosmo 2301 2301 64% Fair
Cosmo 701 701 53% Fair

Classic Colorworks

Sunshine Girl Sunshine Girl 56% Fair
Finley Gold Finley Gold 43% Fair
Sunflower Sunflower 38% Fair
Crushed Pine. Crushed Pine. 31% Fair
Cottage Daisies Cottage Daisies 19% Fair

Weeks Dye Works

Marigold 2225 79% Approx
Hot Rod (obsolete) 2233 63% Fair
Squash 2224 61% Fair
Pepperoncini 2207 48% Fair
Goldenrod 1118 43% Fair

Gentle Art Sampler

Gold Leaf 0420 66% Approx
Summer Meadow 0430 57% Fair
Orange Marmalade 0580 49% Fair
Daffodil 0640 44% Fair
Buttercrunch 0470 40% Fair

Valdani

Lemon dark 11 87% Good
Topaz light M12 75% Approx
Golden Yellow 12 59% Fair
Lemon 1308 54% Fair
Yellow pale 1310 52% Fair

Crescent Colours

Sunshine Girl 072 61% Fair
Crushed Pineapple 052 41% Fair
Creeping Jenny 138 24% Fair
Peach Sherbet 023 23% Fair
Finley Gold 013 17% Fair

Similar Anchor Colors to 290

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

Color Harmonies for Anchor 290

Anchor threads that pair well with 290, 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

Oranges Family

Anchor 290 in context with nearby shades from the oranges color family.

About Anchor 290

Meet Anchor 290, Lemon Dark — a highly saturated, medium thread in the oranges family with golden orange tones. Its vibrant and steady presence shines in autumn leaves and sunsets alike. Pull this thread for warm accents or seasonal designs when you need a dependable shade.

Frequently Asked Questions

Anchor 290 — what color is it?

The color of Anchor 290 is Lemon Dark — a medium orange thread (hex #FCC318, RGB 252, 195, 24). It shows up most in citrus motifs and fox designs.

What is the DMC equivalent of Anchor 290?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 290 (Lemon Dark) is DMC 444 (Lemon dark) with a 87% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 743 (Yellow medium, 85%) and DMC 973 (Canary bright, 80%).

Which Anchor threads are close to 290?

The closest Anchor threads to 290 are 295 Golden Yellow Medium Light (ΔE 4.77), 297 Golden Yellow Medium (ΔE 4.82), and 291 Canary Yellow Bright (ΔE 5.13). These are useful substitutes when 290 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What is Anchor 290 good for?

Anchor 290 (Lemon Dark) is commonly used in cross-stitch projects featuring citrus motifs, fox designs, fall harvest scenes, monarch butterflies. Its medium tone works well for standalone motifs and as part of larger palettes. This page includes color harmonies and similar shades to pair with 290.