Anchor Stranded Cotton

380 — Black Brown Medium Dark

Browns family

Looking up Anchor 380? It's Black Brown Medium Dark, a dark brown shade (#42220A / RGB 66, 34, 10). Scroll down for Cosmo, Classic Colorworks, and Weeks Dye Works equivalents ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 close Anchor alternatives and curated color harmonies.

Hex
#42220A
RGB
66, 34, 10
HSL
26°, 74%, 15%
Lab
17.1, 13.1, 21.1
Lightness
15%
Very dark
Saturation
74%
Rich
Hue
26°
Family
Browns

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 380

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

Anchor 380 Black Brown Medium Dark

Sullivans

Coffee Brown Dark 45211 72% Approx
Mocha Brown Dark 45393 70% Approx
Beige Brown Dark 45237 70% Approx
Mocha Brown Very Dark 45323 67% Approx
Golden Olive Very Dark 45230 63% Fair

Crescent Colours

Brown Sugar 178 51% Fair
Whatley Woodlands 153 46% Fair
Rod and Reel 116 37% Fair
Wisconsin Woods 114 33% Fair
Cappuccino 007 32% Fair

Similar Anchor Colors to 380

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

Anchor 380 Black Brown Medium Dark
Black Brown Medium Anchor 360 Very close ΔE 2.63 Black Brown Dark Anchor 381 Very close ΔE 3.68 Mocha Brown Dark Anchor 1050 Very close ΔE 3.95 Coffee Very Dark Anchor 359 Very close ΔE 4.88 Hazelnut Brown Dark Anchor 906 Close ΔE 5.38 Black Brown Very Dark Anchor 382 Noticeable ΔE 5.79 Copper Very Dark Anchor 352 Noticeable ΔE 5.97 Chocolate Dark Anchor 357 Noticeable ΔE 6.15

Working with Anchor 380

On white fabric
14.3:1
On dark fabric
1.5:1
Temperature
warm
Closest to
charcoal

It pops on white and light fabric but nearly disappears on black, so pair it with a light or neutral ground.

Backstitch & outlines

Anchor 380 (Black Brown Medium Dark) is dark enough to define edges: stitchers reach for shades like it when a design needs crisp backstitch outlines or readable text.

Blending & gradients

Anchor 380 (Black Brown Medium Dark) sits a hair from Anchor 360 (Black Brown Medium) (ΔE 2.63) — close enough to blend a strand of each for a smooth gradient or to swap one for the other in a pinch.

Color Harmonies for Anchor 380

Anchor threads that pair well with 380, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
380
170 Blue Green Very Dark
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
380
924 Yellow Green Very Dark 972 Dusty Violet Very Dark
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
380
862 Fern Green Very Dark 941 Cornflower Blue Medium
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading
380
369 Coffee Medium Light 368 Coffee 880 Cream Medium

Browns Family

Anchor 380 in context with nearby shades from the browns color family.

380 Black Brown Medium Dark 380 375 Hazelnut Brown Medium 375 360 Black Brown Medium 360 277 Gold Dark 277 906 Hazelnut Brown Dark 906 905 Brown Grey Dark 905 1050 Mocha Brown Dark 1050 381 Black Brown Dark 381 382 Black Brown Very Dark 382

About Anchor 380

Meet Anchor 380, Black Brown Medium Dark — a vivid, dark thread in the browns family with earthy sienna tones. The shade reads as dramatic and vivid — a go-to choice for tree trunks and earth tones. It also turns up in patterns built around animal fur and warm outlines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Anchor 380 — what color is it?

The color of Anchor 380 is Black Brown Medium Dark — a dark brown thread (hex #42220A, RGB 66, 34, 10). It shows up most in leather accents and horse designs.

What is the DMC equivalent of Anchor 380?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 380 (Black Brown Medium Dark) is DMC 898 (Coffee Brown very dark) with a 69% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 801 (Coffee Brown dark, 66%) and DMC 3031 (Mocha Brown very dark, 61%).

Which Anchor threads are close to 380?

The closest Anchor threads to 380 are 360 Black Brown Medium (ΔE 2.63), 381 Black Brown Dark (ΔE 3.68), and 1050 Mocha Brown Dark (ΔE 3.95). These are useful substitutes when 380 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What is Anchor 380 good for?

Anchor 380 (Black Brown Medium Dark) is commonly used in cross-stitch projects featuring leather accents, horse designs, cinnamon motifs, bark patterns. Its dark tone works well for standalone motifs and as part of larger palettes. This page includes color harmonies and similar shades to pair with 380.

Is Anchor 380 (Black Brown Medium Dark) good for backstitching and outlines?

It's an excellent outline color. The depth of 380 defines edges and text cleanly where lighter threads would disappear into the fill; one strand is usually enough for backstitch.

Anchor Color Chart DMC ↔ Anchor Conversion