Anchor Stranded Cotton

381 — Black Brown Dark

Browns family

Anchor 381 — Black Brown Dark — has hex #361A06 and RGB 54, 26, 6. This very dark, vivid brown thread sits alongside its closest Classic Colorworks, Weeks Dye Works, and Gentle Art Sampler matches below, with 8 similar Anchor shades and a panel of color harmonies for palette planning.

Hex
#361A06
RGB
54, 26, 6
HSL
25°, 80%, 12%
Lab
12.8, 12.0, 16.9
Lightness
12%
Very dark
Saturation
80%
Vivid
Hue
25°
Family
Browns

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 381

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

Anchor 381 Black Brown Dark

Madeira

Beige Brown Ultra Very Dark 1914 81% Good
Chocolate 2005 80% Good
Tan Ultra Very Dark 2006 75% Approx
Beige Brown Very Dark 1913 59% Fair
Tan Very Dark 2007 58% Fair

J&P Coates

Fudge Dark 5382 63% Fair
Fudge 5478 45% Fair
Fudge Medium 5381 44% Fair
Coffee Dark 5360 27% Fair
Coffee Dark 5472 27% Fair

Sullivans

Mocha Brown Very Dark 45323 83% Good
Beige Brown Very Dark 45236 74% Approx
Beige Brown Dark 45237 72% Approx
Mocha Brown Dark 45393 70% Approx
Coffee Brown Very Dark 45249 70% Approx

Cosmo

Cosmo 2311 2311 73% Approx
Cosmo 4311 4311 65% Approx
Cosmo 131 131 48% Fair
Cosmo 247 247 45% Fair
Cosmo 312 312 44% Fair

Classic Colorworks

Fresh Brew Fresh Brew 72% Approx
La Tierra La Tierra 63% Fair
German Choc. German Choc. 62% Fair
Bramble Bush Bramble Bush 61% Fair
Hickory Sticks Hickory Sticks 57% Fair

Weeks Dye Works

Tatanka 1272 63% Fair
Rum Raisin 1270 57% Fair
Swiss Chocolate 1237 54% Fair
Brick 1331 53% Fair
Molasses 1268 48% Fair

Gentle Art Sampler

Witching Hour 0391 53% Fair
Acorn 0111 29% Fair
Brown Bear 1191 26% Fair
Storm Clouds 0981 18% Fair
Cast Iron Skillet 1060 12% Fair

Valdani

Coffee Brown ultra dk 1645 63% Fair
Beige Brown very dark 1644 58% Fair
Rosewood dark M90 44% Fair
Mocha Brown dark 1643 42% Fair
Cocoa dark 171 38% Fair

Crescent Colours

Brown Sugar 178 34% Fair
Cappuccino 007 33% Fair
Whatley Woodlands 153 31% Fair
Wisconsin Woods 114 29% Fair
Black Coffee 004 28% Fair

Similar Anchor Colors to 381

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

Anchor 381 Black Brown Dark
Black Brown Very Dark Anchor 382 Near identical ΔE 2.21 Mocha Brown Dark Anchor 1050 Very close ΔE 2.82 Black Brown Medium Dark Anchor 380 Very close ΔE 3.68 Black Brown Medium Anchor 360 Noticeable ΔE 6.23 Hazelnut Brown Dark Anchor 906 Noticeable ΔE 7.26 Brown Grey Dark Anchor 905 Noticeable ΔE 7.66 Coffee Very Dark Anchor 359 Noticeable ΔE 8.37 Dusty Flesh Very Dark Anchor 936 Noticeable ΔE 8.66

Color Harmonies for Anchor 381

Anchor threads that pair well with 381, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
381
170 Blue Green Very Dark
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
381
906 Hazelnut Brown Dark 382 Black Brown Very Dark
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
381
862 Fern Green Very Dark 123 Blue Purple Dark
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading
381
936 Dusty Flesh Very Dark 379 Dusty Flesh Dark 368 Coffee 1012 Flesh

Browns Family

Anchor 381 in context with nearby shades from the browns color family.

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

About Anchor 381

Black Brown Dark (catalog code Anchor 381) is a very dark, vivid shade from the browns family with earthy sienna tones. It has a commanding and rich feel that suits earth tones and animal fur particularly well. Designers often pair this shade with warm outlines or wooden textures for balanced palettes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is Anchor 381?

Anchor 381 is called Black Brown Dark. It's a very dark brown shade (hex #361A06, RGB 54, 26, 6) in the browns family, commonly used for horse designs, cinnamon motifs, and similar motifs.

What's the closest DMC match for Anchor 381?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 381 (Black Brown Dark) is DMC 898 (Coffee Brown very dark) with a 66% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 938 (Coffee Brown ultra dark, 63%) and DMC 3031 (Mocha Brown very dark, 62%).

What's a good substitute for Anchor 381?

The closest Anchor threads to 381 are 382 Black Brown Very Dark (ΔE 2.21), 1050 Mocha Brown Dark (ΔE 2.82), and 380 Black Brown Medium Dark (ΔE 3.68). These are useful substitutes when 381 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What projects use Anchor 381?

Cross-stitchers pull Anchor 381 (Black Brown Dark) for charts featuring horse designs, cinnamon motifs, bark patterns, gingerbread themes. The very dark tone reads cleanly on its own and slots into multi-color palettes — see the color harmonies below for pairing ideas.

Anchor Color Chart DMC ↔ Anchor Conversion