Anchor Stranded Cotton

8581 — Beaver Grey Medium

Blacks family

Anchor 8581 (Beaver Grey Medium) is a dark, subdued black shade with hex code #403E3A and RGB values 64, 62, 58. Below you'll find the closest Sullivans, Cosmo, and Classic Colorworks equivalents — ranked by visual color similarity — plus 8 similar Anchor shades and color harmony pairings.

Hex

#403E3A

RGB

64, 62, 58

HSL

40°, 5%, 24%

Lab

26.3, -0.0, 2.8

Lightness

24%

Dark

Saturation

Neutral

Hue

40°

Family

Blacks

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 8581

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

Anchor 8581 Beaver Grey Medium

DMC

Beaver Grey ultra dark 844 87% Good Ash Grey very light 535 78% Approx Brown Grey dark 3787 72% Approx Pewter Grey dark 413 68% Approx Pewter Grey very dark 3799 67% Approx

Madeira

Steel Grey Dark 1714 80% Good

Shell Grey Very Dark 1809 70% Approx

Beaver Grey Medium 1812 67% Approx

Beige Grey Very Dark 1905 66% Approx

Steel Grey Medium 1801 62% Fair

J&P Coates

Avocado Dark 6269 58% Fair

Charcoal Grey Dark 8999 55% Fair

Grass Green Ultra Dark 6021 42% Fair

Turf Green 6880 42% Fair

Loden Green Dark 6317 41% Fair

Sullivans

Ash Grey Very Light 45121 90% Good

Beaver Grey Very Dark 45151 78% Approx

Pewter Grey Dark 45089 74% Approx

Beaver Grey Ultra Dark 45241 72% Approx

Brown Grey Dark 45395 64% Fair

Cosmo

Cosmo 895 895 87% Good

Cosmo 2041 2041 72% Approx

Cosmo 156 156 71% Approx

Cosmo 369 369 69% Approx

Cosmo 155 155 66% Approx

Classic Colorworks

Muddy Puddle Muddy Puddle 87% Good

Campfire Campfire 78% Approx

Thundercloud Thundercloud 66% Approx

Balsam Fir Balsam Fir 65% Approx

River Rocks River Rocks 60% Fair

Weeks Dye Works

Charcoal 1303 72% Approx

Swamp Water 4129 68% Approx

Okefenokee 3940 65% Approx

Caper 1266 61% Fair

Chesapeake 3950 58% Fair

Gentle Art Sampler

Storm Clouds 0981 73% Approx

Cast Iron Skillet 1060 59% Fair

Lagoon 0980 49% Fair

Witching Hour 0391 46% Fair

Dragonfly 0960 40% Fair

Valdani

Ash Grey very light 893 78% Approx

Brown Grey dark P9 72% Approx

Pewter Grey very dark 8122 67% Approx

Avocado Green dark 199 54% Fair

Mocha Brown dark 1643 52% Fair

Crescent Colours

Balsam Fir 157 74% Approx

Camouflage 063 69% Approx

Spinach 029 60% Fair

Black Coffee 004 55% Fair

Tartan Plaid 073 46% Fair

Similar Anchor Colors to 8581

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

Anchor 8581 Beaver Grey Medium

Beaver Grey Dark Anchor 1040 Near identical ΔE 1.76 Pewter Grey Dark Anchor 400 Very close ΔE 2.93 Pewter Grey Anchor 235 Very close ΔE 4.19 Beaver Grey Very Dark Anchor 273 Noticeable ΔE 5.52 Beaver Grey Ultra Dark Anchor 1041 Noticeable ΔE 7.07 Shell Grey Very Dark Anchor 401 Noticeable ΔE 7.3 Beige Grey Ultra Very Dark Anchor 393 Noticeable ΔE 7.44 Fern Green Dark Anchor 861 Noticeable ΔE 9.02

Color Harmonies for Anchor 8581

Anchor threads that pair well with 8581, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary

Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast

8581

400 Pewter Grey Dark

Analogous

Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions

8581

1040 Beaver Grey Dark 1040 Beaver Grey Dark

Triadic

Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced

8581

400 Pewter Grey Dark 400 Pewter Grey Dark

Monochromatic

Same hue, different lightness — great for shading

8581

399 Steel Grey Light 848 Grey Blue Light 397 Pearl Grey Ultra Very Light

Blacks Family

Anchor 8581 in context with nearby shades from the blacks color family.

8581 Beaver Grey Medium 8581 235 Pewter Grey 235 1040 Beaver Grey Dark 1040 400 Pewter Grey Dark 400 273 Beaver Grey Very Dark 273 1041 Beaver Grey Ultra Dark 1041 236 Pewter Grey Very Dark 236 403 Black 403

About Anchor 8581

Known as Beaver Grey Medium, Anchor 8581 is a dark, subdued shade sitting in the blacks family. This thread brings a dramatic and quiet presence to projects featuring dramatic backgrounds or wrought iron. Look for it in charts that feature night skies or silhouettes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Anchor 8581 — what color is it?

The color of Anchor 8581 is Beaver Grey Medium — a dark black thread (hex #403E3A, RGB 64, 62, 58). It shows up most in gothic accents and shadow textures.

What is the DMC equivalent of Anchor 8581?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 8581 (Beaver Grey Medium) is DMC 844 (Beaver Grey ultra dark) with a 87% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 535 (Ash Grey very light, 78%) and DMC 3787 (Brown Grey dark, 72%).

Which Anchor threads are close to 8581?

The closest Anchor threads to 8581 are 1040 Beaver Grey Dark (ΔE 1.76), 400 Pewter Grey Dark (ΔE 2.93), and 235 Pewter Grey (ΔE 4.19). These are useful substitutes when 8581 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What is Anchor 8581 good for?

Anchor 8581 (Beaver Grey Medium) is commonly used in cross-stitch projects featuring gothic accents, shadow textures, outlines, lettering. 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 8581.

Anchor Color Chart DMC ↔ Anchor Conversion