04 — Dark Tin
Grays family
Below: DMC 04 (Dark Tin), a medium-dark, subdued gray shade with hex #676464 and RGB 103, 100, 100. Find its closest Gentle Art Sampler, Valdani, and Crescent Colors matches ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 similar DMC shades and a full set of color harmony picks.
Brand Equivalents for DMC 04
Top 5 closest matches in each brand, ranked by visual color similarity.How matching works
Anchor
Madeira
J&P Coates
Sullivans
Classic Colorworks
Weeks Dye Works
Gentle Art Sampler
Valdani
Crescent Colors
Closest match to DMC 04 in 43 more brands
The single nearest shade in every other palette we hold, from needlepoint silks and wools to fuse beads and yarn. Match quality is perceptual colour distance: 93% and up is hard to tell apart, under 75% is a visible shift.
More stranded cotton
Hand-dyed & overdyed
Silk
Wool for needlepoint
Metallic, rayon & specialty
Other threads & beads
Fuse beads
Yarn for crochet & knitting
Need the runners-up, or a whole pattern converted? The thread conversion chart ranks every alternative for DMC 04 (Dark Tin) in any brand.
Similar DMC Colors to 04
Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with DMC 04
It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.
DMC 04 in other DMC lines
DMC reuses base numbers across its specialty lines, so the same shade can exist as a satin, a metallic, or a sparkle floss under a prefixed code. Here is where Dark Tin turns up.
DMC 04 is a Mouliné Spécial-only number: there is no Satin, Light Effects, or Étoile version of this shade. For a sheen or sparkle in the same tone, blend one strand of the nearest metallic with two strands of DMC 04.
Diamond painting: 04 is not in the standard drill set, so kits rarely call for it. Loose-drill shops that pour to DMC numbers are the usual source if a chart does.
Color Harmonies for DMC 04
DMC threads that pair well with 04, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Grays Family
DMC 04 in context with nearby shades from the grays color family.
About DMC 04
Dark Tin (catalog code DMC 04) is a medium-dark, subdued shade from the grays family. The muted and intense mood of this color makes it a natural fit for outlines and urban scenes. Expect to see it used in neutral backgrounds and castle walls across many cross-stitch charts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What color is DMC 04?
DMC 04 is called Dark Tin. It's a medium-dark gray shade (hex #676464, RGB 103, 100, 100) in the grays family, commonly used for wolf patterns, storm cloud accents, and similar motifs.
What's the closest Anchor match for DMC 04?
The closest Anchor match for DMC 04 (Dark Tin) is Anchor 399 (Steel Grey Light) with a 95% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 233 (Shell Grey Dark, 77%) and Anchor 939 (Blue Grey, 58%).
What's a good substitute for DMC 04?
The closest DMC threads to 04 are 646 Beaver Grey dark (ΔE 5.55), 451 Shell Grey dark (ΔE 6.74), and 08 Dark Driftwood (ΔE 7.65). These are useful substitutes when 04 is unavailable or for building gradients.
What projects use DMC 04?
Cross-stitchers pull DMC 04 (Dark Tin) for charts featuring wolf patterns, storm cloud accents, slate textures, rabbit fur. The medium-dark tone reads cleanly on its own and slots into multi-color palettes — see the color harmonies below for pairing ideas.
What fabric color works best with DMC 04 (Dark Tin)?
It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first. For reference, 04 has a contrast ratio of about 5.9:1 on white fabric and 3.6:1 on black. As a neutral shade, as a near-neutral, it plays quietly with almost any palette and works well as a background or shading tone.
Is there a metallic or satin version of DMC 04?
No. DMC 04 (Dark Tin) exists only as Mouliné Spécial six-strand cotton — there is no Satin, Light Effects, or Étoile code for it. For a matching shine, blend one strand of the nearest Light Effects colour with two strands of the cotton.
Which other thread brands come closest to DMC 04?
Outside the main floss brands, the nearest shades we hold are Madeira Rayon 1287 Metal (92%), Olde Willow 230 Providence Brown (90%), Luca-S 438 (89%). Percentages are perceptual colour distance between the two swatches; anything above about 93% is hard to tell apart on fabric.