26 — Pale Lavender
Purples family
DMC 26 — Pale Lavender — has hex #BBB0D1 and RGB 187, 176, 209. This light, muted purple thread sits alongside its closest Classic Colorworks, Weeks Dye Works, and Gentle Art Sampler matches below, with 8 similar DMC shades and a panel of color harmonies for palette planning.
Brand Equivalents for DMC 26
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 Colours
Similar DMC Colors to 26
Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with DMC 26
It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.
Color Harmonies for DMC 26
DMC threads that pair well with 26, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Purples Family
DMC 26 in context with nearby shades from the purples color family.
About DMC 26
Known as Pale Lavender, DMC 26 is a light, muted shade sitting in the purples family with blue-violet tones. It has a quiet and understated feel that suits plum themes and lilac patterns particularly well. Designers often pair this shade with galaxy motifs or lavender fields for balanced palettes.
Frequently Asked Questions
DMC 26 — what color is it?
The color of DMC 26 is Pale Lavender — a light purple thread (hex #BBB0D1, RGB 187, 176, 209). It shows up most in grape clusters and wisteria.
What is the Anchor equivalent of DMC 26?
The closest Anchor match for DMC 26 (Pale Lavender) is Anchor 95 (Violet Ultra Very Light) with a 65% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 342 (Lavender Ultra Very Light, 62%) and Anchor 869 (Antique Violet Very Light, 56%).
Which DMC threads are close to 26?
The closest DMC threads to 26 are 3743 Antique Violet very light (ΔE 7.03), 211 Lavender light (ΔE 7.13), and 25 Ultra Light Lavender (ΔE 8.6). These are useful substitutes when 26 is unavailable or for building gradients.
What is DMC 26 good for?
DMC 26 (Pale Lavender) is commonly used in cross-stitch projects featuring grape clusters, wisteria, amethyst tones, iris blooms. Its light tone works well for standalone motifs and as part of larger palettes. This page includes color harmonies and similar shades to pair with 26.
What fabric color works best with DMC 26 (Pale Lavender)?
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, 26 has a contrast ratio of about 2.1:1 on white fabric and 10.2:1 on black. As a soft cool shade, its cool cast recedes visually — useful for backgrounds, shadows, water and sky, and calm, restful palettes.