301 — Mahogany medium
Browns family#994725
Need details on DMC 301? This medium-dark, vivid brown shade (Mahogany medium) is hex #994725, RGB 153, 71, 37. Cross-brand equivalents in Madeira, J&P Coates, and Sullivans are listed below — ranked by perceptual similarity — alongside 8 nearby DMC shades and color-theory harmony pairings.
About DMC 301
DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss (Mouliné Spécial)
- Also sold as
- Metallic Squirrel
- Fiber
- 100% cotton
- Strands
- 6 strands
- Sold as
- 8 m skein
Brand Equivalents for DMC 301
The five closest matches in each brand, ranked by CIEDE2000 perceptual color difference.
Anchor
Madeira
J&P Coates
Sullivans
Classic Colorworks
Weeks Dye Works
Gentle Art Sampler
Valdani
Crescent Colors
Closest match to DMC 301 in 67 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 color 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 301 (Mahogany medium) in any brand.
Similar DMC Colors to 301
Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with DMC 301
It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.
For skin, hands, and faces, DMC 301 (Mahogany medium) is a plausible mid-value — pair it with a highlight and a shadow tone from the same family for believable modeling.
Its nearest neighbor, DMC 3826 (Golden Brown), is barely a step away (ΔE 2.46). Tweed the two together for subtle shading, or substitute freely when one is out of stock.
DMC 301 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 Mahogany medium turns up.
Diamond painting: the same number is sold as a drill — Diamond Dotz D301, Diamond Drills USA DMC301. A kit legend or drill bag marked 301 means this color. See the diamond painting DMC chart for every code with drill availability.
Color Harmonies for DMC 301
DMC threads that pair well with 301, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Browns Family
DMC301 in context with nearby shades from the browns color family.
About DMC 301
Mahogany medium (catalog code DMC 301) is a medium-dark, vivid shade from the browns family with warm chocolate tones. With a strong and rich quality, this thread works beautifully in earth tones and animal fur. You will find this color at home in patterns featuring warm outlines and wooden textures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What color is DMC 301?
DMC 301 is called Mahogany medium. It's a medium-dark brown shade (hex #994725, RGB 153, 71, 37) in the browns family, commonly used for horse designs, cinnamon motifs, and similar motifs.
What's the closest Anchor match for DMC 301?
The closest Anchor match for DMC 301 (Mahogany medium) is Anchor 310 (Topaz Very Dark) with a 90% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 355 (Chocolate Medium Dark, 86%) and Anchor 370 (Coffee Medium, 82%).
What's a good substitute for DMC 301?
The closest DMC threads to 301 are 3826 Golden Brown (ΔE 2.46), 780 Topaz ultra very dark (ΔE 4.09), and 920 Copper medium (ΔE 4.58). These are useful substitutes when 301 is unavailable or for building gradients.
What projects use DMC 301?
Cross-stitchers pull DMC 301 (Mahogany medium) for charts featuring horse designs, cinnamon motifs, bark patterns, gingerbread themes. 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 301 (Mahogany medium)?
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, 301 has a contrast ratio of about 6.4:1 on white fabric and 3.3:1 on black. As a warm shade, its warm cast advances toward the viewer — good for focal points, highlights, and cozy, inviting palettes.
Does DMC 301 come in a satin, metallic, or Étoile version?
Yes. The same number is made as DMC Light Effects E301. The base shade is matched across the lines, but the fiber changes the look: Satin is a high-sheen rayon, Light Effects is a metallic polyester most people blend one strand at a time, and Étoile is cotton with a sparkle filament that stitches like ordinary floss.
What is the diamond painting drill code for DMC 301?
Diamond Dotz D301 and Diamond Drills USA DMC301 carry the same number. Diamond painting adopted DMC's numbering, so a kit legend or drill bag marked 301 is this color regardless of drill brand — though each manufacturer dyes to the reference in its own batches, so avoid mixing brands inside one large block.
Which other thread brands come closest to DMC 301?
Outside the main floss brands, the nearest shades we hold are Dinky Dyes 33 Desert Sands (93%), Luca-S 396 (91%), Mill Hill Beads 02033 (90%). Percentages are perceptual color distance between the two swatches; anything above about 93% is hard to tell apart on fabric.