311 — Navy Blue medium
Blues family#203050
Looking up DMC 311? It's Navy Blue medium, a dark blue shade (#203050 / RGB 32, 48, 80). Scroll down for Cosmo, Classic Colorworks, and Weeks Dye Works equivalents ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 close DMC alternatives and curated color harmonies.
About DMC 311
DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss (Mouliné Spécial)
- Also sold as
- Dark Polar Blue
- Fiber
- 100% cotton
- Strands
- 6 strands
- Sold as
- 8 m skein
Brand Equivalents for DMC 311
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 311 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 311 (Navy Blue medium) in any brand.
Similar DMC Colors to 311
Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with DMC 311
It pops on white and light fabric but nearly disappears on black, so pair it with a light or neutral ground.
Its nearest neighbor, DMC 336 (Navy Blue), is barely a step away (ΔE 2.12). Tweed the two together for subtle shading, or substitute freely when one is out of stock.
DMC 311 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 Navy Blue medium turns up.
DMC 311 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 311.
Diamond painting: the same number is sold as a drill — Diamond Dotz D311, Diamond Drills USA DMC311. A kit legend or drill bag marked 311 means this color. See the diamond painting DMC chart for every code with drill availability.
Color Harmonies for DMC 311
DMC threads that pair well with 311, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Blues Family
DMC311 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.
About DMC 311
A dark, moderately saturated entry in the blues family, DMC 311 carries the name Navy Blue medium with sky blue tones. The shade reads as dark and rich — a go-to choice for porcelain patterns and hydrangea blooms. It also turns up in patterns built around skies and water.
Frequently Asked Questions
What color is DMC 311?
DMC 311 is called Navy Blue medium. It's a dark blue shade (hex #203050, RGB 32, 48, 80) in the blues family, commonly used for winter scenes, forget-me-nots, and similar motifs.
What's the closest Anchor match for DMC 311?
The closest Anchor match for DMC 311 (Navy Blue medium) is Anchor 149 (Navy Blue Medium Dark) with a 81% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 1036 (Antique Blue Ultra Very Dark, 74%) and Anchor 150 (Navy Blue Dark, 74%).
What's a good substitute for DMC 311?
The closest DMC threads to 311 are 336 Navy Blue (ΔE 2.12), 803 Baby Blue ultra very dark (ΔE 3.34), and 3750 Antique Blue very dark (ΔE 5.48). These are useful substitutes when 311 is unavailable or for building gradients.
What projects use DMC 311?
Cross-stitchers pull DMC 311 (Navy Blue medium) for charts featuring winter scenes, forget-me-nots, bluebird motifs, whale designs. The 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 311 (Navy Blue medium)?
It pops on white and light fabric but nearly disappears on black, so pair it with a light or neutral ground. For reference, 311 has a contrast ratio of about 13.1:1 on white fabric and 1.6:1 on black. As a cool shade, its cool cast recedes visually — useful for backgrounds, shadows, water and sky, and calm, restful palettes.
Is there a metallic or satin version of DMC 311?
No. DMC 311 (Navy Blue medium) 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 color with two strands of the cotton.
What is the diamond painting drill code for DMC 311?
Diamond Dotz D311 and Diamond Drills USA DMC311 carry the same number. Diamond painting adopted DMC's numbering, so a kit legend or drill bag marked 311 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 311?
Outside the main floss brands, the nearest shades we hold are PNK Kirov 9250 (92%), Mill Hill Beads 00358 (92%), Kimono Silk 336 Tsunami (89%). Percentages are perceptual color distance between the two swatches; anything above about 93% is hard to tell apart on fabric.