312 — Navy Blue light
Blues family#23426F
DMC 312 — Navy Blue light — has hex #23426F and RGB 35, 66, 111. This medium-dark, vivid blue 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.
About DMC 312
DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss (Mouliné Spécial)
- Also sold as
- Midnight Blue
- Fiber
- 100% cotton
- Strands
- 6 strands
- Sold as
- 8 m skein
Brand Equivalents for DMC 312
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 312 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 312 (Navy Blue light) in any brand.
Similar DMC Colors to 312
Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with DMC 312
It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.
Because DMC 824 (Blue very dark) is so near (ΔE 1.53), the pair makes a natural two-step gradient — handy for shading skin, petals, or skies without a hard seam.
DMC 312 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 light turns up.
DMC 312 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 312.
Diamond painting: the same number is sold as a drill — Diamond Dotz D312, Diamond Drills USA DMC312. A kit legend or drill bag marked 312 means this color. See the diamond painting DMC chart for every code with drill availability.
Color Harmonies for DMC 312
DMC threads that pair well with 312, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Blues Family
DMC312 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.
About DMC 312
DMC 312 (Navy Blue light) is a medium-dark, vivid shade in the blues family with sky blue tones. It has a deep and vivid feel that suits hydrangea blooms and skies particularly well. Designers often pair this shade with water or denim textures for balanced palettes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does DMC 312 look like?
DMC 312 (Navy Blue light) is a medium-dark shade in the blues family with hex #23426F and RGB 35, 66, 111. Stitchers reach for it in projects featuring forget-me-nots and bluebird motifs.
Which Anchor thread matches DMC 312?
The closest Anchor match for DMC 312 (Navy Blue light) is Anchor 164 (Baby Blue Ultra Very Dark) with a 94% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 148 (Navy Blue Medium, 92%) and Anchor 170 (Blue Green Very Dark, 79%).
What DMC colors are similar to 312?
The closest DMC threads to 312 are 824 Blue very dark (ΔE 1.53), 3842 Wedgewood dark (ΔE 2.8), and 803 Baby Blue ultra very dark (ΔE 4.33). These are useful substitutes when 312 is unavailable or for building gradients.
When should I use DMC 312?
Reach for DMC 312 (Navy Blue light) when your project calls for forget-me-nots, bluebird motifs, whale designs, sapphire accents. Its medium-dark character carries both small accents and wider palette work; the harmony picks on this page show natural companions to 312.
What fabric color works best with DMC 312 (Navy Blue light)?
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, 312 has a contrast ratio of about 10.1:1 on white fabric and 2.1:1 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 312?
No. DMC 312 (Navy Blue light) 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 312?
Diamond Dotz D312 and Diamond Drills USA DMC312 carry the same number. Diamond painting adopted DMC's numbering, so a kit legend or drill bag marked 312 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 312?
Outside the main floss brands, the nearest shades we hold are Rainbow Gallery S1030 Medium Blue Violet (97%), ThreadworX 1025 Blue Navy (94%), Coats Puppets 7170 Dark medium blue (93%). Percentages are perceptual color distance between the two swatches; anything above about 93% is hard to tell apart on fabric.