321 — Christmas Red
Reds family#AC0025
Below: DMC 321 (Christmas Red), a medium-dark, highly saturated red shade with hex #AC0025 and RGB 172, 0, 37. 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.
About DMC 321
DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss (Mouliné Spécial)
- Also sold as
- Metallic Carmine Red
- Fiber
- 100% cotton
- Strands
- 6 strands
- Sold as
- 8 m skein
Brand Equivalents for DMC 321
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 321 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 321 (Christmas Red) in any brand.
Similar DMC Colors to 321
Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with DMC 321
It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.
DMC 321 (Christmas Red) is vivid enough to carry a focal point; use it sparingly for accents so it stays the star rather than competing across the whole piece.
Its nearest neighbor, DMC 347 (Salmon very dark), is barely a step away (ΔE 2.74). Tweed the two together for subtle shading, or substitute freely when one is out of stock.
DMC 321 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 Christmas Red turns up.
Diamond painting: the same number is sold as a drill — Diamond Dotz D321, Diamond Drills USA DMC321. A kit legend or drill bag marked 321 means this color. See the diamond painting DMC chart for every code with drill availability.
Color Harmonies for DMC 321
DMC threads that pair well with 321, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Reds Family
DMC321 in context with nearby shades from the reds color family.
About DMC 321
Christmas Red (catalog code DMC 321) is a medium-dark, highly saturated shade from the reds family with warm crimson tones. The strong and rich mood of this color makes it a natural fit for cardinal birds and apple motifs. Expect to see it used in ladybug designs and barn scenes across many cross-stitch charts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What color is DMC 321?
DMC 321 is called Christmas Red. It's a medium-dark red shade (hex #AC0025, RGB 172, 0, 37) in the reds family, commonly used for holiday designs, bold accents, and similar motifs.
What's the closest Anchor match for DMC 321?
The closest Anchor match for DMC 321 (Christmas Red) is Anchor 1006 (Dusty Rose Very Dark) with a 88% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 1014 (Mahogany Very Dark, 83%) and Anchor 19 (Pink Bright Ultra Very, 83%).
What's a good substitute for DMC 321?
The closest DMC threads to 321 are 347 Salmon very dark (ΔE 2.74), 817 Coral Red very dark (ΔE 3.24), and 304 Christmas Red medium (ΔE 4.72). These are useful substitutes when 321 is unavailable or for building gradients.
What projects use DMC 321?
Cross-stitchers pull DMC 321 (Christmas Red) for charts featuring holiday designs, bold accents, berries, valentines. 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 321 (Christmas Red)?
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, 321 has a contrast ratio of about 7.6:1 on white fabric and 2.8:1 on black. As a warm shade, its warm cast advances toward the viewer — good for focal points, highlights, and cozy, inviting palettes.
Does DMC 321 come in a satin, metallic, or Étoile version?
Yes. The same number is made as DMC Satin S321, DMC Light Effects E321, DMC Étoile C321. 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 321?
Diamond Dotz D321 and Diamond Drills USA DMC321 carry the same number. Diamond painting adopted DMC's numbering, so a kit legend or drill bag marked 321 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 321?
Outside the main floss brands, the nearest shades we hold are Madeira Rayon 1281 Radish (96%), Gamma 0120 т-красный (95%), Gloriana Silk Floss 237 Candy Apple Red (91%). Percentages are perceptual color distance between the two swatches; anything above about 93% is hard to tell apart on fabric.