3826 — Golden Brown
Browns family
Below: DMC 3826 (Golden Brown), a medium-dark, vivid brown shade with hex #9C4D25 and RGB 156, 77, 37. Find its closest J&P Coates, Sullivans, and Cosmo matches ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 similar DMC shades and a full set of color harmony picks.
Brand Equivalents for DMC 3826
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 Colors
Closest match to DMC 3826 in 43 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 colour 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 3826 (Golden Brown) in any brand.
Similar DMC Colors to 3826
Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with DMC 3826
It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.
Its warm mid-tone sits in the skin-tone range, so DMC 3826 (Golden Brown) turns up in portraits, figures, and faces — usually blended with a lighter and a darker neighbor for shading.
Because DMC 301 (Mahogany medium) is so near (ΔE 2.46), the pair makes a natural two-step gradient — handy for shading skin, petals, or skies without a hard seam.
DMC 3826 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 Golden Brown turns up.
DMC 3826 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 3826.
Diamond painting: the same number is sold as a drill — Diamond Dotz D3826, Diamond Drills USA AD3826. A kit legend or drill bag marked 3826 means this colour. See the diamond painting DMC chart for every code with drill availability.
Color Harmonies for DMC 3826
DMC threads that pair well with 3826, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Browns Family
DMC 3826 in context with nearby shades from the browns color family.
About DMC 3826
DMC 3826 is the floss known as Golden Brown: a vivid, medium-dark member of the browns family with warm chocolate tones. The deep and vivid character of this shade lends itself well to horse designs and cinnamon motifs. Stitchers frequently choose it for bark patterns and gingerbread themes in their projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does DMC 3826 look like?
DMC 3826 (Golden Brown) is a medium-dark shade in the browns family with hex #9C4D25 and RGB 156, 77, 37. Stitchers reach for it in projects featuring warm outlines and wooden textures.
Which Anchor thread matches DMC 3826?
The closest Anchor match for DMC 3826 (Golden Brown) is Anchor 1001 (Golden Brown) with a 85% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 349 (Chocolate Medium, 79%) and Anchor 1049 (Copper Medium Dark, 74%).
What DMC colors are similar to 3826?
The closest DMC threads to 3826 are 301 Mahogany medium (ΔE 2.46), 780 Topaz ultra very dark (ΔE 3.71), and 434 Brown light (ΔE 6.44). These are useful substitutes when 3826 is unavailable or for building gradients.
When should I use DMC 3826?
Reach for DMC 3826 (Golden Brown) when your project calls for warm outlines, wooden textures, coffee themes, rustic designs. Its medium-dark character carries both small accents and wider palette work; the harmony picks on this page show natural companions to 3826.
What fabric color works best with DMC 3826 (Golden Brown)?
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, 3826 has a contrast ratio of about 6:1 on white fabric and 3.5:1 on black. As a warm shade, its warm cast advances toward the viewer — good for focal points, highlights, and cozy, inviting palettes.
Is there a metallic or satin version of DMC 3826?
No. DMC 3826 (Golden Brown) 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 colour with two strands of the cotton.
What is the diamond painting drill code for DMC 3826?
Diamond Dotz D3826 and Diamond Drills USA AD3826 carry the same number. Diamond painting adopted DMC's numbering, so a kit legend or drill bag marked 3826 is this colour 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 3826?
Outside the main floss brands, the nearest shades we hold are Soie d'Alger 4213 Golden Brown (100%), Luca-S 396 (92%), Eterna Silk 650 Topaz Very Dark (91%). Percentages are perceptual colour distance between the two swatches; anything above about 93% is hard to tell apart on fabric.