3852 — Straw very dark
Oranges family#C3801B
Below: DMC 3852 (Straw very dark), a medium, vivid orange shade with hex #C3801B and RGB 195, 128, 27. 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 3852
DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss (Mouliné Spécial)
- Also sold as
- Metallic Glitz
- Fiber
- 100% cotton
- Strands
- 6 strands
- Sold as
- 8 m skein
Brand Equivalents for DMC 3852
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 3852 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 3852 (Straw very dark) in any brand.
Similar DMC Colors to 3852
Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with DMC 3852
It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.
DMC 3852 (Straw very dark) 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.
DMC 3852 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 Straw very dark turns up.
Diamond painting: the same number is sold as a drill — Diamond Dotz D3852, Diamond Drills USA DMC3852. A kit legend or drill bag marked 3852 means this color. See the diamond painting DMC chart for every code with drill availability.
Color Harmonies for DMC 3852
DMC threads that pair well with 3852, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Oranges Family
DMC3852 in context with nearby shades from the oranges color family.
About DMC 3852
Straw very dark (catalog code DMC 3852) is a medium, vivid shade from the oranges family with golden orange tones. The confident and warm mood of this color makes it a natural fit for citrus motifs and fox designs. Expect to see it used in fall harvest scenes and monarch butterflies across many cross-stitch charts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What color is DMC 3852?
DMC 3852 is called Straw very dark. It's a medium orange shade (hex #C3801B, RGB 195, 128, 27) in the oranges family, commonly used for warm accents, seasonal designs, and similar motifs.
What's the closest Anchor match for DMC 3852?
The closest Anchor match for DMC 3852 (Straw very dark) is Anchor 907 (Gold Medium) with a 78% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 307 (Topaz Light, 70%) and Anchor 901 (Old Gold Dark, 64%).
What's a good substitute for DMC 3852?
The closest DMC threads to 3852 are 783 Topaz medium (ΔE 3.88), 729 Old Gold medium (ΔE 4.32), and 3820 Straw dark (ΔE 6.9). These are useful substitutes when 3852 is unavailable or for building gradients.
What projects use DMC 3852?
Cross-stitchers pull DMC 3852 (Straw very dark) for charts featuring warm accents, seasonal designs, pumpkins, marigolds. The medium 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 3852 (Straw very dark)?
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, 3852 has a contrast ratio of about 3.3:1 on white fabric and 6.4:1 on black. As a warm shade, its warm cast advances toward the viewer — good for focal points, highlights, and cozy, inviting palettes.
Does DMC 3852 come in a satin, metallic, or Étoile version?
Yes. The same number is made as DMC Light Effects E3852. 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 3852?
Diamond Dotz D3852 and Diamond Drills USA DMC3852 carry the same number. Diamond painting adopted DMC's numbering, so a kit legend or drill bag marked 3852 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 3852?
Outside the main floss brands, the nearest shades we hold are Soie d'Alger 2245 Feuilles Mortes (94%), Gloriana Silk Floss 095 Opulent Orange (93%), Planet Earth 031 sandstorm (92%). Percentages are perceptual color distance between the two swatches; anything above about 93% is hard to tell apart on fabric.