517 — Wedgewood dark
Blues family#236391
DMC 517 (Wedgewood dark) is a medium-dark, vivid blue shade with hex code #236391 and RGB values 35, 99, 145. Below you'll find the closest Valdani, Crescent Colors, and Anchor equivalents — ranked by visual color similarity — plus 8 similar DMC shades and color harmony pairings.
About DMC 517
DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss (Mouliné Spécial)
- Also sold as
- Nautical Blue
- Fiber
- 100% cotton
- Strands
- 6 strands
- Sold as
- 8 m skein
Brand Equivalents for DMC 517
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 517 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 517 (Wedgewood dark) in any brand.
Similar DMC Colors to 517
Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with DMC 517
It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.
DMC 517 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 Wedgewood dark turns up.
DMC 517 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 517.
Diamond painting: the same number is sold as a drill — Diamond Dotz D517, Diamond Drills USA DMC517. A kit legend or drill bag marked 517 means this color. See the diamond painting DMC chart for every code with drill availability.
Color Harmonies for DMC 517
DMC threads that pair well with 517, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Blues Family
DMC517 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.
About DMC 517
A medium-dark, vivid entry in the blues family, DMC 517 carries the name Wedgewood dark with sky blue tones. Its strong and rich presence shines in porcelain patterns and hydrangea blooms alike. Pull this thread for skies or water when you need a dependable shade.
Frequently Asked Questions
What color is DMC 517?
DMC 517 is called Wedgewood dark. It's a medium-dark blue shade (hex #236391, RGB 35, 99, 145) in the blues family, commonly used for winter scenes, forget-me-nots, and similar motifs.
What's the closest Anchor match for DMC 517?
The closest Anchor match for DMC 517 (Wedgewood dark) is Anchor 162 (Baby Blue Very Dark) with a 80% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 169 (Blue Green Dark, 68%) and Anchor 979 (Blue Very Dark, 67%).
What's a good substitute for DMC 517?
The closest DMC threads to 517 are 826 Blue medium (ΔE 3.71), 3760 Wedgewood (806) (ΔE 4.49), and 322 Baby Blue dark (ΔE 5.31). These are useful substitutes when 517 is unavailable or for building gradients.
What projects use DMC 517?
Cross-stitchers pull DMC 517 (Wedgewood dark) for charts featuring winter scenes, forget-me-nots, bluebird motifs, whale designs. 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 517 (Wedgewood 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, 517 has a contrast ratio of about 6.4:1 on white fabric and 3.3:1 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 517?
No. DMC 517 (Wedgewood dark) 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 517?
Diamond Dotz D517 and Diamond Drills USA DMC517 carry the same number. Diamond painting adopted DMC's numbering, so a kit legend or drill bag marked 517 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 517?
Outside the main floss brands, the nearest shades we hold are ThreadworX 11382 Blue Swirl (94%), PNK Kirov 3011 (93%), Ariadna 1655 (90%). Percentages are perceptual color distance between the two swatches; anything above about 93% is hard to tell apart on fabric.