612 — Drab Brown light
Browns family#99815A
Below: DMC 612 (Drab Brown light), a medium, muted brown shade with hex #99815A and RGB 153, 129, 90. 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.
About DMC 612
DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss (Mouliné Spécial)
- Also sold as
- Jute
- Fiber
- 100% cotton
- Strands
- 6 strands
- Sold as
- 8 m skein
Brand Equivalents for DMC 612
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 612 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 612 (Drab Brown light) in any brand.
Similar DMC Colors to 612
Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with DMC 612
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 612 (Drab Brown light) turns up in portraits, figures, and faces — usually blended with a lighter and a darker neighbor for shading.
DMC 612 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 Drab Brown light turns up.
DMC 612 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 612.
Diamond painting: the same number is sold as a drill — Diamond Dotz D612, Diamond Drills USA DMC612. A kit legend or drill bag marked 612 means this color. See the diamond painting DMC chart for every code with drill availability.
Color Harmonies for DMC 612
DMC threads that pair well with 612, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Browns Family
DMC612 in context with nearby shades from the browns color family.
About DMC 612
DMC 612 is the floss known as Drab Brown light: a muted, medium member of the browns family with golden brown tones. The warm and grounded character of this shade lends itself well to animal fur and warm outlines. Stitchers frequently choose it for wooden textures and coffee themes in their projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does DMC 612 look like?
DMC 612 (Drab Brown light) is a medium shade in the browns family with hex #99815A and RGB 153, 129, 90. Stitchers reach for it in projects featuring cinnamon motifs and bark patterns.
Which Anchor thread matches DMC 612?
The closest Anchor match for DMC 612 (Drab Brown light) is Anchor 855 (Avocado Medium) with a 90% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 832 (Drab Brown Medium, 73%) and Anchor 1085 (Taupe Dark, 73%).
What DMC colors are similar to 612?
The closest DMC threads to 612 are 3032 Mocha Brown medium (ΔE 4.05), 371 Mustard (ΔE 4.84), and 642 Beige Grey dark (ΔE 5.03). These are useful substitutes when 612 is unavailable or for building gradients.
When should I use DMC 612?
Reach for DMC 612 (Drab Brown light) when your project calls for cinnamon motifs, bark patterns, gingerbread themes, tree trunks. Its medium character carries both small accents and wider palette work; the harmony picks on this page show natural companions to 612.
What fabric color works best with DMC 612 (Drab Brown 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, 612 has a contrast ratio of about 3.7:1 on white fabric and 5.6:1 on black. As a soft 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 612?
No. DMC 612 (Drab Brown 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 612?
Diamond Dotz D612 and Diamond Drills USA DMC612 carry the same number. Diamond painting adopted DMC's numbering, so a kit legend or drill bag marked 612 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 612?
Outside the main floss brands, the nearest shades we hold are Caron 1142 Golden Brown (92%), ThreadworX 1114 Caramel Candy (90%), Rainbow Gallery H603 Gold dk (89%). Percentages are perceptual color distance between the two swatches; anything above about 93% is hard to tell apart on fabric.