820 — Royal Blue very dark
Blues family#202063
Need details on DMC 820? This medium-dark, vivid blue shade (Royal Blue very dark) is hex #202063, RGB 32, 32, 99. Cross-brand equivalents in Madeira, J&P Coates, and Sullivans are listed below — ranked by perceptual similarity — alongside 8 nearby DMC shades and color-theory harmony pairings.
About DMC 820
DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss (Mouliné Spécial)
- Also sold as
- Royal Blue
- Fiber
- 100% cotton
- Strands
- 6 strands
- Sold as
- 8 m skein
Brand Equivalents for DMC 820
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 820 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 820 (Royal Blue very dark) in any brand.
Similar DMC Colors to 820
Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with DMC 820
It pops on white and light fabric but nearly disappears on black, so pair it with a light or neutral ground.
DMC 820 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 Royal Blue very dark turns up.
Diamond painting: the same number is sold as a drill — Diamond Dotz D820, Diamond Drills USA DMC820. A kit legend or drill bag marked 820 means this color. See the diamond painting DMC chart for every code with drill availability.
Color Harmonies for DMC 820
DMC threads that pair well with 820, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Blues Family
DMC820 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.
About DMC 820
Known as Royal Blue very dark, DMC 820 is a medium-dark, vivid shade sitting in the blues family with deep blue tones. With a intense and saturated quality, this thread works beautifully in cool-toned backgrounds and nautical themes. You will find this color at home in patterns featuring winter scenes and forget-me-nots.
Frequently Asked Questions
DMC 820 — what color is it?
The color of DMC 820 is Royal Blue very dark — a medium-dark blue thread (hex #202063, RGB 32, 32, 99). It shows up most in porcelain patterns and hydrangea blooms.
What is the Anchor equivalent of DMC 820?
The closest Anchor match for DMC 820 (Royal Blue very dark) is Anchor 134 (Sky Blue Ultra Dark) with a 77% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 149 (Navy Blue Medium Dark, 71%) and Anchor 178 (Cornflower Blue Very D, 69%).
Which DMC threads are close to 820?
The closest DMC threads to 820 are 796 Royal Blue dark (ΔE 3.55), 791 Cornflower Blue very dark (ΔE 3.81), and 158 Cornflower Blue medium (ΔE 5.33). These are useful substitutes when 820 is unavailable or for building gradients.
What is DMC 820 good for?
DMC 820 (Royal Blue very dark) is commonly used in cross-stitch projects featuring porcelain patterns, hydrangea blooms, skies, water. Its medium-dark tone works well for standalone motifs and as part of larger palettes. This page includes color harmonies and similar shades to pair with 820.
What fabric color works best with DMC 820 (Royal Blue very dark)?
It pops on white and light fabric but nearly disappears on black, so pair it with a light or neutral ground. For reference, 820 has a contrast ratio of about 14.5:1 on white fabric and 1.4:1 on black. As a cool shade, its cool cast recedes visually — useful for backgrounds, shadows, water and sky, and calm, restful palettes.
Does DMC 820 come in a satin, metallic, or Étoile version?
Yes. The same number is made as DMC Satin S820, DMC Étoile C820. 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 820?
Diamond Dotz D820 and Diamond Drills USA DMC820 carry the same number. Diamond painting adopted DMC's numbering, so a kit legend or drill bag marked 820 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 820?
Outside the main floss brands, the nearest shades we hold are Mill Hill Beads 16612 (94%), Ariadna 1609 (92%), Madeira Rayon 1343 Grape Juice (92%). Percentages are perceptual color distance between the two swatches; anything above about 93% is hard to tell apart on fabric.