831 — Golden Olive medium
Browns family#785C25
DMC 831 — Golden Olive medium — has hex #785C25 and RGB 120, 92, 37. This medium-dark, vivid brown thread sits alongside its closest Classic Colorworks, Weeks Dye Works, and Gentle Art Sampler matches below, with 8 similar DMC shades and a panel of color harmonies for palette planning.
About DMC 831
DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss (Mouliné Spécial)
- Also sold as
- Bronze
- Fiber
- 100% cotton
- Strands
- 6 strands
- Sold as
- 8 m skein
Brand Equivalents for DMC 831
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 831 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 831 (Golden Olive medium) in any brand.
Similar DMC Colors to 831
Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with DMC 831
It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.
DMC 831 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 Olive medium turns up.
DMC 831 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 831.
Diamond painting: the same number is sold as a drill — Diamond Dotz D831, Diamond Drills USA DMC831. A kit legend or drill bag marked 831 means this color. See the diamond painting DMC chart for every code with drill availability.
Color Harmonies for DMC 831
DMC threads that pair well with 831, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Browns Family
DMC831 in context with nearby shades from the browns color family.
About DMC 831
Golden Olive medium (catalog code DMC 831) is a medium-dark, vivid shade from the browns family with golden brown tones. It has a strong and rich feel that suits earth tones and animal fur particularly well. Designers often pair this shade with warm outlines or wooden textures for balanced palettes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What color is DMC 831?
DMC 831 is called Golden Olive medium. It's a medium-dark brown shade (hex #785C25, RGB 120, 92, 37) in the browns family, commonly used for horse designs, cinnamon motifs, and similar motifs.
What's the closest Anchor match for DMC 831?
The closest Anchor match for DMC 831 (Golden Olive medium) is Anchor 281 (Yellow Green Dark) with a 74% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 924 (Yellow Green Very Dark, 65%) and Anchor 845 (Khaki Green Medium Dark, 63%).
What's a good substitute for DMC 831?
The closest DMC threads to 831 are 731 Olive Green Dark (ΔE 5.55), 732 Olive Green (731) (ΔE 6.01), and 611 Drab Brown (ΔE 6.89). These are useful substitutes when 831 is unavailable or for building gradients.
What projects use DMC 831?
Cross-stitchers pull DMC 831 (Golden Olive medium) for charts featuring horse designs, cinnamon motifs, bark patterns, gingerbread themes. 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 831 (Golden Olive medium)?
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, 831 has a contrast ratio of about 6.3:1 on white fabric and 3.4:1 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 831?
No. DMC 831 (Golden Olive medium) 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 831?
Diamond Dotz D831 and Diamond Drills USA DMC831 carry the same number. Diamond painting adopted DMC's numbering, so a kit legend or drill bag marked 831 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 831?
Outside the main floss brands, the nearest shades we hold are Kimono Silk 307 Tuscan Sun (100%), Planet Earth 036 lion (95%), Artkal C C111 Oaktree Brown (93%). Percentages are perceptual color distance between the two swatches; anything above about 93% is hard to tell apart on fabric.