DMC Mouliné Spécial

ECRU — Ecru

Oranges family

Looking up DMC ECRU? It's a light orange shade (#EDDEC4 / RGB 237, 222, 196). Scroll down for Cosmo, Classic Colorworks, and Weeks Dye Works equivalents ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 close DMC alternatives and curated color harmonies.

Hex
#EDDEC4
RGB
237, 222, 196
HSL
38°, 53%, 85%
Lab
89.0, 1.0, 14.6
Lightness
85%
Very light
Saturation
53%
Rich
Hue
38°
Family
Oranges

Brand Equivalents for DMC ECRU

Top 5 closest matches in each brand, ranked by visual color similarity.How matching works

DMC ECRUEcru

Closest match to DMC ECRU in 43 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 colour distance: 93% and up is hard to tell apart, under 75% is a visible shift.

More stranded cotton

Luca-S44591% Good
Riolis99891% Good
Finca8140 Beige Brown ultra very light89% Good
Dimensions6739 Tan ultra very light88% Good
Ariadna179086% Good
PNK Kirov010485% Good
Gamma3187 молочный82% Fair

Hand-dyed & overdyed

The Gentle Art1160 Adobe95% Best
Needle Necessities8166 Pampas Grass88% Good
Olde Willow221 Hannah Beige86% Good
Caron161 Seashell84% Fair
ThreadworX1030 Butter Cream75% Fair
The Gentle Art Simply Shaker8011 Antique Lace72% Approx
Classic Colorworks SilkIcing70% Approx
Crescent Colors Silk055 Icing68% Approx
Dinky Dyes83 Peach Melba45% Approx

Silk

Soie d'AlgerCreme100% Best
Eterna Silk20 Ecru93% Best
Kreinik Silk Mori713 Light Pecan89% Good
Vineyard Silk109 Bright White85% Good
YLI Silk239 Natural76% Fair
Silk and Ivory220 Straw72% Approx
Kimono Silk373 White Rice50% Approx

Wool for needlepoint

Appleton991B Bright White77% Fair

Metallic, rayon & specialty

Kreinik743 Oystershell lt90% Good
Rainbow GalleryW63 Beige Heather pl88% Good
Anchor Marlitt1212 Cream85% Good
Madeira Rayon1072 Aspen White85% Good
Coats Rayon256 Natural76% Fair
Petite Treasure BraidPB23 Snow67% Approx
Glissen Gloss406 Gold63% Approx

Other threads & beads

Planet Earth097 cloud89% Good
Coats Puppets8275 8275Puppets83% Fair
Mill Hill Beads6204080% Fair
Planet Earth Pepperpot002 salt49% Approx

Fuse beads

PerlerP81 Light Gray88% Good
CocoY0483% Fair
MARDM483% Fair
Artkal SSP8 Pearlescent White76% Fair
HamaH77 Beige64% Approx

Yarn for crochet & knitting

Bernat Super Value53010 Oatmeal91% Good
Caron One Pound10589 Cream81% Fair
Red Heart Super Saver0320 Cornmeal68% Approx

Need the runners-up, or a whole pattern converted? The thread conversion chart ranks every alternative for DMC ECRU (Ecru) in any brand.

Similar DMC Colors to ECRU

Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.

Working with DMC ECRU

On white fabric
1.3:1
On dark fabric
15.8:1
Temperature
warm
Closest to
cream

It reads best on black or dark fabric and can wash out on white, so reach for a dark or mid-tone ground.

Skin tones & portraits

DMC ECRU falls where flesh tones live; portrait and figure charts lean on shades like it, graded against nearby lighter and darker threads for natural shadow.

Blending & gradients

DMC ECRU sits a hair from DMC 712 (Cream) (ΔE 2.8) — close enough to blend a strand of each for a smooth gradient or to swap one for the other in a pinch.

DMC ECRU 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 Ecru turns up.

DMC Étoile CECRU — EcruCotton with a subtle sparkle filament; stitches like regular floss.#d6d4c4

Diamond painting: the same number is sold as a drill — Diamond Dotz DECRU, Diamond Drills USA ADECRU. A kit legend or drill bag marked ECRU means this colour. See the diamond painting DMC chart for every code with drill availability.

Color Harmonies for DMC ECRU

DMC threads that pair well with ECRU, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading

Oranges Family

DMC ECRU in context with nearby shades from the oranges color family.

About DMC ECRU

Meet DMC ECRU — a vivid, light hand-dyed thread in the oranges family with golden orange tones. The shade reads as gentle and clear — a go-to choice for autumn leaves and sunsets. It also turns up in patterns built around warm accents and seasonal designs.

Frequently Asked Questions

DMC ECRU — what color is it?

DMC ECRU is a light orange thread (hex #EDDEC4, RGB 237, 222, 196). It shows up most in citrus motifs and fox designs.

What is the Anchor equivalent of DMC ECRU?

The closest Anchor match for DMC ECRU is Anchor 885 (Yellow Beige Very Light) with a 87% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 276 (Coffee Ultra Very Light, 84%) and Anchor 1011 (Peach Flesh Very Light, 79%).

Which DMC threads are close to ECRU?

The closest DMC threads to ECRU are 712 Cream (ΔE 2.8), 822 Beige Grey light (ΔE 3.37), and 3866 Mocha Brown ultra very light (ΔE 3.85). These are useful substitutes when ECRU is unavailable or for building gradients.

What is DMC ECRU good for?

DMC ECRU is commonly used in cross-stitch projects featuring citrus motifs, fox designs, fall harvest scenes, monarch butterflies. Its light tone works well for standalone motifs and as part of larger palettes. This page includes color harmonies and similar shades to pair with ECRU.

What fabric color works best with DMC ECRU?

It reads best on black or dark fabric and can wash out on white, so reach for a dark or mid-tone ground. For reference, ECRU has a contrast ratio of about 1.3:1 on white fabric and 15.8:1 on black. As a warm shade, its warm cast advances toward the viewer — good for focal points, highlights, and cozy, inviting palettes.

Does DMC ECRU come in a satin, metallic, or Étoile version?

Yes. The same number is made as DMC Étoile CECRU. The base shade is matched across the lines, but the fibre 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 ECRU?

Diamond Dotz DECRU and Diamond Drills USA ADECRU carry the same number. Diamond painting adopted DMC's numbering, so a kit legend or drill bag marked ECRU is this colour 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 ECRU?

Outside the main floss brands, the nearest shades we hold are Soie d'Alger Creme (100%), The Gentle Art 1160 Adobe (95%), Eterna Silk 20 Ecru (93%). Percentages are perceptual colour distance between the two swatches; anything above about 93% is hard to tell apart on fabric.