DMC floss color chart — all 489 colors by number

Browse the complete DMC color list below — all 489 embroidery floss colors with hex codes on every swatch and full RGB values on each color's page. Search by number, name, or color family; see closest Anchor and Cosmo equivalents; track colors you own; and build palettes for your next project. Colors sampled from real DMC thread cards, not approximated digitally.

DMC color chart by number

Use the chart below to browse the full DMC floss color list — filter by color family, search by number or name, and find thread equivalents.

Need bulk conversion? Use the DMC ↔ Anchor conversion tool.

How many DMC colors are there?

Every one of them is on this page: searchable by number, name, or shade family, with a hex code on each swatch, a print-ready layout, and a free PDF or CSV to take to the shop. This chart holds DMC's standard solid range, 489 colors of six-strand mouliné spécial — the full numbered range plus Blanc, Ecru, and B5200, and the set almost every pattern means when it lists "DMC" codes.

Higher counts you see quoted elsewhere usually come from adding the specialty lines, which are separate products with their own numbering:

Add all five and you get 682, which is where inflated color counts come from. The specialty lines are not interchangeable with the solid range: variegated and metallic threads behave differently under the needle, and a pattern designed in mouliné will not shade correctly if you substitute Color Variations for a solid. Perle cotton, tapestry wool, and Soft Cotton (Retors Mat) are different products again, with their own numbering. The thread types guide covers when each one is worth using.

The chart below shows every current DMC floss color with its official number, name, and closest equivalents in Anchor, Cosmo, and other brands.

Screen colors vary. For exact matching, compare real skeins.

Track your DMC stash

Use "I own this" to mark colors you have. It saves in your browser — no account needed. Filter to "Not in inventory" before your next craft store trip.

Converting from DMC to other brands

Tap any color in the chart above to see its closest match in other brands. For full brand-to-brand conversion, see the Anchor color chart (446 colors), Cosmo color chart (500 colors), or Madeira color chart (381 colors). If you're looking for a budget alternative, Sullivans mirrors the full DMC range and prints DMC numbers on every skein, while CXC uses identical numbering at a fraction of the cost. J&P Coats is another long-established brand with its own color range. For metallic accents, Kreinik (kreinik.com) is the standard — patterns that call for DMC Light Effects can usually be stitched with the equivalent Kreinik Blending Filament or #4 Braid instead.

For a deeper read on the DMC vs Anchor choice specifically, see our DMC vs Anchor guide. Need bulk DMC ↔ Anchor conversion? Use the conversion tool. And once you've picked the colors, run your stitch count through the cross stitch fabric calculator to size the finished piece on Aida, evenweave, or linen.

DMC numbers reach beyond floss: they're also the universal color language for diamond painting drills. If your codes come from a kit legend or drill bags rather than skeins, the DMC color chart for diamond painting shows the same range with drill availability marked. Working from a photograph instead of a kit? The photo to diamond painting converter maps an image straight onto DMC-numbered drills, so the legend you get back uses the same codes as the chart above.

Related tools

• Anchor color chart — Browse all 446 Anchor stranded cotton colors
• Cosmo color chart — Browse all 500 Cosmo embroidery floss colors
• Madeira color chart — Browse all 381 Madeira embroidery thread colors
• DMC ↔ Anchor conversion — Convert thread codes between DMC and Anchor
• DMC ↔ Madeira conversion — Convert thread codes between DMC and Madeira
• Cross stitch fabric calculator — Calculate finished size and fabric requirements
• Image to thread palette — Match a photo to DMC colors and get a thread list
• Photo to cross stitch converter — See exactly what you'll stitch before you buy thread
• Photo to diamond painting — Turn a photo into a drill chart numbered in DMC codes
• Cross stitch pattern maker — Design original patterns from scratch
• Aida count guide — How fabric count affects finished size, detail, and thread strand recommendations
• Thread types guide — Stranded cotton, hand-dyed, metallic, silk — which thread for which project

About DMC embroidery floss

is the most widely used embroidery thread brand, and its color numbers have become the default language of cross stitch patterns. Several other brands — including Sullivans and CXC — use DMC-compatible numbering, printing the equivalent DMC code right on their labels. Hand-dyed brands like Weeks Dye Works (

), Classic Colorworks, and The Gentle Art publish DMC conversion charts so stitchers can substitute when needed. Each skein is six-strand divisible cotton floss — colorfast and consistent batch-to-batch.

Quick reference: White is BLANC (or B5200 for bright white), Ecru is ECRU, Black is 310. DMC codes loosely cluster by hue (500s tend to be greens, 800s blues) but there are plenty of exceptions.

Choosing colors for a pattern usually starts with either automatic matching (the converter matches your photo to the closest DMC threads) or manual browsing (filtering this chart by color family and comparing options). For skin tones, the 400–3860 range is the standard starting point. For greens, the 500s cluster but 3345–3348 are often better for natural foliage. When in doubt, buy candidate skeins and compare them against your fabric in the light you'll stitch under — screens lie, especially for muted tones.

Once your palette is set, the cross stitch pattern maker turns those DMC colors into a stitchable chart — draw an original design from scratch or generate one from a photo, then export a printable PDF with symbols and a full thread list.