DMC color matcher
Find the closest DMC embroidery floss to any color. Pick a color, paste a hex code, or eyedrop a photo, and get the nearest codes ranked with CIEDE2000, the same perceptual color math Crossie uses to build charts.
Tap the photo to pick the color under your finger.
Closest DMC floss to #AE6863
How the matching works
Comparing raw RGB values is a poor way to pick thread, because equal steps in RGB do not look like equal steps to the eye. This tool converts your color and every DMC floss color into the CIE Lab color space and ranks them with the CIEDE2000 difference formula, which was designed to track how different two colors actually appear. A delta E below about 2.3 is barely noticeable in most light.
Screens and dyed cotton will never agree perfectly. Monitor calibration, lighting, and dye lots all shift the result, so treat the top matches as a shortlist and check the thread against your fabric in daylight before committing to a whole project.
Color matcher FAQ
What does the delta E number mean?
Delta E (CIEDE2000) measures how different two colors look to the human eye. Zero is identical, values under about 2.3 are barely distinguishable, and values above 5 are clearly different. Lower is better when choosing a floss.
Why not just compare RGB values?
Plain RGB distance treats all channels equally, but human vision does not. Two greens with a modest RGB gap can look nearly identical while two skin tones with the same gap look clearly different. Matching in the CIE Lab space with CIEDE2000 follows how colors actually look.
Can I match a whole photo at once?
This tool matches one color at a time. To convert an entire photo into a floss list and a stitchable chart, use the Crossie app, which matches every pixel to the DMC palette and builds the pattern for you.