Short answer: of 119,316 possible pairs, 44 are closer than a color difference of 2, which is hard to tell apart side by side. 63 of the 489 colors have a near twin like that, so most colors do not. The typical color's nearest neighbor is 3.6 away, close enough to swap in a small area but visible in a large one.
How we measured, and what to be careful about
We took the color value of every DMC thread from the open craft-color-codes data and compared every pair with the CIEDE2000 color difference formula, the same one our pattern maker uses. A lower number means closer colors.
These are screen values, not lab measurements of real thread. They come from a community data set, and real floss also has sheen and dye lots. Two threads close in this table may differ in person, so use it to shortlist a substitute, then hold the real skeins together in daylight before you buy a lot of one.
The 20 closest pairs
| Thread | Closest match | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| 732 Olive Green | 731 Olive Green Dark | 0.44 |
| 894 Carnation Very Light | 776 Pink Medium | 0.59 |
| 225 Shell Pink Ultra Very Light | 967 Apricot Very Light | 0.65 |
| 3833 Raspberry Light | 3733 Dusty Rose | 0.71 |
| 3706 Melon Medium | 604 Cranberry Light | 0.74 |
| 3865 Winter White | 3866 Mocha Brown Ultra Very Light | 1.01 |
| 3326 Rose Light | 776 Pink Medium | 1.09 |
| 3782 Mocha Brown Light | 842 Beige Brown Very Light | 1.20 |
| 24 White Lavender | 25 Lavender Ultra Light | 1.26 |
| 818 Baby Pink | 967 Apricot Very Light | 1.30 |
| 3849 Teal Green Light | 3851 Green Bright Light | 1.32 |
| 3781 Mocha Brown Dark | 839 Beige Brown Dark | 1.32 |
| 3354 Dusty Rose Light | 3688 Mauve Medium | 1.33 |
| 3072 Beaver Gray Very Light | 762 Pearl Gray Very Light | 1.38 |
| 415 Pearl Gray | 02 Tin | 1.40 |
| 966 Jade Ultra Very Light | 3813 Blue Green Light | 1.41 |
| 894 Carnation Very Light | 3326 Rose Light | 1.45 |
| 740 Tangerine | 970 Pumpkin Light | 1.45 |
| 958 Sea Green Dark | 3851 Green Bright Light | 1.47 |
| 168 Pewter Very Light | 02 Tin | 1.53 |
Near the top, some pairs have very similar names, while others cross color families, such as pinks and apricots. If you find that a pair looks clearly different in real thread, let us know and we will note it.
How many near matches are there?
| Color difference under | Pairs of DMC colors |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5 |
| 2 | 44 |
| 3 | 122 |
| 5 | 519 |
Colors with no close match
These are the hardest to replace. Their nearest DMC neighbor is the furthest away:
| Thread | Distance to nearest color |
|---|---|
| 32 Blueberry Dark | 10.4 |
| 310 Black | 8.7 |
| 154 Grape Very Dark | 8.7 |
| 926 Gray Green Medium | 8.6 |
| 3371 Black Brown | 8.5 |
If one of these is in your chart, it is worth tracking down the exact number. Every free pattern on this site lists the nearest other DMC for each of its colors, and the DMC color chart shows the five closest for any thread.
How beads compare with floss
Bead ranges are much smaller than the DMC range, so turning a floss chart into beads loses more color. For each DMC color we found the nearest bead color:
| Beads | Colors | Typical difference | DMC colors matched under 3 | DMC colors over 10 away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perler | 103 | 6.1 | 43 | 50 |
| Hama | 92 | 7.0 | 39 | 66 |
That is why our bead pattern maker matches your picture to bead colors directly, instead of converting a floss chart.