DMC cross stitch chart maker
Match every stitch to a DMC number, give each color a symbol and count your skeins.
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Fine tuning
Color tools
DMC colors used (0)
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Updating…- Grid
- 120 × 120 stitches
- Stitches
- 0
- DMC colors
- 0
- Skeins to buy
- 0
- Finished size
- 8.57 × 8.57 in
- 21.8 × 21.8 cm
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- Cut fabric
- 14.57 × 14.57 in
- 37.0 × 37.0 cm
- Frame
- 14 in hoop
- Stitching time
- 0 hours
- Unstitched cells
- 0
- Islands under 10
- 0
- Stitches merged
- 0
- Edits · backstitch lines
- 0 · 0
Open one and edit it
Finished examples
The wreath opens in Color + Symbols, with its palette ready to inspect.
Steps
Building a DMC chart
- Load your pictureUpload an image or start from the Floral Wreath sample.
- Set a color capThe chart keeps the most-used DMC colors and folds rarer ones into their nearest match.
- Check the paletteEach color shows its swatch, symbol, DMC number and share of the stitches.
- Swap and highlightReplace any number across the chart, or dim all but one color to find it.
Use cases
When a DMC chart helps
ΔE2000 vs plain RGB
How DMC matching works
Lower ΔE means a closer match to the eye.
| Picture color | By ΔE2000 | ΔE | By RGB distance | ΔE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheek blush | DMC 21 | 2.8 | DMC 152 | 5.0 |
| Denim blue | DMC 803 | 5.4 | DMC 930 | 6.2 |
| Olive leaf | DMC 937 | 3.4 | DMC 469 | 4.8 |
| Warm gray | DMC 646 | 5.4 | DMC 3022 | 9.8 |
| Plum shadow | DMC 327 | 6.2 | DMC 844 | 18.7 |
| Berry | DMC 150 | 3.8 | DMC 917 | 5.9 |
Both columns search the same 505 colors, and the ΔE column scores each pick the same way. Plain RGB distance picks a different thread in all six rows, and its pick is further off every time. The gap is largest on dark, muted colors like plum shadow.
The thread
DMC Mouliné basics
DMC Mouliné is six-strand cotton floss sold in 8 m skeins. You separate the strands and stitch with one to three, depending on the fabric. Each color has a number: most run from 150 to 3866, and shades 01 to 35 were added later.
Three names sit outside the numbers. Blanc is the standard white, B5200 is the brighter Snow White, and ECRU is a warm off-white. The library has 505 entries: the 489 on the current card plus exclusives 3880 to 3895, which use the hex of their listed replacement.
Hex values are approximate screen colors from MakeBead’s craft-color-codes data (CC BY 4.0). DMC is a trademark of its owner. dmcpatternmaker.com is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by DMC. Floss colors are screen approximations.
From the built-in library
20 DMC colors stitchers reach for
Common staples for outlines, skin tones, foliage and white highlights.
| DMC | Name | Screen hex |
|---|---|---|
| 310 | Black | #000000 |
| Blanc | White | #FFFFFF |
| B5200 | Snow White | #FFFFFF |
| ECRU | Ecru | #F0EADA |
| 666 | Bright Red | #E31D42 |
| 321 | Red | #C72B3B |
| 498 | Red Dark | #A7132B |
| 815 | Garnet Medium | #87071F |
| 797 | Royal Blue | #13477D |
| 820 | Royal Blue Very Dark | #0E365C |
| 3799 | Pewter Gray Very Dark | #424242 |
| 317 | Pewter Gray | #6C6C6C |
| 318 | Steel Gray Light | #ABABAB |
| 415 | Pearl Gray | #D3D3D6 |
| 762 | Pearl Gray Very Light | #ECECEC |
| 437 | Tan Light | #E4BB8E |
| 725 | Topaz Medium Light | #FFC840 |
| 702 | Kelly Green | #47A72F |
| 699 | Green | #056517 |
| 3865 | Winter White | #F9F7F1 |
Design rules
Symbols for black and white printing
This cross stitch symbol chart generator uses a fixed set of 90 shapes. Solid shapes come first, because they read best at 3.6 mm and go to the colors you stitch most. Outlines, half fills, lines and dots follow.
There are no letter pairs such as O and 0 or l and 1. Every shape was compared against all 89 others on a 16 × 16 grid to confirm that they differ in ink, not color. The same outlines appear on screen, in the PDF font and in the SVG.
FAQ
Common questions
How many DMC colors are in the library?
The library holds 505 numbers: the 489 on the current Mouliné card, including Blanc, B5200, ECRU and the shades 01 to 35, plus the 16 exclusive numbers 3880 to 3895. Those 16 borrow the screen color of the replacement listed for each one.
Are the hex colors exact?
No. Hex values are widely published screen approximations, and thread sheen, dye lots and your monitor all change what you see. They are good enough to plan a palette. Check important colors against a physical DMC shade card before buying.
What is the difference between Blanc, B5200 and ECRU?
Blanc is DMC’s standard white. B5200 is Snow White, a brighter optical white. ECRU is a warm off-white. Blanc and B5200 share the same hex here, so automatic matching picks Blanc first, and you can swap to B5200 by hand.
Why does the maker use ΔE2000 instead of RGB distance?
RGB distance treats all color directions equally, but your eyes do not. It can choose a thread that is numerically close yet visibly wrong, especially in skin tones and dark blues. ΔE2000 weighs lightness, chroma and hue the way people perceive them.
How do symbols work in a cross stitch symbol chart generator?
The most-used color gets the first symbol, then down the list by stitch count, so the plainest shapes cover the most stitches. All 90 shapes are drawn to stay distinct in black ink. No color depends on hue alone to be read.
Can I replace one DMC color across the whole chart?
Yes. Open Color tools, choose the color to replace, type any DMC number and press Swap color. The new number can be one the chart does not use yet. An unknown number is rejected with a message and nothing changes. Undo restores the old color.
How many skeins does the estimate assume?
A DMC Mouliné skein is 8 m of six-strand floss. The estimate divides your floss length by 8 m and rounds up to whole skeins, with at least 1 per color. The figures include a 50 % allowance for tails and travel between stitches.
Is a free DMC color list included?
You can look up any DMC number for free on this page and see the top colors of your chart with exact floss. The full per-color shopping list with stitches, strands and skeins for every color sits in the Pro pattern book legend.
The family