Embroidery thread color chart
The Brother and Janome thread palettes with names, codes and hex values, and a matcher that finds the closest thread for any color.
Match a color
Pick a color, type a hex code or click any thread below.
Closest Brother threads
- Red#5 · #ED171FCloseΔE 10.0
- Dark Fuchsia#51 · #C70156SimilarΔE 12.0
- Amber Red#49 · #B54B64SimilarΔE 13.5
Closest Janome threads
- Cardinal Red#244 · #B10525Very closeΔE 4.9
- Burnt Orange#235 · #E3311FSimilarΔE 10.7
- Wine Red#215 · #970533SimilarΔE 12.2
Showing colors from the machine palettes stored in PES and JEF files.
Brother embroidery thread chart (64 colors)
Janome embroidery thread chart (78 colors)
How color matching works
Perceptual distance
Colors are compared with CIEDE2000, which follows how people see color differences rather than raw RGB values.
Automatic in the digitizer
When you digitize an image, every color is matched to the closest thread in the chart you choose. You can override any of them.
Brand to brand
Click any thread to see its closest equivalent in the other brand's chart.
Questions
The quickest way to see what it does with your artwork is to try it. It's free and takes about a minute.
What are these thread colors?
They're the thread palettes built into Brother PES/PEC and Janome JEF files: the colors those machines display for each thread in a design.
How do I convert a Brother thread to Janome?
Click the Brother thread in the chart. The matcher shows the closest Janome threads, ranked by how similar they look.
What does ΔE mean?
ΔE (CIEDE2000) measures how different two colors look. Below 2 is nearly impossible to tell apart, below 5 is very close, and above 20 is clearly a different color.
Are the colors exact?
Screens show colors differently and real thread has sheen, so use the chart to pick and match, then check against a physical thread card for critical brand colors.
More free tools
Keep going
- GuideEmbroidery file formats explainedWhat each machine embroidery format is, which machines read it, and how to pick and convert the right one.Read the guide
- GuideHow to prepare an image for embroidery digitizingA checklist for turning a logo or picture into artwork that digitizes cleanly.Read the guide
- Free toolEmbroidery file converterConvert PES, DST, JEF, EXP, VP3 and XXX files to any other machine format.Open
- Free toolEmbroidery file viewerOpen DST, PES, JEF and more in your browser: stitch preview, colors, size and stitch count.Open
- Free toolText to embroidery fileType a name or monogram, pick a font and download a ready-to-sew lettering file.Open
- Free toolStitch count & price calculatorEstimate stitches, sew time and price for any design size and coverage.Open
Your design, ready to stitch
Upload an image and download your embroidery file in under a minute. Free, private and no signup.