DMC color chart: all 454 diamond painting colors

What the numbers and words mean

A DMC code is just an identifier - 310 is not darker than 309 because the number is higher. The words after it carry the meaning: a shade family plus how light or dark it is within that family.

• Vy Lt and Lt: the palest steps, used for highlights and skin.
• Md: the middle of the family, the shade most people picture.
• Dk and Vy Dk: the darkest steps, used for outlines and shadow.

That is why a portrait needs several codes from the same family. Swap one for a neighbouring number and the face flattens out, because the steps between light and dark disappear.

Your print will never match the drills exactly

A screen makes color with light, a printer with ink, and a drill is glossy resin that throws light back at you. Three different things, so a printed square is a guide, not a color proof. Use the chart to find the number; judge the shade against a drill you already own.

The hex value under each color is there for the same reason: it is exact, and it survives a bad print run.

Finding the codes for your own photo

Reading a chart is one thing; knowing which of these 454 colors your photo needs is another. The Pattern Studio does that part: it matches every cell against this chart, shows the codes it picked and the drill count per color, and lets you swap any color by hand. That all happens before you pay - only the printable PDF chart costs money.

• Not sure which canvas size your photo needs? The size guide works out the drill count per size.
• Want to see how much detail survives at drill scale? Put a grid over your photo first.
• Just want a quick look at your photo as a diamond painting? Use the preview maker.

Frequently asked questions