How to Find the DMC Number on a Diamond Painting Chart

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How to Find the DMC Number on a Diamond Painting Chart

If you need replacement drills, the most important piece of information is the DMC color number. This guide shows you which number to look for—and which number not to use.

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Start With the Color Chart or Legend From Your Kit

Your diamond painting kit should include a chart or legend that connects each canvas symbol with a color. Manufacturers format these charts differently, but the DMC number is usually printed immediately after the chart symbol.

Quick identification rule: standard numbered DMC colors use 3- or 4-digit codes. Four-digit DMC numbers begin with 3.
PHOTO PLACEHOLDER — HIGH PRIORITYAnnotated real kit chart. Use arrows to label: Kit Color # → Canvas Symbol → DMC Number. Show an example where the first column is sequentially numbered so customers can see why “7” is not the DMC number.

Step by Step: Which Number Is the DMC Code?

  1. Find the symbol on the canvas for the color you need.
  2. Find that same symbol on your kit’s chart or legend.
  3. Look immediately after the symbol for the color code.
  4. Look for a 3- or 4-digit number. Four-digit DMC codes begin with 3.
  5. Use that DMC number when ordering your replacement drills.

Do Not Confuse the Kit’s Row Number With the DMC Number

Many diamond painting charts number the colors in simple sequence:

12345

Those numbers may simply mean “first color,” “second color,” “third color” and so on. They show how many colors are in the kit. They are not necessarily DMC numbers.

Kit #SymbolDMCWhat you order by
1●310310
2▲666666
3★37553755

The table above is an illustrative example of chart layout, not a claim about any specific manufacturer’s symbols.

What If My Chart Does Not Show DMC Numbers?

Some diamond painting companies use their own color codes instead of printing standard DMC numbers. In that case, do not assume the manufacturer’s code is a DMC number.

Where a reliable conversion exists, a brand-to-DMC reference can help. DPD is developing verified conversion resources for commonly encountered manufacturer codes.

Until a conversion is verified: do not guess. Ordering the wrong code is more frustrating than taking a little extra time to identify the color correctly.

What If I No Longer Have the Chart?

If you still have some of the original drills, take several drills to a local craft store and compare them with physical DMC embroidery floss. A printed DMC color chart is another useful reference.

We recommend matching against a physical reference rather than a website, phone or monitor. Screen brightness, display calibration, photography and lighting can all change the apparent color.

DPD does not identify a DMC color from a photo. A photograph is not reliable enough for an exact replacement-drill match.

One More Thing: Dye Lots Can Still Vary

Finding the correct DMC number is essential, but it does not guarantee that drills from different manufacturers or production batches will be visually identical.

Learn why dye lots and manufacturers can create small color differences →

Found your DMC number?

Now confirm whether your kit uses round or square drills and choose the replacement color you need.

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