Embroidery Thread Color Matcher
Find the closest embroidery thread for every color in your logo.
Your image never leaves your device. Colors are read straight from the pixels in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
Start typing to see every code in our reference chart. A Pantone code gives you the thread; a thread code gives you the Pantone.
Get it digitized in these colors
Send the logo with your thread codes and we'll set the color sequence and density for your fabric and machine. Flat price per design (see the price list), unlimited revisions.
Upload a PNG, JPG, WEBP, GIF or SVG, or type a hex code, and the matcher suggests the nearest Madeira Polyneon and Isacord shade plus the closest Pantone reference for each color. Matching uses CIEDE2000, which compares colors the way the eye does. Everything runs in your browser.
How to match thread colors to a logo
- Start from a logo or a code. Drop a PNG, JPG, WEBP, GIF or SVG, or type a Pantone, Madeira or Isacord code, or a hex value.
- Choose how many colors to extract. Pick 4, 6, 8 or 12. Use the number of thread colors you expect in the design.
- Ignore the background. Leave "ignore white / transparent background" on unless white is part of the design.
- Find matching threads. Each extracted color gets the nearest Madeira Polyneon and Isacord shade from our reference chart, plus the closest Pantone reference.
- Review the matches. Check the ΞE badge on each match: lower numbers are closer.
- Copy or download the list. Copy the results or download a .txt file to send with your order.
- Confirm on a shade card. Check every code against a physical Madeira or Isacord shade card before production.
How the matching works
The matcher converts each color to the CIELAB color space and measures the difference to every shade in the chart with CIEDE2000, the standard formula for how different two colors look to the human eye. The smallest difference (ΞE) wins. As a rough guide, a ΞE under 1 is hard to tell apart, under 3 is very close and above 6 is a noticeable difference.
About the reference chart: it is a compact list of roughly 50 common shades each for Madeira Polyneon and Isacord, plus about 50 Pantone references, stored with approximate screen colors. It is not a full manufacturer color card, and the codes have not been checked against the manufacturers' current cards. Where we can't show a code reliably, the match shows the shade name and swatch only.
Screen color never equals stitched thread. Polyester and rayon threads have sheen, and lighting, fabric color and stitch direction all change how a color reads. Treat the result as a shortlist and confirm it on a physical shade card.
Matching a Pantone color to Madeira or Isacord
Pantone is a color reference system, not a thread. To find a thread for a brand's Pantone color, type the Pantone color's hex value into the hex box and press Match hex. You'll get the nearest Madeira Polyneon and Isacord shades in our chart.
Thread manufacturers also publish their own Pantone conversion charts. Those are made by comparing physical samples, so they can differ from a perceptual on-screen match. When a brand color matters, use the manufacturer's chart or a physical card as the final word, and give your digitizer the Pantone reference as well as the thread code.
Tips for accurate thread matching
- Use the original artwork. A vector file or the brand guidelines beat a screenshot or a compressed JPG, which adds noise and in-between colors.
- Give Pantone references to your digitizer. Named spot colors in AI or EPS files can be read in our AI & EPS viewer.
- Match the color count to the design. Set the extractor to the number of thread colors you actually want, not the number of shades in the image.
- Check against the garment. A thread that matches on white can look different on a dark polo.
- Gradients need a different approach. Smooth color blends can't be matched to single threads. See Coloreel digitizing for gradient artwork.
Thread color matcher FAQ
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Services: logo digitizing, brand color matching for uniforms and Coloreel digitizing. PlixaLabs is a trading name of Zorixo Ventures, LLC (USA) and Zorixo Ventures Ltd (England & Wales, Co. No. 15975548). Madeira, Isacord and Pantone are trademarks of their respective owners; PlixaLabs is not affiliated with them.
Get it digitized in these colors.
We sequence threads and set density for your fabric. Flat price per design, set by complexity: see the price list. Gradient artwork? Ask about Coloreel digitizing.