DMC to J&P Coats Conversion Chart

About J&P Coats Embroidery Floss

J&P Coats has one of the longest histories in American thread manufacturing. The Coats & Clark brand dates back to the 19th century, and their embroidery floss has been a staple in American sewing baskets for generations. Today, J&P Coats thread is most commonly found in big-box craft retailers like Walmart and Joann, making it one of the most accessible embroidery thread brands in the United States. For many American stitchers, it's the thread they learned on — affordable, consistent, and always on the shelf when you need it.

The quality of J&P Coats thread is reliable and predictable. It's a six-strand mercerized cotton floss that divides cleanly and works well on both Aida and evenweave fabrics. The twist and weight are comparable to DMC, so patterns designed for DMC will work without modification when using J&P Coats equivalents. Coverage is consistent, and the thread holds up well to the repeated pulling through fabric that counted cross-stitch demands.

The most meaningful difference between J&P Coats and DMC is in the color range. J&P Coats offers a more limited palette than DMC's 500-plus colors — their catalog covers the most popular color families thoroughly but doesn't include every specialty shade. Some very dark or very light values, as well as some niche specialty colors, simply have no J&P Coats equivalent. For patterns that call for only mainstream colors, the conversion will be seamless. For patterns with unusual colors or many close-value shades within a single color family, you may find some colors are only an approximate match.

One practical note on J&P Coats numbering: their thread numbers use a different system from DMC, typically four digits starting with numbers like 1000s through 9000s. The numbers don't correspond in any predictable way to DMC's system, so a conversion chart is essential. If you're working from a vintage American pattern that was written using J&P Coats numbers, this chart will help you identify the DMC equivalent so you can use whichever brand you prefer. The conversion works both ways.