Gütermann retail thread sold in the US is labeled with a different set of color numbers than the wholesale versions sold on tubes, such as those available from Wawak. Gütermann Mara 100 All Purpose Thread – Tex 30 sold at Wawak is the same thread as the all-purpose thread sold in retail, but you get ten times as much as is on the small spools. So it’s a good deal to buy the larger spools of colors you use a lot.
If you ask, Wawak will email you a conversion chart so you can compare the 262 retail color numbers to the wholesale numbers. It only includes the numbers, not the retail color names, and is sorted by the retail numbers. It also looks like it has been photocopied a few times and is hard to read.
I have the wholesale 700 color thread chart, and I wanted to be able to easily convert the color numbers both ways, so I found a list of color names, added them to the list, and reformatted it. I included one page that is sorted by the retail numbers and one that is sorted by the wholesale numbers.
Here is a link to download the pdf of the new and improved Gütermann Thread Color Number Conversion Charts.
When I compared the retail thread spools that I have to the thread chart, it looks like not all of the colors are exact matches, and thread color varies a bit between dye lots, so keep that in mind, but it should get you close to the right color.
Let me know if you find any errors in the chart.
GrowYourOwnClothes Etsy Shop
Wow, this is a great chart. I compared price with buying a small spool at Joann with Wawaks and will never buy at Joann again. For the small price difference I would be better off with the larger spool as I will probably use the color again even if I only needa little this time.
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This is really helpful. Thank you for sharing!
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You are a star! Thank you. Europe uses the wholesale numbers too and I have a mix of EU and US thread so this is incredibly helpful!
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This is a great improvement!
There is a Gutermann retail thread 642 Ocean Green. It is not included on the original chart or your upgrade. I’d love to know its wholesale number.
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Luckily I have a spool of 642 Ocean Green. I would say that color 18 is the closest match from the wholesale thread chart.
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I have the wholesale/Mara color chart too. 18 belongs to 784 – Spruce, which I own too. I was thinking maybe 869..what do you think? I know, they’re SO close. I like things “just so”, what can I say?
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869 looks like it is a perfect match, but Mara 100 (which is the same weight as retail all-purpose thread) is not available in that color. You can get the Mara 30 or Mara 70 topstitch thread in color 869.
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Ooh, good eye! I believe you may be as much of a thread aficionado as I am…this chart is brilliant isn’t it? I love being able to hold a piece of fabric up to one of the actual thread samples and order it from Wawak for a perfect match!
I recently purchased a Janome HD9 which handles the heavier Mara 30 (tex 100) in the top thread and the bobbin! I like the Mara 70 (tex 40) too, a nice top stitching thread that works in most machines. I also recently learned that the retail Gütermann Extra Strong is tex 75. It only comes in 45 colors and isn’t part of the Mara line but the colors numbers are the same. Thanks!
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