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There is only a very slight difference between the two. In European countries and those that source their DMC from Europe certain dyes were banned and certain DMC colours were 'retired', 781 being one of them. 782 is considered a suitable replacement for 781 which is why it has (781) on it. America still has both numbers in circulation which is where HAED produce their charts which is why they sometimes both appear in a chart.

On the BB when this topic comes up they usually say that you can just use the available number for both symbols. If you really want to use two different colours a US website or US floss fairy would be the answer.

Wow I had no idea the colors were retired because of dye restrictions... I wonder what was in the dye that made Europe want it banned!
Faith

I'm glad I read this one as I have the same thing on my project I had already decided to use the same colour for both symbols but its good to know why this happens!

The US DMC has also retired a few colors because they were so similar to another number that it was not worth having both numbers. Some of the older programs/charts call for a number that has been canceled so you have to watch out for that.