C-Lon Bead Cord vs S-Lon Bead Cord - What's the Difference and How Do the Colors Compare

Switching from S-Lon to C-Lon can be tricky as S-Lon renamed many colors... But let's be clear C-Lon originated the colors, S-Lon mimicked. The S-Lon colors are not new and different colors even if the names are new or changed. Watch for switcheroos such Aqua-Ice Blue, with Ice Blue by S-Lon closer to Steel (see 3rd image) and occasional dye lot shifts  such Milk Chocolate-Chestnut, with SLBC-CH darker than CLC-CST.

 

Marion Jewels in Fiber has been stocking and selling C-Lon Bead Cord since January 2006. Why do we also now stock some S-Lon as well although the colors are the same? About a year ago one of our customers sent us a chart of the possible color equivalents across the two competing brands of US made bonded nylon cord. We are now following up to see how the two brands, C-Lon and S-Lon intersect. 

Why did we pursue this now...

1. Customers have been contacting us looking for color equivalents looking for a C-Lon color corresponding to an S-Lon color they bought in another store or for colors no longer in production. 

2. Due to global supplies disruption, some C-Lon colors have been out of stock for a longer period of time. Finding an equivalent across the brands becomes necessary for higher volume customers with immediate production needs who can not wait for a color to be back in stock. 

For a bit of history on these two brands

Visit one of our earlier post on the subject here: https://jewelsinfiber.blogspot.com/2010/02/c-lon-versus-s-lon.html. Now as of summer 2022, after spending time comparing the 2 brands, S-Lon produces less colors than previously while C-Lon continues their production with the same amount of colors as in our last survey. 

Here the dye lots between the brands are amazingly similar,
however watch for name changes.

Summer 2022 - C-Lon

• 116 Colors of C-Lon Tex 400 Bead Cord, heavy weight at about 0.9 mm in diameter - 39 yd spool
• 116 Colors of C-Lon Bead Cord, Tex 210 standard weight at about 0.5 mm in diameter - 92 yd spool
• 60 Colors of C-Lon Fine Weight Tex 135 Bead Cord, at about 0.4 mm in diameter - 50 and 136 yd spools
• 48 Colors of C-Lon Micro Bead Cord, Tex 70 heavy weight at about 0.115 mm in diameter - 100 and 320 yd spools

C-Lon checks the thread quality, for looks dye lot divergences, rejecting colors that are too far off, and generally does a great job at quality control.

Summer 2022 - S-Lon

• 30 Colors of S-Lon Tex 400 Bead Cord, heavy weight at about 0.9 mm in diameter - 35 yd spool
• 96 Colors of S-Lon Bead Cord, Tex 210 standard weight at about 0.5 mm in diameter - 77 yd spool
• 11 Colors of S-Lon Fine Weight Tex 135 Bead Cord, at about 0.4 mm in diameter - 118 yd spool
• 17 Colors of S-Lon Micro Bead Cord, Tex 70 heavy weight at about 0.115 mm in diameter - 262 yd spool

S-Lon does not check the thread and dye quality, nor look for dye lot divergences, so sometimes colors are quite off the original color. Also they are in the process of discontinuing colors and as the numbers of colors shrinks, finding C-Lon equivalents becomes more important if you want to design with a fuller color palette.  

Watch for the switcheroos and dye lot shift such as SLBC-LBR is the equivalent CLC-L Latte but shifted 1/4 step towards CLC-BLS Blush, or SLBC-IB dareker than CLC-STL

Difference between the brands

 • Both cord brands are made in the same factory, but the actual output is not always the same as to spool sizes and quality control.  
• Color names are different and can lead to difficulty when switching from one brand to another. 
• Some C-Lon colors do not have an S-Lon equivalent. One S-Lon color does not have an C-Lon equivalent and it may be due to a bad dye lot batch from the factory or it is a distinct color. 

Access to the PDFs
These are spreadsheets sorted by color codes. The colors in bold fonts have been compared with actual spools side by side. The one's in regular text are best guesses. I just received a shipment with more S-Lon Bead Cord to compare and got a few surprises. The color charts and spreadsheets have been updated, today, August 15, 2022.  

1. PDF - Compare C-Lon Colors to S-Lon Colors. Sorted by the C-Lon Color Codes

2. PDF - Compare S-Lon Colors to C-Lon Colors. Sorted by the S-Lon Color Codes

The 2 PDFs have the same information, however they are sorted differently. If you are looking to transition from an S-Lon color to a C-Lon colors and you know the color name, use the #2 PDF. If you do not know the color name, send a snippet in an envelope with your name and email address to Marion Jewels in Fiber, PO Box 6776, Chico CA 95928. We will identify it for you and reply by email.

Here the same info minus the notes on color charts. The colors compared side by side are in regular font, the best guesses in lighter grey. When the S-Lon color is left blank, there is no equivalent currently available or known by us.

 

Click on image for a larger image or go here for a printable PDF. That's page 1.

 

Click on image for a larger image or go here for a printable PDF and that's page 2.  

 To order C-Lon Bead Cord, go here:

> 116 Colors of C-Lon Tex 400 Bead Cord, heavy weight at about 0.9 mm in diameter
> 116 Colors of C-Lon Bead Cord, Tex 210 standard weight at about 0.5 mm in diameter
> 60 Colors of C-Lon Fine Weight Tex 135 Bead Cord, at about 0.4 mm in diameter
> 48 Colors of C-Lon Micro Bead Cord, Tex 70 heavy weight at about 0.115 mm in diameter  

Thank you for reading this post. Contact Marion or leave a comment if you have more info or questions on comparing colors across the brands. We hope this post will make it easier for you to get the colors you are looking for!