Anchor Stranded Cotton

851 — Grey Blue Ultra Very Dark

Blues family

Need details on Anchor 851? This medium-dark, muted blue shade (Grey Blue Ultra Very Dark) is hex #334051, RGB 51, 64, 81. Cross-brand equivalents in Madeira, J&P Coates, and Sullivans are listed below — ranked by perceptual similarity — alongside 8 nearby Anchor shades and color-theory harmony pairings.

Hex
#334051
RGB
51, 64, 81
HSL
214°, 23%, 26%
Lab
26.6, -0.5, -12.0
Lightness
26%
Dark
Saturation
23%
Neutral
Hue
214°
Family
Blues

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 851

Top 5 closest matches in each brand, ranked by visual color similarity. How matching works

Anchor 851 Grey Blue Ultra Very Dark

Sullivans

Antique Blue Dark 45273 83% Good
Pewter Grey 45058 69% Approx
Grey Green Dark 45384 69% Approx
Turquoise Ultra Very Dark 45405 59% Fair
Grey Green Very Dark 45269 56% Fair

Crescent Colours

Nighty Nite 160 80% Good
Blacksmith Blue 187 77% Approx
Tartan Plaid 073 66% Approx
Wavy Navy 075 55% Fair
Granny Annie 083 47% Fair

Similar Anchor Colors to 851

Closest Anchor threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.

Anchor 851 Grey Blue Ultra Very Dark
Blue Very Dark Anchor 979 Near identical ΔE 1.96 Antique Blue Very Dark Anchor 1035 Close ΔE 5.11 Antique Blue Dark Anchor 922 Noticeable ΔE 6.12 Grey Blue Very Dark Anchor 779 Noticeable ΔE 6.24 Baby Blue Ultra Very Dark Anchor 164 Noticeable ΔE 6.7 Blue Dark Anchor 978 Noticeable ΔE 7.76 Delft Dark Anchor 940 Noticeable ΔE 9.16 Sky Blue Dark Anchor 132 Noticeable ΔE 9.24

Working with Anchor 851

On white fabric
10.5:1
On dark fabric
2:1
Temperature
soft cool
Closest to
charcoal

It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.

Blending & gradients

Its nearest neighbor, Anchor 979 (Blue Very Dark), is barely a step away (ΔE 1.96). Tweed the two together for subtle shading, or substitute freely when one is out of stock.

Color Harmonies for Anchor 851

Anchor threads that pair well with 851, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
851
845 Khaki Green Medium Dark
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
851
122 Blue Purple Medium 170 Blue Green Very Dark
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
851
1086 Taupe Medium Dark 861 Fern Green Dark
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading
851
977 Blue Medium 1033 Antique Blue 120 Blue Purple Very Light

Blues Family

Anchor 851 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.

851 Grey Blue Ultra Very Dark 851 142 Royal Blue Medium 142 132 Sky Blue Dark 132 940 Delft Dark 940 162 Baby Blue Very Dark 162 122 Blue Purple Medium 122 139 Delft Very Dark 139 979 Blue Very Dark 979 147 Navy Blue Medium Light 147 1035 Antique Blue Very Dark 1035 941 Cornflower Blue Medium 941

About Anchor 851

Grey Blue Ultra Very Dark (catalog code Anchor 851) is a medium-dark, muted shade from the blues family with sky blue tones. With a muted and intense quality, this thread works beautifully in bluebird motifs and whale designs. You will find this color at home in patterns featuring sapphire accents and porcelain patterns.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is Anchor 851?

Anchor 851 is called Grey Blue Ultra Very Dark. It's a medium-dark blue shade (hex #334051, RGB 51, 64, 81) in the blues family, commonly used for denim textures, cool-toned backgrounds, and similar motifs.

What's the closest DMC match for Anchor 851?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 851 (Grey Blue Ultra Very Dark) is DMC 930 (Antique Blue dark) with a 83% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 3750 (Antique Blue very dark, 80%) and DMC 413 (Pewter Grey dark, 69%).

What's a good substitute for Anchor 851?

The closest Anchor threads to 851 are 979 Blue Very Dark (ΔE 1.96), 1035 Antique Blue Very Dark (ΔE 5.11), and 922 Antique Blue Dark (ΔE 6.12). These are useful substitutes when 851 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What projects use Anchor 851?

Cross-stitchers pull Anchor 851 (Grey Blue Ultra Very Dark) for charts featuring denim textures, cool-toned backgrounds, nautical themes, winter scenes. The medium-dark tone reads cleanly on its own and slots into multi-color palettes — see the color harmonies below for pairing ideas.

What fabric color works best with Anchor 851 (Grey Blue Ultra Very Dark)?

It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first. For reference, 851 has a contrast ratio of about 10.5:1 on white fabric and 2:1 on black. As a soft cool shade, its cool cast recedes visually — useful for backgrounds, shadows, water and sky, and calm, restful palettes.

Anchor Color Chart DMC ↔ Anchor Conversion