DMC Mouliné Spécial

161 — Grey Blue

Blues family

Need details on DMC 161? This medium, muted blue shade (Grey Blue) is hex #4F5C85, RGB 79, 92, 133. Cross-brand equivalents in Madeira, J&P Coates, and Sullivans are listed below — ranked by perceptual similarity — alongside 8 nearby DMC shades and color-theory harmony pairings.

Hex
#4F5C85
RGB
79, 92, 133
HSL
226°, 25%, 42%
Lab
39.6, 6.1, -24.5
Lightness
42%
Medium
Saturation
25%
Muted
Hue
226°
Family
Blues

Brand Equivalents for DMC 161

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

DMC 161 Grey Blue

Sullivans

Grey Blue 45476 82% Good
Cornflower Blue Medium 45204 71% Approx
Antique Blue Medium 45274 68% Approx
Lavender Blue Dark 45436 67% Approx
Delft Blue Dark 45208 61% Fair

Crescent Colours

Blue Beatrice 132 94% Good
Blue Moon 005 63% Fair
Vintage Violet 045 59% Fair
Blooming Crocus 032 59% Fair
Smoke 039 56% Fair

Similar DMC Colors to 161

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

DMC 161 Grey Blue
Cornflower Blue medium DMC 793 Very close ΔE 3.86 Cornflower Blue DMC 3807 Very close ΔE 4.13 Dark Blueberry DMC 32 Close ΔE 5.22 Lavender Blue dark DMC 3838 Noticeable ΔE 6.04 Blueberry DMC 31 Noticeable ΔE 6.42 Delft Blue dark DMC 798 Noticeable ΔE 6.83 Baby Blue dark DMC 322 Noticeable ΔE 7.23 Antique Blue medium DMC 931 Noticeable ΔE 8.48

Working with DMC 161

On white fabric
6.6:1
On dark fabric
3.2:1
Temperature
soft cool
Closest to
indigo

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

Color Harmonies for DMC 161

DMC threads that pair well with 161, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
161
3011 Khaki Green dark
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
161
32 Dark Blueberry 517 Wedgewood dark
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
161
3862 Mocha Beige dark 3815 Celadon Green dark
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading
161
803 Baby Blue ultra very dark 341 Blue Violet light 3747 Blue Violet very light

Blues Family

DMC 161 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.

161 Grey Blue 161 798 Delft Blue dark 798 322 Baby Blue dark 322 32 Dark Blueberry 32 3807 Cornflower Blue 3807 931 Antique Blue medium 931 826 Blue medium 826 3843 Electric Blue 3843 3760 Wedgewood (806) 3760 995 Electric Blue dark 995 792 Cornflower Blue dark 792

About DMC 161

Grey Blue (catalog code DMC 161) is a medium, muted shade from the blues family with true blue tones. With a steady and quiet quality, this thread works beautifully in water and denim textures. You will find this color at home in patterns featuring cool-toned backgrounds and nautical themes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is DMC 161?

DMC 161 is called Grey Blue. It's a medium blue shade (hex #4F5C85, RGB 79, 92, 133) in the blues family, commonly used for whale designs, sapphire accents, and similar motifs.

What's the closest Anchor match for DMC 161?

The closest Anchor match for DMC 161 (Grey Blue) is Anchor 131 (Sky Blue Medium) with a 95% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 137 (Delft Medium Dark, 84%) and Anchor 146 (Navy Blue Light, 84%).

What's a good substitute for DMC 161?

The closest DMC threads to 161 are 793 Cornflower Blue medium (ΔE 3.86), 3807 Cornflower Blue (ΔE 4.13), and 32 Dark Blueberry (ΔE 5.22). These are useful substitutes when 161 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What projects use DMC 161?

Cross-stitchers pull DMC 161 (Grey Blue) for charts featuring whale designs, sapphire accents, porcelain patterns, hydrangea blooms. The medium 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 DMC 161 (Grey Blue)?

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, 161 has a contrast ratio of about 6.6:1 on white fabric and 3.2:1 on black. As a soft cool shade, its cool cast recedes visually — useful for backgrounds, shadows, water and sky, and calm, restful palettes.

DMC Color Chart DMC ↔ Anchor Conversion