797 — Royal Blue
Blues family#293A7C
DMC 797 — Royal Blue — has hex #293A7C and RGB 41, 58, 124. This medium-dark, vivid blue thread sits alongside its closest Anchor, Madeira, and J&P Coates matches below, with 8 similar DMC shades and a panel of color harmonies for palette planning.
About DMC 797
DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss (Mouliné Spécial)
- Also sold as
- French Blue
- Fiber
- 100% cotton
- Strands
- 6 strands
- Sold as
- 8 m skein
Brand Equivalents for DMC 797
The five closest matches in each brand, ranked by CIEDE2000 perceptual color difference.
Anchor
Madeira
J&P Coates
Sullivans
Classic Colorworks
Weeks Dye Works
Gentle Art Sampler
Valdani
Crescent Colors
Closest match to DMC 797 in 67 more brands
The single nearest shade in every other palette we hold, from needlepoint silks and wools to fuse beads and yarn. Match quality is perceptual color distance: 93% and up is hard to tell apart, under 75% is a visible shift.
More stranded cotton
Hand-dyed & overdyed
Silk
Wool for needlepoint
Metallic, rayon & specialty
Other threads & beads
Fuse beads
Yarn for crochet & knitting
Need the runners-up, or a whole pattern converted? The thread conversion chart ranks every alternative for DMC 797 (Royal Blue) in any brand.
Similar DMC Colors to 797
Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with DMC 797
It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.
Its nearest neighbor, DMC 792 (Cornflower Blue dark), is barely a step away (ΔE 3.07). Tweed the two together for subtle shading, or substitute freely when one is out of stock.
DMC 797 in other DMC lines
DMC reuses base numbers across its specialty lines, so the same shade can exist as a satin, a metallic, or a sparkle floss under a prefixed code. Here is where Royal Blue turns up.
Diamond painting: the same number is sold as a drill — Diamond Dotz D797, Diamond Drills USA DMC797. A kit legend or drill bag marked 797 means this color. See the diamond painting DMC chart for every code with drill availability.
Color Harmonies for DMC 797
DMC threads that pair well with 797, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Blues Family
DMC797 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.
About DMC 797
A medium-dark, vivid entry in the blues family, DMC 797 carries the name Royal Blue with true blue tones. Its tone is strong and rich, making it a popular choice for nautical themes and winter scenes. It pairs nicely in designs that call for forget-me-nots or bluebird motifs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What color is DMC 797?
DMC 797 is called Royal Blue. It's a medium-dark blue shade (hex #293A7C, RGB 41, 58, 124) in the blues family, commonly used for hydrangea blooms, skies, and similar motifs.
What's the closest Anchor match for DMC 797?
The closest Anchor match for DMC 797 (Royal Blue) is Anchor 139 (Delft Very Dark) with a 95% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 133 (Sky Blue Very Dark, 90%) and Anchor 148 (Navy Blue Medium, 81%).
What's a good substitute for DMC 797?
The closest DMC threads to 797 are 792 Cornflower Blue dark (ΔE 3.07), 824 Blue very dark (ΔE 4.25), and 796 Royal Blue dark (ΔE 4.84). These are useful substitutes when 797 is unavailable or for building gradients.
What projects use DMC 797?
Cross-stitchers pull DMC 797 (Royal Blue) for charts featuring hydrangea blooms, skies, water, denim textures. 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 DMC 797 (Royal 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, 797 has a contrast ratio of about 10.5:1 on white fabric and 2:1 on black. As a cool shade, its cool cast recedes visually — useful for backgrounds, shadows, water and sky, and calm, restful palettes.
Does DMC 797 come in a satin, metallic, or Étoile version?
Yes. The same number is made as DMC Satin S797. The base shade is matched across the lines, but the fiber changes the look: Satin is a high-sheen rayon, Light Effects is a metallic polyester most people blend one strand at a time, and Étoile is cotton with a sparkle filament that stitches like ordinary floss.
What is the diamond painting drill code for DMC 797?
Diamond Dotz D797 and Diamond Drills USA DMC797 carry the same number. Diamond painting adopted DMC's numbering, so a kit legend or drill bag marked 797 is this color regardless of drill brand — though each manufacturer dyes to the reference in its own batches, so avoid mixing brands inside one large block.
Which other thread brands come closest to DMC 797?
Outside the main floss brands, the nearest shades we hold are Silk and Ivory 244 Morning Glory (94%), Coats Puppets 8147 Dark wedgewood blue (94%), Luca-S 158 (91%). Percentages are perceptual color distance between the two swatches; anything above about 93% is hard to tell apart on fabric.